Post #6 - Ec(h)o

Our annual art show, the culmination of the efforts of a solid portion of the school, the one week celebration where every member of the community partakes in the result of a year of hard work. This is Ec(h)o, the art show of Mary Ward for 2008, and it was as much of a success I had hoped. From the joy of getting to display your works of art to the rest of the school and even to the parents and outsiders that come to watch, to the excitement of seeing the artwork from your fellow peers (especially the seniors), to simply relaxing with your friends and taking a tour of our expertly transformed basement, this year's show was an experience unlike anything else - aside from, possibly, last year's show.

Though this might sound somewhat irrelevant, one of the best aspects of Ec(h)o in my opinion was the new design - specifically, the entryway to the first room. Even for us students in the school, walking into the dark cylindrical body of plastic and arriving in Art for the first time feels foreign, as if we had never seen the room before. So, logically speaking, if my reaction was that great, imagine what our parents would think? Seemingly teleporting into a world of colour and art, the tour begins with a bang and keeps up the pace astonishingly well. Of course, the actual artwork was great as well, but I really thought that the layout of the show was incredible this year; it made me feel like I didn't even know my own school.

My only regret about Ec(h)o was that I didn't get to catch as many of the student films as I would have liked to. My favourite one this year that I got to watch was definitely "A Walk in the Park", which I thought was an excellent depiction of life in modern day society, and shows just how easy it is to get lost in the world. I won't go on a deep analysis on that one film or anything, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed it more than most of the movies last year, and I especially commend the team that worked on it for going with something serious. Many students choose comedy over depth because it's the easier thing to do, so I respect those who take risks and strive for something higher. I also wanted to watch World Asleep and Watchdogs, but didn't get time. Well, when all else fails, I can always resort to YouTube.

So, long story short, I think this year's show was great. The artwork was as detailed and skillfully crafted as ever, the movies ranged from entertaining to thought-provoking, and the layout helped emphasize the work and create the best possible reaction from the viewers. Amazing job, students and teachers that participated - and I'll be looking forward to next year's!