In October 2009, at St Bernadette’s Primary School, we celebrated The Arts with a very well attended
art show.  Some of the art displays were illuminated including these elegant cane and tissue paper
sculptures made by our Level 4 students.

Early in the year I attended the Zart Tissue & Cane Sculpture workshop run by Tania Di Berardino, which
was very inspiring.  I then went on to teach the children the basics of creating a simple
sculpture using sticks and tissue paper.  The process involved making a tripod out of sticks and
taping them together.  Next, strips of tissue paper were torn and pasted across the three sections
of the tripod with diluted PVA.  Finally, a layer of decorative delicate papers was added to
create an interesting effect. This activity was a good foundation for the final task. 

The students first observed photographs of organic sculptures made from natural materials.  
These images were a starting point in generating ideas for their own organic sculptures. Then they
worked in small groups to make a larger, more complex sculpture using cane, sticks, tissue paper, wool
and PVA, When testing out the cane, they loved its flexibility and versatility, which gave them further
inspiration to create shapes.

First, each group presented a sketch of the sculpture they intended to make.  Once they had started
building their sculptures some had to go back to the drawing board, as they couldn’t get their
work to balance.  Often one idea grew from another as they discovered the possibilities of using
cane.  Availability of decorative papers, beads, feathers and wools further inspired the students,
as they continued to add to their designs.

For the art show I placed white plastic underneath the sculptures and ran fairy lights under and over
them.  The room was darkened and soothing music played.  The soft glow of the sculptures drew
gasps for onlookers and the overall effect was like an Arctic scene.  Some of the sculptures were
over 130cm tall, and were quite cumbersome to store.   This was a very enjoyable activity for
the students and they were surprised at how fabulous their illuminated work looked on the night.

Level 3

Joanna Elliott
St Bernadettes Primary School The Basin