Perry created this map of a walled city as a self-portrait for an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. He said ‘I thought the walled city was a good metaphor – the wall, I suppose, can roughly be interpreted as your skin. But like any city, it’s dependent on the landscape it sits in as well.’

Using this theme, our students created portraits of ourselves via the medium of maps. Maps offered a creative tool to get students to think about how the parts of themselves interrelate. Which parts are bigger, and which parts are smaller? Which parts exist in a similar place? What symbols could we use to represent certain parts of ourselves?

We drew around grains of rice to create the outline of our maps, which was a fun and sensory way to get the ball rolling. Then, it was time map ourselves! There were no rules: if you wanted to fill your map with Xbox games, that was fine. If you wanted it to feature foods you liked, that was fine too. As long as it represented yourself, or an area of yourself, it was a success!

We challenged our students to consider environmental issues facing Torbay, including litter and plastic pollution. They created some fantastic stop-motion animations, raising awareness about the effect that litter has on our local environment and our planet! Please give them a watch below.

Litter and plastic pollution are significant environmental issues that affect our planet. Every year, around eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean, causing harm to marine life and ecosystems. This is a problem that affects us all, and it is essential that we take action to reduce our use of single-use plastics and dispose of waste responsibly.

By participating in Earth Hour, we can show our support for the planet and raise awareness about the environmental issues that affect us all. Small changes, such as switching off the lights for an hour, can make a big difference and remind us of the importance of taking action to protect the environment.

Earth Hour is an opportunity for us all to come together and make a positive impact on the planet. Whether it’s by switching off the lights, reducing our use of single-use plastics, or making other small changes, we can all play a part in protecting the environment and building a more sustainable future. So, let’s take action and make every hour Earth Hour! Turn off your lights and join Tonic Creatives this evening at the Spanish Barn (Torre Abbey) for light jugglers and artists, drumming (and your chance to have a go), stilt walkers, and their Disco in the Dark.