‘The Green Girls’, winners of the EcoTales Film Challenge 10-14 category. The girls entered all the way from the British Muscat School in Oman. Well done girls, keep up the good work!

We want to say a huge thank you and congratulations to Buckland Primary Year 4 Art Club, for the incredible birds and jellyfish they made from milk bottles, bubble wrap and plastic bags.  They are going to look amazing hanging in Orleans House Gardens as part of the sculpture trail at our Festival this Sunday.

Here are some pictures of the artists getting stuck in, and some comments that they made after they had finished their birds and jellyfish.

We cut a v section out of the milk bottle to make the beak making sure we used the whole of the bottle. Then we cut out parts of the bottle to make the wings for the bird, after that we bent the wings and it started to look like a bird.I enjoyed making the whole bird.

It inspired me to use milk bottles to make birds at home rather than throwing them away.

Cade Year 4

For the bird we used empty plastic milk bottles and it was kind of easy to do instead of using paper. To make the beak we cut out some more of the bottle into a beak shape.  It would be really good if we all reused plastic more often because it will help the environment.

By Ella yr4

We used lots of recycled plastic like plastic bags which we cut into strips, then we plaited them into the tentacles for our giant jellyfish. I liked plaiting because I didn’t know how to do it before.

Harvey year 4

First we cut strips of plastic bags then bubble wrap to make the tentacles.  We reused old plastic bags and bubble wrap to make the jellyfish.  What I enjoyed about making the jellyfish was plaiting the tentacles and saving the environment by reusing plastic bags and bubble wrap.

I felt proud with myself so much for reusing plastic bags and bubble wrap. Now I can go home and tell my Mum or Dad not to chuck some things and reuse them to make something with it. So just by doing that one piece of art work I know that you can reuse anything.

Neve Year 4

I think Neve puts it perfectly!  It doesn’t matter how small or insignificant you think your actions might be – they aren’t, they are HUGE!  Because of all the schools who have taken part in our projects in the Borough, thousands of items of plastic that would have ended up in landfill, have been magically transformed into pieces of art that we will all enjoy and marvel over and we have all learnt more about our incredible world in the process.

We’ve got a sneak preview of one of the brilliant art installations that will be forming part of the EcoTales sculpture trail at Orleans House Gardens on Sunday 5th May.

              
The piece she has created for EcoTales is called ‘Thirst’.  The wave of reused plastic bottles are a reminder of the millions of plastic objects that are manufactured to be used only once and then thrown away into landfill.  They represent our disposable lifestyle and culture in the 21st Century.  It makes us think about how our lifestyle revolves around things that we just throw away.

The artist is london based Katarina Dimitrijecvic.  She operates as KraalD Designedisposal and as well as creating installations from urban plastic trash, she also creates furniture and jewellery using plastic waste materials as an integral part of the finished product.  Through exhibitions and workshops she aims to reduce future landfill and she explores recycling and design around re-using things that were made to be disposable.

She is showing us how something so familiar to us can be interepreted in a different way.  And with her upcycled designer products she is recreating plastic into useful and beautiful things that we will use and enjoy for years to come.

In fact, they can become objects of desire and useful production materials.

Come and see her installation on Sunday and then meet her too as she will be bringing a selection of her amazing products along.

You can see more of her products here and you can follow her on facebook

The latest weather reports are forecasting sun for Sunday!  Make sure you get to Orleans House early to enjoy everything that is going on at the EcoTales Festival and Springtime Safari.  Gates open at 12 to 5pm and it’s absolutely FREE!

GETTING THERE

If you’ve never visited Orleans House in Twickenham before, here are some directions:

Orleans House Gallery is situated behind Orleans school on the River Thames, next to Marble Hill Park. You can get to it by walking down Sion Road and Lebanon Road, off Richmond Road, and turning left at the river. Or by walking down Orleans Road and turning right at the river. There is a small entrance to the Festival on Orleans Road.

This is a strictly NO PARKING event! Orleans House is a 10minute walk from Twickenham Train Station, and on the 33, R68, R70, H22 & 490 bus routes, alight at The Crown Pub/Lebanon Park.

Click here for map and access Information.

Visit our events page now to see the full programme for the day and to see who will be there.

Come and see Sea Urchins magazine at EcoTales on May 5th for some crazy, creative fun!

Bring any reusable materials (particularly colourful plastics) to help create some imaginative marine creatures.

You can make yourself into a mermaid, an octopus, a starfish or even a limpet…

Bring your enthusiasm, imagination, plastics and fish knowledge and leave with no waste.

Then later on in the day…..Strut your best pose in our ‘Marine morphology catwalk show’.

Walk the area as your constructed ocean organism acting out its movements and demonstrating some of their amazing adaptations.

You could even be the new ‘Skate Moss’ or ‘Lily Cod’!’

Local children Josie and Alexander with the whale frame which is made from willow

Saturday, May 4th from 11:00 to 15:00 at Jubilee gardens.

Twickenhamites of all ages are invited to come to the Diamond Jubilee Garden and help Twickenham Riverside Trust make a life sized whale out of willow and plastic rubbish at a public “workshop” on Twickenham riverside.

The whale will be part of the EcoTales Film and Arts Festival at Springtime Safari to be held at Orleans House Garden the next day. Everyone is invited to bring plastic bottles, plastic bags and other clean plastic rubbish to help get “Princess Wanda” ready for her big day.

Sunday May 5th from 11:00 to 12:30 at Jubilee Gardens

The public can join in making jellyfish and octopuses out of plastic bags to highlight the problems they cause for whales and dolphins who mistake them for the real thing. It is thought that as many as 1 million sea creatures die every year from getting tangled in plastic or eating plastic they mistake for food.

At 12:30 Twickenham Riverside’s splendid Eco-friendly “Wanda, Princess of Whales” will be carried triumphantly in a procession led by the Brass Volcanoes band to Orleans House Gallery to the Festival and join the other marine creatures on display in the sculpture trail.

The Whale project is the inspiration of the Twickenham Riverside Trust

Between watching some awesome films, browsing the stalls, wandering through the underwater sculpture trail, listening to the coolest brass band in the country, and sharing some time with the iconic Sir David Attenborough, you will also have the opportunity to meet with and hear about the work done by Global Ocean, a UK charity whose campaigning and funding is making a difference all over the world.  And all of this set against the  beautiful backdrop of Orleans House and gardens in Twickenham!

Global Ocean are a marine conservation charity based in London who want you to think more about plastic pollution! They  aim to teach children about the importance of a healthy ocean and engage them to responsibly look after our seas.  Along with developing key campaigns on current marine issues, they also produce school workshops with educational content and raise awareness of how the public can contribute and make a real difference to marine protection. You can find out more at www.globalocean.org.uk or www.facebook.com/globalocean

Make sure you are there!

Come and join artist Heather Whitt to create carrier-bag animals and other junk-modelled underwater creatures using recycled plastics and natural materials.

Regular visitors to Orleans House Gallery in Twickenham will already know about the great workshops run by Sunday Afternoon Art.

On May 5th they will be in the Coach House running a special drop-in creative activity as part of the EcoTales Festival at Springtime Safari.  It is suitable for children aged 4 upwards and children must be accompanied by an adult.  No booking is necessary.

If you want to bring some plastic rubbish and recycled materials with you feel free and have fun transforming them into some brilliant and unique sea creatures!

For more information and a programme of the day’s events at the festival visit our Events page.

As you know, we have a packed programme of events planned for the EcoTales Festival at the Springtime Safari on May 5th, including a personal appearance by Sir David Attenborough!

We can now let you know the exciting plans for the workshop that the Twickenham Riverside Trust will be running over the Bank Holiday weekend.

They will be holding a workshop from 11-3pm on Saturday 4th May and from 11-12pm on Sunday 5th May in the Jubilee Gardens in Twickenham.

With your help they will be creating a whale from willow, bamboo and recycled plastic.  So they need you to bring plastic bottles, plastic bags and any other clean plastic rubbish that you have, and you and your kids can help to create a unique sculpture.

The Diamond Jubilee Gardens in Twickenham

You must come down and join in the fun.  And on Sunday at 12pm, you can take part in a procession to bring the Whale from the Jubilee Gardens to Orleans House where it will join all the other brilliant sea creatures that young people from all over the Borough have helped to create.  The procession will be led by Brass Volcanoes, an awesome brass band who will get you in the carnival mood.

Once the whale has arrived at its EcoTales festival home, the Riverside Trust volunteers will need your help to finish him, so all you festival goers should also bring some plastic items with you.

We don’t think Twickenham has seen anything like this!  We can’t wait for May 5th and look forward to seeing you all there!