360º celebration – with Maiden Erlegh School in Reading Pupils, The MERL & Lockdown Lab

On Friday the 26 of June, we gathered to celebrate the artworks of students from Maiden Erlegh School in Reading that have been installed in a 360º version of The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL). All the artworks that were featured in the 360º experience were extraordinary and it was very impressive how much effort was put into this. As students of the University of Reading it was clear to see how much potential these young artists have. Each piece of art was unique and responded to the MERL’s objects in a different way.

There were sound pieces, videos, origami, and drawings – each piece allowing us to view the MERL from a different perspective. At the ceremony the artists we met were clearly very bright young individuals. ArtLab Director Tina O’Connell gave a rousing speech to commend all artists featured in the 360 exhibition. As she mentioned many might not have any first hand experience with farm life but they clearly managed to relate to the struggles and the beauty of rural life. It is amazing how these young artists connected art, music, and drama with rural life. It was great to hear from the MERL staff who also clearly enjoyed the exhibition of the students’ artworks. As the pandemic restricts access to the current exhibition in the MERL, it was also mentioned that the 360º exhibition enhances the experience of the museum’s artefacts. As recent graduates it is exciting to see the works of those who could follow in our footsteps and study Art at University. It was an honour to congratulate the winners!

Report by Antonia & Jessica, ArtLab Student Co-researchers

Visit ArtsMark 360 Challenge here, along with a padlet page of all the works for access with lower bandwidth and mobile if you the 360º is struggling to load.