Reflections on Seaton Sluice
Newcastle University, Northumberland Archives and Historic England worked with Year 8 students from Seaton Sluice Middle School to inspire creative responses to Seaton Sluice which are being shared in a public exhibition at Seaton Sluice Community Centre throughout the summer of 2024. Too often we fail to take in our immediate surroundings, or notice the unique details of the places we pass by everyday in our hometowns. This week-long project offered students the opportunity to immerse themselves in their local area and directly reflect on its unique details by responding to it creatively in some way.
This project provided students with opportunities to learn about a range of subjects across higher education, exposing them to wider possibilities and career choices they may not have contemplated before. By engaging with experts in a wide variety of subjects and sectors, from heritage and history to science and coastal management, students gained a broader insight into the history of Seaton Sluice as a seaside town, and how climate change is impacting the coast on their very doorstep.
During the project, students spent time in Seaton Sluice, taking inspiration from the written, built, and natural heritage of the area. They also had direct hands-on experiences with items held at Newcastle University’s Special Collections and Northumberland Archives that revealed further details of Seaton Sluice’s heritage. In response, students creatively expressed themselves and their relationship with Seaton Sluice in a variety of ways, from doing sand art with Soul2Sand on Seaton Sluice beach and creating watercolour paintings to be displayed on the bus shelter outside their school with the Hatton Gallery, to writing reflectively about coastal nature and developing their own historical interpretations to accompany the exhibition of their work. Throughout the project, students were invited to not only appreciate their local area, but to reflect on their wellbeing and consider how creative expression and engaging with the natural environment could benefit them beyond the project.
A fabulous opportunity for our students to learn about their local heritage and history, through creative workshops led by experts in their fields. The university visits have ignited a thirst in some of our students to [...] consider their futures.
Exploring Archives
Students were provided with the opportunity to handle items from Newcastle University's Special Collections at the University Library and engaged with fascimiles from Northumberland Archives in school. Students used these archival documents to map the history of Seaton Sluice and wrote nature-inspired poetry using illustrations of underwater creatures and seabirds.
I want to be a midwife or a[n] archive worker.
Watercolour Painting
Students spent time working with the Hatton Gallery, during which they worked on their watercolour painting techniques, taking inspiration from the coastal environment. Half of the group then went on to produce full-sized watercolour paintings which will be displayed in bus shelters in Seaton Sluice.
The thing I enjoyed most about this project was doing water colours. [...] This was because I never normally like art...
Creative Writing
Students were given a lecture in the University's School of English, followed by a writing workshop. During the lecture and workshop, students were introduced to a range of poetry, developed their poetic techniques, and produced a piece of writing inspired by coastal nature.
I never liked poetry before this week but I do now.
On the Beach
Throughout the project, students had the opportunity to spend time on their local beach and engage directly with nature. Led by staff from Newcastle University, students took part in a wellbeing walk where they spent time journalling by the sea. While one half of the group produced watercolour paintings, the other half created an extraordinary piece of sand art with Soul2Sand based on the students' collaborative design.
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I’ve learnt loads of things about Seaton Sluice and I look at it differently now.
Future Aspirations
While engaging with their local heritage, students were also invited to look to the future and consider pathways into Higher Education and beyond. Outreach Ambassadors from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science and Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering spoke to the students about the variety of subjects they could study at university and the potential future careers they could embark upon.
I would [...] love to be a marine biologist.