Year 12 Matilda Represents NHEHS at National ARTiculation Competition
By Matilda J, Year 12
On Monday the 29th of January I had the pleasure of representing the school at the annual national ‘ARTiculation’ contest. This regional round of the competition took place at the iconic Photographers Gallery, nestled in the heart of central London, though later rounds take place in other prestigious venues such as the National Gallery’s own halls.
The competition requires students to write and perform a 10 minute speech with an accompanying PowerPoint on an artwork of their choice – in my case, the installation art piece ‘Babel’, created by artist Cildo Merieles in 2001 and currently displayed in its own room at the Tate Modern.
There were seven students in this round, presenting on all different pieces, from paintings by Paula Rego linked to the legalisation of abortion to performance pieces denouncing consumerism and the commercialisation of identity. The speeches were fascinating and it was lovely talking to the other contestants – Ms Farmer was particularly amused that I spotted some people who had been at a V&A history of art seminar at the same time as me a couple months ago, recognisable through the tote bags the event gave out!
We ran from 2-5pm (with a brief interval) and heard all the pieces – although I didn’t make it through to the next round, my own presentation went as well as I could have hoped and while it was slightly intimidating standing in front of the room at first I really enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to talk about a topic I am passionate about. I had also never seen the Photographers Gallery before, and after visiting I would definitely go again!
It’s also worth noting that all the contestants are now part of the ‘ARTiculation alumnae network’, which allows students to be paid by the National Gallery to talk about paintings (alongside other jobs) and be put in touch with people within the industry, regardless of whether they won or not.
Overall I would really recommend the experience, and wish the winning contestant good luck in the following rounds!
