Eelyn Lee Commissioned by National Portrait Gallery
Artist Eelyn Lee and a group of students from Brentside High School in Ealing are to create a film installation inspired by famous figures from the local area to go on display in the National Portrait Gallery this summer. The Year 10 GCSE Art students are to work with artist filmmaker Eelyn Lee and National Portrait Gallery staff in a series of workshops that will explore portraits in the Gallery’s Collection of inspirational people from the young people’s local area.
‘It's a great opportunity to be working with the National Portrait Gallery and its incredible collection. As an east Londoner, I am looking forward to discovering this west London borough through the achievements of its people, especially with young people as my guides.’ Eelyn Lee
Through the workshops, the young people and Eelyn will research the lives and achievements of thirty influential figures, including Charlie Chaplin, Ada Lovelace and Gurinder Chadha, all of whom have links with the borough of Ealing as well as portraits in the National Portrait Gallery Collection. The finished film installation will be created by Eelyn and the students in response to the research, and will explore the themes of vision, creativity and endeavour. The film will go on public display alongside the portraits that inspired it for three months from June 2014.
The initiative forms the second part of a four-year participatory arts project, Creative Connections, which is led by the National Portrait Gallery’s Learning department and is designed to extend the Gallery’s work engaging young people with portraiture.
Follow the project on Tumblr and on Facebook
Creative Connections is generously supported by the Palley family.
