South Asian culture came to life at Reay primary school in Stockwell as pupils welcomed parents and visitors to an exhibition that was the culmination of a year-long project for year four.
Greeted by dhol drummers, they enjoyed Indian food, traditional dance, and displays created by pupils including
- Islamic calligraphy
- Warli art – telling stories with simple shapes and lines
- Kantha stitch cushions – using the traditional South Asian quilting and embroidery style that is a symbol of Bengali culture
- Taj Mahal models – portraying Shah Jahan’s word famous mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal
- Diamond painting mandalas – which symbolise the universe in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Made possible by a £1,000 grant from the Oval Learning Cluster, the project saw teacher Steven Heming working with Bilkis Miah of You Be You. You Be You funder, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, also supported the project
The charity operates in schools and the wider community to celebrate diversity and inclusion and has been working with Lambeth council on making the borough more equal and inclusive.
Artist Premila worked with pupils for a year in different workshops, all based around South Asian culture and art.
Reay head teacher Kate Hartill said the project and exhibition had boosted the self-esteem of pupils of year 4 – which has high proportions of children with special needs and families facing deprivation.
