Children from a primary school in Halton will see their artwork go on display this week in the run up to the Eurovision Song Contest.
Year 4 pupils from Murdishaw West Community Primary School in Runcorn have been working with visual artist Caroline Daly to decorate an egg which is set to be unveiled at Liverpool ONE on Thursday (30 March).
Inspired by the Ukrainian and Eastern European tradition of egg painting, Pysanka Eggs is a partnership between Liverpool ONE and Liverpool City Council.
The project is part of EuroLearn, made possible thanks to generous funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund with additional funds from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Funding from Spirit of 2012 will also support EuroLearn as well as the future evaluation of Eurovision’s benefit to the city region.
The display features seven eggs, one for each city region plus one for Ukraine. The Halton egg is called The Murdichords Caring Owl but is known affectionally by the children as Morris.
Morris can be seen hugging a happy bunch of characters including a singing sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine; a jolly ice-cream; and a nightingale, the national bird of Ukraine.
Artist Caroline explains: “We explored the themes of coming together, being united through music and things that have a positive effect on our wellbeing.
“The design features a lot of symbolism. The butterfly symbolises positive change and a love of nature. The acorn symbolises strength and persistence as well nature’s positive effect on mental health and wellbeing. The sunshine represents warmth, happiness and well-being. There is even a happy milkshake, representing the school’s ‘Milkshake Mondays with the Headteacher’, which selected children attend for demonstrating the school values.
“There are also lots of hearts and flowers to spread love to the Ukrainian community and to send out positive vibes throughout Liverpool and Europe.”
She added: “The children were absolutely fantastic to work with – I wish they could help me with all of my projects.”
Julie Phillips. Art and Design Lead and Deputy Headteacher at Murdishaw West Community Primary School, added: “What an honour it was for our school to be selected to take part in this engaging and inspiring project. The children thoroughly enjoyed working with our artist, Caroline Daly, and to now see their work on display in such a public place; what a very special experience! A real opportunity to appreciate and evaluate their own work of art! As a school, we know what a vital role the arts and culture have in our curriculum, so enriching opportunities like these play a pivotal role.”