Experiencing Gustav Klimt's 'Falling in Gold': An Inspiring Journey for IGCSE ESL and English B Students
On Thursday 28 September, IGCSE ESL and English B students had the opportunity to initially have the editor of That’s Shanghai, Ned Kelly, explain the ins and outs of a running a magazine, the changes from print to digital platforms and how to write great pieces that will attract readers.
We then visited the Klimt Falling in Gold exhibition. Engaging with the arts is invaluable not only for enriching students’ cultural understanding but also for offering an avenue to hone their writing skills, particularly when writing articles and reviews.
The students enjoyed the distinctive style and mesmerising use of gold leaf and Klimt's most iconic pieces, which included The Kiss, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, and The Tree of Life.
As we moved along and stepped into the immersive room, the students were immediately enveloped in a world of shimmering gold. The use of lighting techniques combined with the opulent frames and gold leaf embellishments transported them into a fantastical artistic realm, that along with music proved to be very calming.
We were finally given the opportunity to use cutting-edge VR technology and step into a dream-like, multi-sensory world. Whilst many of the students found this to be the most captivating element of the exhibition that seemed like a pathway into the artist’s deepest creative thoughts, it was not everyone’s cup of tea; sitting at the edge of an abyss with floating artwork was a little eerie!
As we return to school after Golden Week, we will consider the experience and try to fully capture all its elements in engaging and well written articles and reviews. Hopefully, we will convince others to visit the exhibition!
Thank you to That's Shanghai Editor, Ned Kelly.
