A short film about the recent collaborative art project  between Mandeville pupils and the photographer Gideon Mendel was shown to world leaders at the United Nations Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction yesterday in Montenegro.

Mandeville School’s film – change CLIMATE Change - looks at the global climate emergency through the eyes of class of 8 & 9 year old Mandevillle children and the work they created with renowned photographer Gideon Mendel, who has been photographing and filming in  communities around the world affected by flooding and fire for the last 17 years.

Using Mendel’s portrait series (Submerged Portraits and Portraits in Ashes) as the starting point, the children embarked on an intensive five-week workshop where they developed their understanding of global warming through photography, writing and drawing. Led by art facilitator Claire Ward-Thornton of Art Hoppers, the class set about creating their own interpretations of Mendel’s well-known photographs showing people whose homes have been flooded or burnt around the world. Alongside this they have drawn their own self-portraits, placing themselves firmly within this story. They were further inspired by a visit to their classroom by Gurjeet Dhonoa whose home in Colorado, USA, was burnt down on New Year’s Eve in 2021 along with a visit to Mendel’s outdoor exhibition at The Photographers  Gallery in central London.

Sound is a very important element of the film; an  original piece of music was composed for it and in the film the school choir,   including some of the pupil artists, perform a song, Help Me Change The World,  partly written by them, that brings huge poignancy to the experience of viewing their images.

Headteacher Marc Thompson said: “Mandeville is a school where creativity is central to learning. This multi-media art project made a profound impression on the  children, opening their eyes to the very personal impact that  climate change can have. We are so proud of the film and their  artwork. We are sure it will have a similar impact on the delegates at the UNDRR  conference ....”

Gideon Mendel, photographer, said: “Bringing my images of flood and fire to a class of eight and nine-year-old pupils at Mandeville School, to interpret in their own way, was a terrifying prospect, but we wanted to widen the conversation to include the perspective of the generation whose lives will be most affected by the global climate emergency. Their beautiful interpretations of my climate change portraits adds a whole new level of meaning, a profound challenge to all adults to take action. I am so proud that my film, which is structured around the creative voices of these powerful young people, will soon be seen by world leaders."

Sebastien Penzini, Regional Deputy Chief at United Nations Office for DRR, said: “We sincerely express our appreciation to each of the children and students involved in the film for raising attention on the existential question of climate change and disasters. Children and young people are too often disproportionally exposed to risks and their voices must be heard for building tomorrow’s resilience”.