Rivers of the World Restrospective Catalogue 2006 - 2014

Introduction

Rivers of the World is the flagship art and education project of the Thames Festival Trust delivered in partnership with the British Council.It provides opportunities and resources for teachers and students to learn about their local river and to compare this to other rivers in cities around the world. Led by Shona Watt and groups of inspirational local artists, the students follow up their river study with the creation of huge artworks for public display beside their own river and those of all partner cities. Now in its ninth year, this extraordinary project has been welcomed in twenty countries around the world, encouraging young people there to explore and reflect on local and global issues, and by doing so, to gain an international outlook and build the skills they need for life and work in an increasingly inter-connected global society. This year sees the 500th artwork created as part of Rivers of the World. These artworks have been made by young people from London and the twenty-two partner cities.

www.riversoftheworld.org

Artwork on front is by pupils at Stepney Green College, London with artists Shona Watt and Mish Weaver. This artwork is the 500th piece commissioned by Rivers of the World since 2006.

Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council

Rivers of the World Education Pack for Primary Schools

This amazing artwork was created by Year 4 pupils from Witham St Hughs Academy in Lincoln. The pupils won first place in the Rivers of the World competition, which challenged schools to use resources from the Rivers of the World Education Pack to “Design a River Creature”.

Schools around the world can now download and access the brand new Rivers of the World Education Pack. The pack contains high quality, river themed cross-curricular lesson ideas, activities and resources aimed at upper primary and lower secondary pupils.

The Education Pack encourages young people to celebrate and share their local environment, learn about other cultures and engage with global issues through exploring river themes. The pack can be used as a stand-alone resource or collaboratively with a partner school overseas and can be used in many different curriculum areas including art, science, geography, history and English.

To download the pack, go to: https://schoolsonline. britishcouncil.org/classroom-resources/rivers-of-the-world

Rivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council

Escuela de Bellas Artes Rogelio Yrurtia, Caba with Mariano Ferrante

‘Rivers of the World was a complete process of researching, planning and creating artworks in which the students had a leading role. As a result, their self-esteem and sense of achievement were positively enhanced.’ Alejandra Fauguenbergue, teacher, Buenos Aires

Rio de la PlataBuenos Aires, Argentina

www.riversoftheworld.orgRivers of the World is a Thames Festival Trust project delivered in partnership with the British Council

Siraj Uddin Ahmed Academy with Syed Rashad Iman

‘The students learnt something very new. They got a different perspective on what art is, and a genuine understanding of different ways of life.’Syed Rashad Iman Tanmoy, artist, Sylhet

River SurmaSylhet, Bangladesh


International School of Chouiefat with Irene Humber

‘We learned how to be more confident and helpful to each other and how to conceive our ideas. I hope I can join this magnificent project again!’Doaa Aly, pupil, Cairo

River NileCairo, Egypt


Bokmakierie School with Craig Cupido

‘Being part of this arts project has taught us to become aware of the Liesbeek River. We now pay more attention to its surroundings and the significant role it has played in the history of our country. The experience has been very interesting, enriching and most of all enjoyable.’Laura-Ashley Moses, pupil, Cape Town

River LiesbeekCape Town, South Africa


Fulin No.5 Middle School with Su Fei

‘Through this project, I came to realise how crucial it is to work as a team. Without harmony within the team we can’t expect efficiency at work. Furthermore, I learned that we need to protect our mother river and prevent others from polluting the river.’ Li Linghao, pupil, Chongqing

River YangtzeChongqing, China


Ferences Gimnázium with Balázs Laár

‘During the project our small group got together, we used our creativity, we laughed a lot and without noticing we learnt a lot about our river, the Danube.’Shelly Bucur, pupil, Szentendre

River DanubeSzentendre, Hungary


SMP Muhammadiyah 7 Surakarta with Irwan Dwi Nuryadi and Flourish Sekarjati of Kampung Halaman collective

‘Having a partner school means I can learn to communicate with people in another language, English. I have new friends from overseas and we can exchange knowledge about our cultures.’Abigail Kania Amanda, pupil, Surakarta

Bengawan Solo RiverSurakarta, Indonesia


St Joseph’s Boys’ College with Debbie Malcomson

‘The work we created was fantastic. I was amazed at the completed artwork. I am incredibly proud of myself and my classmates.’Aoife Browne, pupil, Derry – Londonderry

River FoyleDerry – Londonderry, Northern Ireland and Co. Donegal, Republic of Ireland


Bidya Bharati Girls’ High School with Tandra Chanda and Pulak Ghosh

‘The river is so much a part of every Indian’s life that we take it for granted most of the time without realizing that it is our lifeline.’Samprikta Sinha Roy, pupil, Kolkata

River GangesKolkata, India


Sinseo Middle Schoolwith Hyunjoo Seo

‘My favourite part of the project was learning very ordinary things through personal communication with our partner school, which cannot be learned through reading our text books.’Jin-a Noh, pupil, Seoul

River HanSeoul, South Korea


Ellen Wilkinson School with Shona Watt and Chloe Bonfield

‘The global links created through Rivers of the World continue to grow and art remains a source of inspiration, nourishing young people’s creativity. Art in this context is a medium for deeper understanding and respect for the rich history of the world and its diverse cultures.’Shona Watt, lead artist, London

River ThamesLondon, UK


Héroes de Sotavento Secondary School with Candy Aguirre, Nora Hiriart and Pablo Rulfo

‘Our school is very proud to have taken part in Rivers of the World. It was a fantastic experience to work as a team developing our research on the Papaloapan.’Valentin and Angel, pupils, Tilapa

River PapaloapanState of Veracruz, Mexico


Audubon Charter School with Elise Vandergriff

‘When posed with the challenge of telling a story about the Mississippi River, we decided to create a new story. We soon realized that every aspect of our city’s culture has some link to the river and its importance on trade and cultural economy in this region.’ Philip Spence, teacher, New Orleans

Mississippi RiverNew Orleans, USA


Government Girls’ High School No.2with Ayesha Zulfiqar and Umar Hameed

‘Personally this experience has been exhilarating. The amount of positive energy and zeal the Rivers of the World project brought in their everyday classrooms was breath-taking. The students’ self-awareness about the river brought great pride in them being pioneers of placing Pakistan on the Rivers of the World map!’Zaineb Siddiqui, artist, Jhelum City

River JhelumJhelum City, Pakistan


Collège Claude Chappewith Shona Watt and Pete Gomes

‘The artists were humorous and very enthralling. During the work they asked us about colour and the laying out of drawings. We were all amazed by the results obtained in only two days. Everybody was happy, excited, glad and above all proud of this work.’Mamadou, pupil, Paris

River SeineParis, France


Colegio Damas with Diogo Todé and Ghustavo Távora

‘The Rivers of the World project has taught me that the river is a source of life to all of us. To transform rubbish into art is to be an artist, but to transform the river is our duty as citizens.’Bruno Nunes de Oliveria, pupil, Recife

River CapibaribeRecife, Brazil


Escola Carandá with Paulo Portalle Filho and Renata Abelin

‘The Rivers of the World project provided us with culture and knowledge. Through it we could learn more about the River Tietê and work together in a group. We were all very much involved; we acquired and developed new skills.’Julia Wass, pupil, São Paulo

River TietêSão Paulo, Brazil


No.2 Secondary School attached to Tongji Universitywith Robert Davis and Peng Zhenyu

‘It’s no exaggeration to say that participating in Rivers of the World has changed my career as a fine art teacher. Now in my daily teaching I always think about how I can learn from its teaching methodology, how I can embed an international dimension in my students’ learning and how to realise a wider arts education.’Zhao Baocang, teacher, Shanghai

River Huangpu and Suzhou CreekShanghai, China


TM Long Men Junior High School with Chiaci Yu and Lili Chen

‘This project enlarges students’ creativity as well as imagination. We not only learn more about the tradition and culture of our Tamsui River but also understand a variety of cross-cultural values at the same time. This programme is definitely an unforgettable and meaningful learning experience.’Yi-Ling TSAI, teacher, Taipei

Tamsui RiverTaipei, Taiwan


Yothinburana Schoolwith Arthit Mulsarn, Chalit Kangvaravoot and Thanom Chapakdee

‘The Rivers of the World project helps to remind people to do more to conserve our rivers and the environment. In my painting, I presented Thailand’s way of life and how we are interconnected with rivers.’Nuttawan Na Nongkhai, pupil, Bangkok

River Chao PhrayaBangkok, Thailand


Eyüp Rami with Bariş Karayazgan

‘Through Rivers of the World I learned what we could achieve as a team. I learned to trust the members of my team and to act as a single body.’Zeynep Naz Akyokuş, pupil, Istanbul

The BosphorusIstanbul, Turkey


Umm Suqeim School for Girls with Maie Atabani and Khalid Mezaina

‘The Rivers of the World art workshops have been an eye-opener for my students. They helped to develop their creative thinking, team working, problem solving and independent working skills.’Ms Zainab Ahmad, teacher, Dubai

Dubai CreekDubai, United Arab Emirates


Bell Multicultural School with Abigail and Dylan Byrd

‘I never thought rivers were so important to their community’s well-being. They are true lifelines to all the people that live near them and survive because of them.’Kaylan Smith, pupil, Washington DC

River AnacostiaWashington DC, USA


Rivers of the World Restrospective Catalogue 2006 - 2014

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