Page 8 - Abingdon News

8 January 2015
Abingdon Arts
WW1 in a Matchbox
To commemorate the centenary of the First World War, third year pupils worked to a
historical brief in their art lessons this term. Each student was given a plain, small, white
matchbox with which to create a theme and record his own reflections on the First World
War. Drawings, collages, prints, paintings and little sculptures were created from images
relating to the War.
Inaugural Michael
Grigsby Awards
The AFU’s annual screening featured
eleven new films with live action
fiction, abstract pieces and the AFU’s
first music video adding to the mix
of animations and documentaries.
Another new element was the
presentation of the first Michael Grigsby
Awards in memory of the AFU’s co-
founder and mentor, and funded by
donations from his family, friends and
colleagues. The “Spirit of Grigsby
Award” was presented to John Cheung
and Aim Wonghirundacha for their
fiction film Blindside, while the “Michael
Grigsby Young Filmmaker Award” went
to Jack Bradley for his documentary
One Fish at a Time. A special award of
a multi-coloured “Grigsby scarf” was
made to Michael Bicarregui, the AFU’s
most senior member whose last year in
the unit this was.
Further
congratulations
to John Cheung
and Aim
Wonghirundacha
whose debut
film Blindside
was selected
for screening
at the Future of Cinema Film Festival
in Interlochen, Michigan, USA. This
is the first time an AFU film has been
screened at a film festival in America.
Inspirational Art
Artists from the Lower Sixth and Fourth Year
visited Tate Britain and The Saatchi Gallery.
The Big Sculpt
GCSE students took part in a
sculpture workshop using wire and
willow withies.
Fearlessness encouraged
An audience of over a hundred sixth form English and Drama students
from Abingdon and St Helen’s was treated to a fascinating evening
in the company of playwright Jez Butterworth, who was the guest
of honour at the Literature Society’s annual dinner. He encouraged
everyone to approach their acting and writing “fearlessly”.