Every Monday as part of #BeConnected we are exploring an artwork, area or feature of the University campus. This week we are looking at King and Queen by Nick Evans.
King and Queen is located just outside the Pathfoot Building (E corridor outside courtyard, halfway up the building). The sculpture was purchased by the Art Collection in 2012 with match funding from the National Fund for Acquisitions.
At the Art Collection we are always keen to inspire creativity and encourage individual responses to our artworks. In 2016 we embarked on a collaborative project with former MRes Creative Writing student (and current PhD student) Janine Mitchell, the School of Education and a variety of writers, including a previous cohort of MLitt Creative Writing Students, These writers were invited to submit creative responses to our sculptures and amongst the creative responses was the poem below aimed at young learners inspired by King and Queen,
Kings and Queens by Janine Mitchell
I’ve heard of richard and william and henry
queen anne and lizzie, victoria and mary
their carriages, servants and posh jewellery
but these aren’t the monarchs that matter to me
The King of the Herrings and King Dragonflies
The Queen Triggerfish with her blue-patterned eyes
The Winged Queen Black Ant and Queen Butterflies
The King of Saxony Bird of Paradise
King Vultures, Kingcroakers and King Cormorants
Queen Bumblebees, Dragonflies, Termites and Ants
The Dashing King Penguin dressed up for romance
The King Rail that runs with a chicken-like prance
The Queen Parrotfish with her jewels and her crown
And Kingfishers: Malachite, Pied, White and Brown
King Cobras that build a leaf nest on the ground
The Seven-Striped Queen Snake not easily found
These Kings of the Jungles and Mountains and Seas
These Queens of the Skies and the Rivers and Trees
The Scaled and the Feathered, the Giant, the Wee
Now these are the Monarchs that matter to me.
The publication below is used every year by students of the Initial Teacher Education programme to introduce young learners to the sculptures on the campus and to encourage active and creative engagement with these pieces. It is also be made available for use by educators, schools, students, families and the wider community.
We hope that you will be inspired by the poetry and short stories in the collection to produce your own works of art. We hope that you will share these works with us and with others.
