School collaborates to produce artwork

Musselburgh School pupils and artist Ana Teofilo celebrate the unveiling of the school's collective artwork at an assembly yesterday. PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIEN
The talents of the entire Musselburgh School have been combined for a new artwork.
The piece, which is yet to be named, will be on display in the school assembly hall.
It was completed in collaboration with artist Ana Teofilo, who helped bring all the different themes together.
She said it took about a week to put together, after a one-day brainstorming session with pupils.
"It's amazing just knowing that all the kids took part in it, and we were able to just put it in one big piece where they can celebrate it and feel proud."
Each pupil drew something that was somehow inspired by Samoan Language Week.
"There were a lot of connections through weaving. There were Samoan flags. Some drew cats because they have a personal, you know, connection to little cats. There were also a lot of florals."
Seeing the pupils develop their work was also inspiring, she said.
"So we had all the senior classes first, and then we had the juniors come through. So you could see the tightness of their drawings to the looseness of the younger ones, which is really cool."
She had not put together a collaborative artwork before.
"This would be my first piece where we've all collaborated in one piece.
"Usually, I would do workshops where each individual creates a piece, and we would put it together. So, this was something special in one single piece.
"I'd absolutely love to do something like this again if there's another opportunity for it."
Principal Robin Taylor said they were delighted to invite Ms Teofilo to the school as part of their recognition of Samoa Language Week.
"Ana had beautifully prepared the piece for collaboration with all of the students who were present on the day.
"Each student created their own design, around a significance to them, to build up the background — Ana then took the piece and completed the design, which replicates our new school logo with a Pasifika flavour.
"Our home and school association raised funds to enable Ana to spend time with us. We are extremely proud of this new and beautiful piece of work, which will be displayed in the school hall so all our school ākonga, whānau and manuhiri can view it."
matthew.littlewood@odt.co.nz

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

NZ Herald

21 hours ago

• NZ Herald

Black Faggot's Victor Rodger on Destiny Church and why his groundbreaking play remains so relevant today

Like a lot of young homosexuals, it made me feel a lot of self-loathing. But I wasn't raised to denigrate people who were gay. My mother was very young when she had me – she turns 72 this year – but she elected to keep me and I'm so grateful she did. She let me do swirly swirlies in her blue dress when I was going through my Deborah Kerr phase, from The King and I, and she got me the Barbie dolls I craved as a young fella. She was still surprised when I came out when I was 26, but she's always just let me be. When Destiny Church led its 'Enough is Enough' march on Parliament in 2004 against the Civil Union Bill [giving legal recognition to same-sex relationships], I knew without a doubt that at least one of those young men would be gay. Hating on themselves and marching against themselves. I wanted to write something metaphorically for that kid. Then, in 2012, there were more protests against the marriage equality bill, with members of the Pasifika community coming out against it. I knew it was time to finally get over the line. Victor Rodger: "Some seriously appalling things are going down in our own backyard." Photo / Dean Purcell Black Faggot premiered at Auckland's Basement Theatre in 2013. I wanted it to be funny, which it is, and I also wanted to diversify the spectrum of Samoan queer characters, who until then had often been typified by fa'afafine as objects of mirth, with no complexity or layers. Two actors play multiple roles, mostly queer Samoan men, from super camp to super butch and everything in between. There's also a fa'afafine, a Samoan mum, and a pumping iron straight brother, but the spine of the show is a relationship between a young Samoan man on the down low and an out-and-proud Samoan man. When I heard The Court Theatre in Christchurch wanted Black Faggot on its programme this year, I wondered if it was still relevant. I'd thought about doing it myself in 2023, for the 10th anniversary, and had asked myself the same question. A few years ago, I was a dramaturg on a trans rom-com about a Tongan fakaleiti at high school and the captain of the First XV, who takes a bet that he can make her fall in love with him. When we did our first showing to a group of students, they were just so invested in the trans main character having a happy ending. For me, as an older, queer person, I was blown away because that never would have happened in my era. Destiny Church members wearing Man Up T-shirts disrupt the Auckland Rainbow Parade on Ponsonby Road in February. But as they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. I was in the UK when I saw the headlines: 'Brian Tamaki's Destiny Church pride protests: Te Atatū witness describes terror inside library'. I wasn't expecting something like that to happen, but it didn't surprise me, either. We are living through a period in history right now that is as startling as it is unstable. And here in Aotearoa, we can't kid ourselves that we're in a position to look overseas and say 'Well, at least it's not that bad here', because some seriously appalling things are going down in our own backyard. Back in 2013, I wanted to pull Black Faggot. I was unravelling over all sorts of other life stuff and had convinced myself it was the worst piece of shit that had ever been committed to paper. Everything felt pretty grim and dark. The premiere got a standing ovation, but even that offered no relief. With this new season, I've been able to engage with the show from a much better place. I forbade my mother from seeing it, but she disobeyed me and went to the opening night in Christchurch, which is where I grew up. She's always been concerned with the amount of swearing in my work and that people will think she raised me to talk in the gutter. I did that all on my own. She's also not a great fan of sex, and there's a lot of sex talk in the show. But she coped and was blown away by the two actors, one of whom is the son of a family friend from the same church. There are moments in it when you can hear a pin drop, like when the young Christian character keeps praying to God to be made straight. That resonates with so many of us who've been through the same thing, just wanting to be #normal. On the night I went, there was recognition and there was laughter, but the overriding emotion was celebratory. That's not a word I would have used, but seeing it now, I thought, yes, this is absolutely a celebration. And a necessary one. Victor Rodger is an award-winning playwright based in Wellington and a 2024 Arts Laureate. The new production of Black Faggot, directed by Anapela Polata'ivao (who starred in the feature film Tinā), has just completed a four-week season at The Court in Christchurch and is on at Auckland's Q Theatre from June 25 to 29.

Otago Daily Times

a day ago

• Otago Daily Times

Discards redesigned for charity auction

Otago Polytechnic student Emily Gilbert shows off the papier mache torso she created, at the special Red Cross auction on Thursday. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Dozens of previously unwanted or unsellable items have been brought back to life. The "Retooled" auction, hosted by the Red Cross, featured works from Otago Polytechnic school of design students. The students had about a month to prepare for the auction, and the only stipulation was the final product needed to use material sourced from the Red Cross. At least 28 separate items were auctioned while another 24 went on sale. Steve King, of the Red Cross, said it was an opportunity for students to showcase creative flair, as well as find some use for previously discarded items. "I think it's great to see what can be done with items that you would think are at the end of their life. So with a bit of thought and skill, you know, some really, really good quality items can be created." Remaking old clothes proved popular among students this year, he said. "The standard of some of the dressmaking was really high and really, really creative, especially the design component. "There was a really lovely jacket and, some really nice garments, dresses, tops." One of the items up for auction was a papier mache torso, fashioned from old newspapers and music books from the basement of the Red Cross building. Artist Emily Gilbert, 19, said it took about a month to make. "It was pretty hard work, because it's made of fabric and glue, so getting some of the shaping was quite difficult and time consuming. She said she was inspired by Greek art and design and also wanted to celebrate the music of composers such as Chopin. "We managed to transform discarded remnants into something human. "I feel like I've gained some skills in how to work with my hands a bit more, and I like doing research into the old paintings and old sculptures." She "purchased" the item for her grandmother, who was "really interested" in her work. Mr King said the auction raised about $1700 for the Red Cross. "It's definitely something we would do again. It's a big project for the students. I think the youth engagement and the collaborative aspect of it is as important as the fundraising."

Otago Daily Times

2 days ago

• Otago Daily Times

Miss Universe entrant a mother

Miss Universe New Zealand finalist Dr Deborah Lambie and her husband David Cameron hold their now 5-month-old son Theodore Cameron-Lambie when he was born on January 4 this year. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED A former Dunedin resident and budding beauty pageant contestant will be competing for the elusive top spot in the Miss Universe New Zealand pageant five months after giving birth. Next week, Dr Deborah Lambie will take to the Miss Universe New Zealand stage in the hopes of representing New Zealand at the worldwide pageant in Thailand this November. If she takes the top spot on Tuesday, she will be the first mother to represent their country at the competition. While Dr Lambie said she was excited, she also had a healthy mix of nerves. "I'm just really focusing on trying to enjoy it, and not worrying about the outcome ... just being able to be a finalist at this stage in my life is amazing." Her son, Theodore "Teddy" Cameron-Lambie, was born on January 4, 2025. Becoming a mother was "so rewarding and amazing," but it was good for her to do something she loved to do, she said. Dr Lambie will be back competing in Miss Universe New Zealand five months postpartum. "I had thought that this chapter of my life was closed, and so to have the opportunity to open it back up is really, really nice. "We've never ever sent a mum to Miss Universe." Initially, she was worried whether she would be confident enough, or had recovered enough to cross the stage so shortly after giving birth, she said. "I was super lucky that I wasn't sick during my pregnancy, so I was able to just keep going with my normal exercise like walking, yoga and pilates. "I've been super fortunate during my pregnancy, which has meant I've been able to recover well — I'm so grateful for that because that's not the same for everyone." The pageant's preliminaries will be held on Sunday, and the Miss Universe Grand Finale would take place on Tuesday at the SkyCity Theatre, Auckland. When she was a medical student studying at the University of Otago, Dr Lambie found herself representing New Zealand at the 2015 Miss World competition in China. Back then, there were rules around eligible ages, whether people could be married or have children and the type of people who could enter, Dr Lambie said. "They have really taken a step forward in the right direction in my mind, and it's basically got rid of all of those rules. "I think it is a great step in the right direction of embracing a broader definition of beauty." She is now living in Auckland, but visits family in Dunedin regularly.