News19th November 2020
Eleven Ark Elvin Academy students featured in the English National Opera’s (ENO) I am Here project, which saw their self-portraits on display at London Coliseum during a concert of Mozart’s Requiem, which aired on TV last weekend (14 November).
The students created their self-portraits from their school photo, and the Performing Arts team submitted entries to ENO. Eleven students were selected to be part of the project, which featured 700 images in total. The portraits were featured on seats in the theatre instead of an audience because of COVID-19.
Frances Green, Ark Elvin’s Head of Performing Arts said: “We are delighted to be working with ENO. Their programme offers our students the opportunity to experience opera, culture, and the arts. Most importantly, we can nurture their creativity, which is a vital part of our curriculum and student development.
“We are very proud of the 11 students selected to be part of the ‘I am Here’ project. It is exciting for them to know their artwork was being enjoyed by viewers watching the performance from their homes.”
ENO selected Ark Elvin as one of their seven Opera Squad schools in London and Liverpool, which introduces students to their work and explores themes through creative arts. With COVID-19 pandemic, all activities such as workshops stopped, and their programme went online.
I am Here is designed to help students transition from primary to secondary by giving new year 7s the chance to reflect and capture themselves during this time. ENO wanted students to be creative, expressive and represent themselves in photography.
The portraits can be seen on BBC iPlayer: Mozart’s Requiem