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T he T rusty S ervant
kicked off. At the corner of every
busy street a new museum or square
or sculpture stood, bursting with the
produce of what must have been an
incredible time to live in Italy.
‘I particularly benefited from taking
a step back from the architectural
creations to sit for a while and draw. It
allowed us to study every aspect of the
intricate facades and piece together
consistent shapes which prevailed
throughout the city. Coming back
with a bursting sketchbook, filled with
Florence’s endless offerings and recounts
of everything we had got up to, felt
both rewarding and astonishing, having
done so much over the five days. Since
I stopped studying Art last year, the trip
was a fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable
way to get back into producing and
studying artwork.’
Inigo Selwood – Musee D’Orsay
Rory Benton adds that ‘the idea that any
school should give its students grants to
travel abroad with friends to see things
that they happen to be interested in
is, on the face it, of a ridiculous one,
and that is one of the many things that
makes the Drew Travel Scholarship
such an incredible opportunity – it is a
unique scheme and we are incredibly
fortunate to have it. For those involved
it is quite an exceptional experience – it
manages to strike, perfectly, the balance
that teachers have been trying to find
for generations: that between education
and enjoyment. Being able to spend
a week in Paris with my friends was,
unsurprisingly, incredible fun, but I have
also learnt an awful lot in the process,
both about the history and theory of
art as well as the more practical side of
new methods to create my own work.
However, potential applicants should not
be fooled into believing that it is merely
a holiday – there is, after all, a huge
amount of work to be done, especially
upon your return, and I’d be lying if I
said that the exhibition isn’t a daunting
prospect. However, with the freedom you
have over your work and your travels,
and opportunity to use new media and
discover new passions, it is work well
worth doing.’
Florence
Thomas Bullivant (E) and William
Billington (B) ventured to Florence and
reacted to the spectacular architectural
heritage with mixed-media responses
of printmaking, drawing and analogue
photography. Reflecting on his
experience, William recalls ‘walking
around the bustling city which was still
exploding with the sense of creativity
and ingenuity that the Renaissance
Riga
The final group to travel ventured
to Riga, comprising Liam Hayes (D)
and William St. John Butler (H). The
committee were encouraged by their
proposal to create responses through
video and digital photo-montage. They
successfully realised their intentions, by
creating original, sensitively composed
works. William made an immersive film
Rory Benton – Paris
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