On Thursday 26^th September, The Lower Sixth art students visited the materials room at Tate Modern. We are exploring how we can utilise a range of both traditional and unconventional materials to add depth and context to our art pieces.

It was fascinating to see how the artists in this exhibit challenge our understanding of art and the suitability of different materials to comment on deeper meanings. For example, I learnt about Merissa Merz and her role in the ‘Arte Povera’ movement. The core belief of this movement was that we could use ‘poor’ materials (rags, needles, wool) to create just as meaningful and moving pieces. Merissa, for example, used them to remind us of home and domestic life and how closely that can link to our art.

We are going to experiment with more materials in depth over the next few weeks such as clay and plaster casting. We hope to use meaningful materials that have social, historical and political contexts or to further introduce textures and objects into our work that challenge the viewer to understand the deeper meanings we hope to portray, just like the artists in this exhibit.

Mia Cosham, Year 12 Art Scholar