As part of a co-commission with Bolsover District Council, Junction Arts have linked up with Frederick Gent School and artists Martyn Harris (Absolute Video), Peter Massey (Zantium Studios) and international composer Paul Lovatt-Cooper to produce a beautiful large-scale mosaic and highly moving film and score, commemorating the remarkable story of the loss of HMS Hampshire in 1916 and the men from mining communities in Derbyshire who lost their lives on board.

In July 2016, Junction Arts, 3 artists and 31 Year 9 students from Frederick Gent School came together for an ambitious week-long mixed arts project. The students worked alongside the artists in two groups, first researching and learning about the fascinating stories around the sinking of HMS Hampshire and the introduction of dazzle camouflage before exploring the art forms of mosaic-making, film production and music composition to reimagine the sinking of the warship.

Led by Absolute Video and Project Coordinator Aly Stoneman, the second group helped to create a documentary film about the project, learning about different film techniques which included animating the dazzle ships created by their peers. The film group also developed written work and a final spoken presentation as part of their Bronze Arts Award. This project not only pushed quiet students to achieve an extra qualification but empowered them to explore and talk about their own artistic interests in front of a small audience of peers and partners, including local Councillor Tracey Cannon when she visited the project at the end of the week. The key outcomes for this group were the development of new skills in film-making and research but also in their own self-belief through team-work and public-speaking. “I’ve enjoyed working in a team with Jonathan. We have been learning stop motion animation which I’ve never done before. At first I was quite nervous but I’ve enjoyed telling Martyn about myself, such as writing poetry since I was 10.” Tyler Barksby, Arts Award participant

Both groups were inspired by their afternoon with composer Paul Lovatt-Cooper. They were given the opportunity to listen to Paul’s composition, which retells the dramatic story of ‘The Final Voyage’ of the HMS Hampshire, and learn about musical storytelling. The students then worked with instruments to create compositions of their own. “My favourite thing this week was when Paul Lovatt-Cooper came in because it was good to start our own composition from scratch and the final piece was quite satisfying considering the short time we had. It was a hard week but amazing at the same time.’ Brandon Castledine, Arts Award participant

The HMS Hampshire project was ideal for the school’s Enrichment Week, engaging and inspiring Year 9 students to try something different with peers who they’ve not worked with before. A final celebration event from 6pm on 12 November at The Post Mill Centre, South Normanton, will include the grand unveiling of the HMS Hampshire mosaic, an exhibition of the pupils’ fleet of ‘Dazzle’ model ships and a certificate award ceremony for the pupils who achieved their Bronze Arts Award. There will also be a unique chance to recall the tragic loss of the warship during a live brass band performance of Paul Lovatt-Copper’s evocative soundtrack, accompanied by a professional remembrance film created by Martyn Harris using archive footage and photographs. Watch the Final Voyage film and the documentary film of the project on our youtube site.

“A tremendous learning experience for the pupils who achieved a lot in a short time…even the artists learnt something!” Martyn Harris, Absolute Video

“The project worked really well. The Mosaic looks fantastic and they (the pupils) got an incredible amount out of the week.’

Simon Gray, Deputy Headteacher at Frederick Gent School