Alderley Edge School for Girls – ARTiculation North West Regional Finalists

Alderley Edge School for Girls – ARTiculation North West Regional Finalists

3 February 2022

Alderley Edge School for Girls is celebrating the achievements of Upper Sixth pupil, Lily Ray who was placed second in the ARTiculation North West Regional Final at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester.

Lily’s speech, which she delivered to an audience at the gallery on 26th January, was based on The Garden of Unearthly Delights’ by Mat Collishaw and was considered by the judges to be a confident, well-paced, articulate and engaging speech.

The ARTiculation Prize is a national public speaking competition for students aged between 16 and 19. Students deliver a 10-minute presentation on a work of art, architecture or an artefact of their choice in front of an audience and an adjudicator.

Collishaw’s “Garden of Unearthly Delights” is an instillation of aluminium, LED lights, motor, plaster resin and steel. Many Victorian paintings contain sinister elements of violence contrasting with their otherwise enchanting and ethereal qualities. Collishaw borrowed some of these characters to perform in a three-dimensional Zoetrope. As the Zoetrope machine rotates, an animated scene appears that is both compelling and unsavoury.

110 schools entered the competition with seven schools going through to the North West Regional Final in Manchester, including Manchester High School for Girls, Shrewsbury School and Altrincham Grammar School for Boys.

Alderley Edge School for Girls, Head of Art Photography and Gifted & Talented Co-ordinator, Michelle Billington, said: “We are incredibly proud of Lily’s achievement. Alderley Edge School for Girls provides many opportunities for gifted and talented pupils, whatever their specialism. As a future art student, the ARTiculation competition has been an invaluable experience, allowing Lily to meet and speak with professional artists and showcase her own talent for art and public speaking.

“Lily is now part of the ARTiculation Alumni Network, a programme that find opportunities for young people to gain work experience, to speak again in public, to write for publications, and to join training and mentoring schemes. Well done, Lily, a fantastic achievement.”

Alderley Edge School for Girls, Head Mistress, Mrs Nicola Smillie, added: “We are absolutely delighted that Lily has been recognised for her talents and public speaking. She is a talented orator and has a wonderful appreciation of the Arts. As a school, our pupils have been recognised as having excellent communication skills; as well as being articulate and confident speakers in our recent Independent Schools inspection. It is wonderful to be able to demonstrate these skills publicly. A huge well done to Lily, we are extremely proud of you.”

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