The Purcell School is delighted to announce that it has been named joint winner of The Big Draw Festival 2022. This achievement underscores the School’s commitment to innovative, cross-curricular learning and its dedication to fostering creativity across all disciplines.
The Big Draw Festival, the world’s largest celebration of drawing, invited participants from around the globe to interpret this year’s theme, ‘Come Back to Colour.’ The Purcell School’s Art Department responded with an innovative project that explored the connection between sound and visual art.
Students engaged in a live music and drawing session where, inspired by a peer’s accordion performance, they created marks and drawings reflecting the emotions and colours evoked by Zolotarev’s Sonata No. 2, Semyonov’s Bulgarian Suite and Albéniz’s Asturias. Over 30 students from all key stages participated, producing a variety of stunning visual interpretations that not only evolved with the music but which culminated in a single, harmonious piece of art.
The project, influenced by Kandinsky’s exploration of music and art and James Mayhew’s live drawing performances, introduced students to synesthesia and how sound evokes visual imagery. This scaffolding enriched the students’ engagement and creative responses in an open and inclusive environment. Victoria Samuel, Head of Art at The Purcell School, who designed and oversaw the project, reflected that ‘We aimed to show that drawing is for everyone and can be a powerful tool for expression, connection and creativity. It was inspiring to see the students connect so deeply with the music and each other during this experience.’
The judges praised the project for its originality, with The Big Draw team commenting that ‘The Purcell School scored exceptionally high in key areas such as originality and creative exploration of the theme. The judges loved the idea of exploring the relationship between sound and colour, and found it especially fascinating to learn how the students’ drawing styles visibly evolved with each change in music. ’
Paul Bambrough, Principal of The Purcell School, expressed his pride in the students’ achievements, ‘We are absolutely thrilled to have won The Big Draw Festival 2022. This is a reflection of the incredible talent, dedication and creative spirit of our students and staff . . . We believe that the arts are profoundly interconnected and this project has exemplified that’.
Following the success of The Big Draw event, the School organised a similar project in which students created art in response to a live organ performance by Principal Paul Bambrough. Both works of art, produced in these collaborative events, now hang proudly around the School in celebration of art, music and community.
