Open Bridges includes a series of workshops hosted by Lou Duffy-Howard with creative writers Christina Lewis and Russ Litten who are working with schools, prisons and community venues to explore freedom and the impact of freedoms denied in the world today.
One of our favourite schools, Withernsea High, was the destination for our next workshop. Creative writer Christina Lewis and I spent the morning with Miss Collins’ class to explore the concept of freedom and the impact of freedom denied to so many people in the world today. We started off by playing a game to demonstrate the idea that the only way to truly understand something is to experience it. You’ve got to taste it –describing and guessing our favourite and worst foods: Like little jellies? Slimy little balls? Slippy? Mushy and smelly? Grown ups have it with Champagne?…Caviar! (Yes, lots of fun imagining… but is it really like eating caviar?)
After a discussion about famous people from Hull, the class told us about William Wilberforce and human rights before we played Vote with your Feet – Who thinks we live in a free world? Who would come to school if you didn’t have to? Who keeps their bedroom tidy? Whose carers/parents tidy up after them? So, who thinks slavery is wrong? Lots of voting with the feet and great discussion led to some super creative writing and drawing.
Thanks to our workshop photographer Piotr Korczynski who took photographs of the session. Click on an image to enlarge the photo and scroll through…
Here is the work the class produced at the workshop. Click on an image to see the full picture and scroll through…
Thank you to Miss Collins and the fabulous class – Phoebe, Molly, Sam, Olivia, Charlie, Adam, Abigail, MacKenzie, Ethan, Shkira, Megan, Kieran, Ella, Kurt, Libby, Tia, Trinity, Abbie, Ruby, Harriet, Liam, Finley, Jessica, Joseph and Kallum – for welcoming us to join in for the morning, for brilliant teamwork and fantastic discussion.
Visit Withernsea High School blog about the session
Lou Duffy-Howard
Open Bridges is an independent Hull based project by Duffy-Howard Music in partnership with HCC Streetscene Services taking place during the City of Culture Freedom Season.