A group of Year 9 students from the Royal Harbour Academy, visited Discovery Planet as part of their English studies. Students were given the opportunity to explore a unique collection of artists’ books from the University of Kent’s Special Collections and Archives
They were all invited to explore a number of different books created by artists, each made from different perspectives. For example they were shown a book which was made from different textures where the black was threaded into each page representing how pages may look to someone with dyslexia. Another book was the book of 1000 poems, where each line was separated and as a book mark was placed between the pages creating a different poem each time the bookmark was placed.
The students asked lots of questions, showing their inquisitive sides. Some of the students were drawn to the more attractive bold looking books. One student said they were more open minded and found all of the displays amazing and interesting.
The artists’ books in the collection employed a variety of media and formats to share stories about health and wellbeing in order to challenge stigma and discrimination. They reveal the communicative power of book art and the relationship between creativity and wellbeing.
Students were inspired and encouraged to reflect mindfully on their own emotional wellbeing and before being able to get creative with crafting a handmade book.
Photo credit to Peter Bateson (DP)
