The afternoon of 18th March saw the live Grand Final of the ARTiculation Prize public speaking competition, held remotely via Zoom. ARTiculation is the Roche Court Educational Trust's nationally acclaimed public speaking initiative designed to promote the appreciation and discussion of visual culture. It engages young people, regardless of background or experience, with art and helps to develop confidence to express opinions, thoughts and conclusions.
At the ARTiculation Prize England, students are invited to deliver a ten minute presentation to an audience, about a work of art, architecture or artefact of their choice. Adjudicators then assess each presentation, looking at content, structure and delivery. This year, the event was hosted virtually by the National Gallery in London.
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls Year 13 student, Femi Themen won the Midlands Regional Final of the competition back in February, hosted by the Herbert Gallery in Coventry. This secured Femi's place in the Grand Final where she spoke about a piece of art very close to her heart; Kwame Akoto Bamfo's installation work entitled 'FauxReedom'.
Femi comments: "I chose to speak about a sculptural piece by Kwame Akoto Bamfo called FauxReedom that reflected on Ghana’s history during the transatlantic slave trade. It’s a large installation of over 1300 clay effigies; each head modelled on descendants of those that fell victim to the slave trade. His work challenges our perceptions of the past and forces us to question our own involvement in perpetuating narratives that silence black voices. As a result of this speech I’m pleased to have been selected from this group of inspiring voices to advance to the national round of ARTiculation."
Professor Griselda Pollock, one of the adjudicators for the competition specifically praised Femi for presenting on this wonderfully important and relevant topic. She commended Femi for bringing in very good documentation that situated the work and the audience amongst the horror of the image of the slave ship.
The ARTiculation team at Roche Court Educational Trust commented on how they are all hugely looking forward to keeping in touch with Femi and to welcoming her to the Alumni Network.
