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Theme - A Picture of Britain - in various media
The forthcoming television series ‘A Picture of Britain’ (starts 5 June 2005) is being produced in collaboration and to coincide with the exhibition of the same name at the Tate Britain, London.
This is a fantastic opportunity for looking at the ways in which Britain has and continues to be portrayed by artists and others. As well as providing information on the range of resources related to the ‘A Picture of Britain’ initiative, we’ve identified other online resources that will be of use.
In the BBC 1 series, David Dimbleby takes six journeys around the country, covering the North, South, East and West of Britain, the Heart of England, the Highlands and Glens, and including the Republic of Ireland. In exploring artists’ responses to the landscape, the series contemplates subjects such as travel, nationhood and romantic yearning.
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The exhibition at Tate Britain A Picture of Britain starts on 15 June and runs through to 4 September 2005. If possible, take your pupils along (or encourage them to go during the summer holiday).
A digital picture of Britain is being screened simultaneously on BBC 4. Several photographers will be using the latest digital technologies to produce compelling images of Britain's urban, rural and industrial landscapes of the locations covered in the BBC 1 series.
The images will be on display at the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television (NMPFT) in Bradford from 24 May to 18 September 2005.
Think about cross-curricular work in geography and English. Listen out for Radio 3’s ‘Night Waves: A picture of Britain’ - a series of personal reflections from leading British writers about the influence of the landscape on their work (series runs from Monday 13 June 2005).
The Visit England website includes an interactive map of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Pupils can click on the links to view the paintings - some of which are shown alongside a contemporary image of that place. Ask them how closely the images represent reality, what ‘artistic license’ has been involved in painting the scene?
Images of Britain, organised by region and/or locality, can also be found on travel websites, like Total Travel, local authority and tourist information sites. Encourage your pupils to identify misrepresentations, and ask them to write or re-write captions to the images.
Getting involved
A number of schools are undertaking linked work on ‘A Picture of Britain’ exhibition at the Tate Britain. Why not set up something similar with partner schools in your locality or region?
And/or why not challenge your pupils to contribute a website that is building up pictures of Britain:- The BBC’s A Picture of Britain - submit your own digital images - entries will be judged in regional and themed categories
- Geograph British Isles - a project which aims to collect a geographically representative photograph for every square kilometre of the British Isles.
- Image of Britain ‘a pictorial archive of the cities, towns and villages that make the United Kingdom such a unique country’.
- Blast is hosting a mobile photo competition for 13-19 year olds, inspiring them to capture their favourite place in the UK with a picture phone and submit it to the site.
Suggestions for using images in geography and for cross-curricular activities, together with further links to online photo galleries can be found on the following pages:And by key stage on QCA’s Innovating with Geography |
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