A Multimedia Sculptural Installation by students from J.L. Ilsley High School, Halifax, in collaboration with artist Miro Davis

Although J.L. Ilsley High School is well know for its outstanding visual arts program, for many students, this collaborative project provided their first opportunity to work with an artist in the classroom — and for many, the encounter bordered on the magical and transformative. Everybody contributed: by lending support, by providing feedback, and by becoming involved in the art-making process.

The intent was to integrate art into the framework of the science curriculum, having each science class at the school contribute to the large-scale sculptural installation in its own unique way. In the words of the head of the science department: “There were many of us who travelled on this journey. Initially we were taking different paths, but eventually we arrived at a point on the road where science meets art, where equations ran into imagination and theorems encountered creativity. What an exciting place to be.”
Once the conceptual framework was developed by Halifax-based sculptor, Miro Davis, “The Feather Project,” (as it quickly became known) took on a life of its own. An 18-foot-long clear acrylic feather became the anchor for countless student-made objects depicting the timeline of flight in an evolutionary sequence.

Some classes focused on the development of topographic maps using the technique of metal repoussée, using offshore bathymetric maps from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland as templates. These maps provide the background which anchors the feather, the way that maps of land and sea help pilots navigate while flying. Other students focused on the physical principles of flight and not only designed futuristic flying objects, but described their underlying theoretical principles as well.

The Flight Dreams projects were linked to the grade 11 physics curriculum framework, which included units on kinematics, vector analysis, algebraic problem solving and Newton’s law, among many other principles. In their chemistry classes, students experimented with different types of binding agents for making Papier Mâché parachutes, while other students incorporated their insights from the ecology unit on insects, creating mobiles with butterflies, moths and other flying creatures. Some students revisited their childhood memories and folded paper airplanes, while others created objects ranging from flying pigs to flying ants.

The students in the art program were especially passionate about their own creations, and amazed their teacher by expressing their unique personalities in their work. One student, who is wheelchair-bound, created a symbolic object which included a tiny piece of a white plastic grocery bag. Since she was a child it has been her dream to be able to leap off the couch, holding onto the bag, in an attempt to fly. Another student interpreted the theme of flight as the dispersion of seeds from a dandelion and depicted each seed as a tiny folded origami crane, ready to take flight.

The students worked with great effort and concentration on this project, and at times the classroom was so still and quiet, it almost had the mystical atmosphere of a studio during the time of Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci.   - Sabine M. Fels, ArtsExpress Coordinator,
J.L. Ilsley High School

Artist-in-residence / Miro Davis / Participating staff and their students from J.L. Ilsley High / Bonita Aalders, Art Teacher / Keri Butler, Science Teacher / Angela Dewar, Science Teacher / Alaistar Duncan, Art Teacher / Ruth Gabriel, Science Teacher / James Mugford, Tech Ed/Woodshop Teacher / Max Turton, Science Teacher / Frank VanBlarcum, Science Teacher / J.L. Ilsley Student Council Representative / Bradley Hatcher / Research into Flight / Joy O’Brien, Librarian / Administrative support at J.L. Ilsley High / Al Reyner, Principal / Katherine Gartner, Science Department Head / Hazel Robar, Math Mentor / Sabine Fels, Arts Express Coordinator / Sponsored by / ArtReach Nova Scotia / Industry Partners / Bruce McNeill and Todd Purcell from Warehoused Plastic Sales Inc. / Bill Chaffy, Manager, Lumber Mart, Herring Cove Road / Maritime Hobbies and Crafts, Model airplane supplies