Last Thursday (27th June), guests of BGS and the wider community were invited to our Creative Arts Showcase, an event that highlighted the remarkable creative talents of our Years 9, GCSE and Sixth Form students.

This year, the showcase featured cultural music installations, costume design, street food, and an extensive arts and textiles exhibition. Guests had the wonderful opportunity to admire and enjoy the exceptional work of our students.

Mrs Lugsden (Head of Art and Textiles) said: “We were delighted to open the doors to our studios once again for the annual Summer Show- a showcase celebrating the end of a busy year within the Art and Textiles departments. The newly renovated Textiles rooms were a fitting backdrop for the stunning work developed by Textiles Design GCSE and A’ Level students. Work ranged from garments to sculptural textiles pieces and was supported by exquisite sketchbook research; themes were rich and varied, and demonstrated the independent creative journeys the students went on. Across the Art rooms, GCSE and A’ Level Fine Art students’ work came together as a fitting celebration of the hard work and innovation demonstrated by all students. Themes such as Identity, Family and Sense of Self were explored with clear creative passion. We are always so proud of our students’ achievements, and this year was no exception.

“It was wonderful to see the Year 9 project work of Drama, Music and Art coming together to form a creative installation, exploring the theme of Identity. Art students reflected on the work of Iranian American artist Shirin Neshat to inspire adding words to their sculptural hands. It was a super cross-curricular piece, really showcasing the creative side of the curriculum here at BGS.”

Mrs Lovett Head of Food and Nutrition added: “The Year 9 Food and Nutrition students have truly outdone themselves with their Street Food Showcase. The event offered a platform to demonstrate the skills they have acquired during their Food lessons at BGS – they made everything from scratch where possible. They had already carried out detailed research into various street food styles; some of them had recently attended the ‘London Food Tour’ too. They designed and made several trial dishes and created detailed time plans to prepare them for the event.

“On the day of the event, students worked hard all afternoon to prepare their display dishes and samples, presenting them to family and staff in the evening. Guests praised the creativity and high standard of cooking ability and the attention to detail in their presentation skills. Some of the concepts developed could easily inspire successful street food ventures.”