31 pupils from Lyppard Grange Primary School have been getting creative, with artists imitating the dog. The workshop with the year 1 students will be used to create a brand new piece of work, called Lilliput, that will be shared at Light Night Worcester 2021; providing a platform for young voices to re-imagine the city through their hopes and dreams.

“At Lyppard Grange we embrace opportunities that help our children develop their creative skills in innovative ways. It is fantastic that The Arches Worcester Festivals are working with schools to provide exciting and new creative experiences. The children will love to see the results of their work projected in their local community during Light Night Worcester later this year.” - Katherine Grindrod, Year 1 teacher, Lyppard Grange Primary School

County Councillor Andy Roberts has donated some of his County Council divisional fund to support the workshop, where pupils took part in drama activities to spark their imaginations. Laurence Young (Learning and Access Officer, imitating the dog) asked the pupils to imagine the different places they might go on adventure; from under the sea and space, to ice cream factories! The pupils created freeze frames and ‘moving’ images to help them build on their exciting ideas in preparation for the next step - filming.

“The aim of the workshop is to generate ideas for the children so that they’ve got things that they can talk about, to get everyone thinking about adventures and transformations, and to get them really excited about the project. They can go and tell their family, we should go see this thing at Worcester Light Night. ” - Laurence Young, Learning and Access Officer, imitating the dog

Pupils filmed and explained their ideas with Simon Wainwright (Co-Artistic Director, imitating the dog) in front of a greenscreen. They were given a glimpse into the future as they were superimposed onto a mock up of the Worcester building, showing them how their big ideas may take shape . They were thrilled to see themselves and each other on screen, and to listen as Simon explained just how big the scale of the final project will be, reaching far higher than the classroom ceiling.

“There is something special about working with a community to create a piece of work because light festivals are all about bringing communities together. Commissioning for specific light festivals is so important because there’s a difference between seeing a piece of work that has been at lots of festivals and seeing what’s been made for your town or your city.”- Simon Wainwright, Co-Artistic Director, imitating the dog

 

Using our Lilliput engagement pack, pupils re-designed the Worcester building that will be transformed at Light Night Worcester. They drew their ideas on a flat net of the building and stuck it together to have their own miniature model of the Lilliput Light Night Worcester experience. One student set the scene:

“The shark is trying to eat me.”

and when asked if she gets eaten, she replied

“No, because he’s looking the wrong way!”

Pupils throughout the county will be able to bring their imagination to life, as the engagement pack will be available to download for use at home or school, later in the year.

imitating the dog are one of four international and award-winning artists and organisations that have been selected to transform city centre buildings with their light projections created specifically for Light Night Worcester 2021. Audiences will be able to see Lilliput at the festival, 19-21 October 2021 in Worcester City Centre.