The Small Gallery in E Block became the site of a Performance Art Installation by Scholarship Painting student Leanne Burton, Dance Prefect Eleanor Fletcher and Prefect Isobel Welsford-Ackroyd. Called Melatonin, the work explored the connection between school work and sleep. Below is Leanne’s explanation of the piece:
Melatonin
‘Melatonin’ is an exploration of the connection between school work and sleep. As school draws to an end, especially for the Year 13s, I feel students face increasing pressure to sort out their next steps in life. This, combined with pressure to succeed, leads to stressed teenagers and unhealthy sleeping patterns.
This year my painting board’s theme was restlessness of the mind, which I chose because of its relevance to myself as well as my fellow classmates.
I decided to create an installation piece to express the ideas I have investigated throughout the year. It consists of a ‘mess’ of sheets and desks intertwined with string that symbolises the chaos inside the mind of the sleeper. Two performers were placed within the installation, one a representation of inner emotions and the other of outer feelings. The string separating them is tangled like their threads of thought.
The muted colour scheme connotates sleep, but also a sense of detachment and vagueness. I wanted the beautiful flowing drapery of the material to juxtapose with the harsh solid lines of the upturned desks. This was to suggest the clash of school life and restful sleep.
Leanne Burton