Testimonials
Here are some words from some of the people we have worked with:
"I was invited this year to curate an exhibition in support of the Dawn Horse Project in Herne Bay. This was to celebrate, and draw attention to, the discovery in 1838 of the first known fossil of the earliest common ancestor of all modern horses. The animal was named Hyracotherium and its finding entitled us, according to the palaeontologists at the Natural History Museum, to claim Herne Bay as Home of the Horse.
The exhibition was in two galleries of Beach Creative in Herne Bay. One gallery was to be occupied by an immersive audio-visual installation that drew the connections between that earliest of horses and aspects of the modern animal. This was the creation of HorseDrawnMedia : Nicholas Godsell and Al Reffell.
The installation LightHorse DarkHorse, that they produced was entrancing, comprising a short film detailing the finding and significance of the fossil, peep hole animations of Muybridge’s motion photography, and zoetrope, a kinetic piece that graphically drew the connection between the carousel and war horses. As well as large room projections, artwork and graphic imagery.
The installation was a valuable and complementary element to the second gallery which comprised more conventional artwork (painting sculpture and graphics) investigating similar themes. As far as I know this was the first of this type of installation undertaken by these two artists. Watching them work during set-up and seeing the result of all their attention to detail, I sincerely hope it won’t be the last. I cannot recommend them highly enough."
David Cross
Artist/Designer
2017
Curator Duchamp in Herne Bay 2013
Previously an exhibitions officer
for Canterbury Museums & Galleries
The exhibition was in two galleries of Beach Creative in Herne Bay. One gallery was to be occupied by an immersive audio-visual installation that drew the connections between that earliest of horses and aspects of the modern animal. This was the creation of HorseDrawnMedia : Nicholas Godsell and Al Reffell.
The installation LightHorse DarkHorse, that they produced was entrancing, comprising a short film detailing the finding and significance of the fossil, peep hole animations of Muybridge’s motion photography, and zoetrope, a kinetic piece that graphically drew the connection between the carousel and war horses. As well as large room projections, artwork and graphic imagery.
The installation was a valuable and complementary element to the second gallery which comprised more conventional artwork (painting sculpture and graphics) investigating similar themes. As far as I know this was the first of this type of installation undertaken by these two artists. Watching them work during set-up and seeing the result of all their attention to detail, I sincerely hope it won’t be the last. I cannot recommend them highly enough."
David Cross
Artist/Designer
2017
Curator Duchamp in Herne Bay 2013
Previously an exhibitions officer
for Canterbury Museums & Galleries
"Rob and Nicholas have been a prodigious support to our outstanding organisation during Term 5. As a school, something we wanted to drive forward with and have a lasting legacy in was the teaching and learning of digital media. Nicholas and Rob did just that. They were able to teach the children the history of animation working their way up to modern technology and taught the children how to use stop motion to create a series of animations. Every child in the class achieved this and furthermore gained themselves an Arts Awards qualification at Discover level with Trinity College.
Rob and Nicholas also put together a video showing the journey the children took to achieve this and this was showcased to the rest of the school and the children’s parents. This video was also shown at a conference for the Island Collaborations Arts Mark Award in July 2017.
Not only did Nicholas and Rob develop the ICT leader and my (Art Lead) own skills and practise, they also led a CPD session to the rest of the teachers in the school, so they too were able to achieve the same thing with their classes. This was also differentiated at the appropriate level for the age groups. The teachers took away with them the knowledge, skills and confidence they needed to develop their classes in the following academic year. I have observed several classes teaching animation across the school and this impact is down to both Rob and Nicholas’ enthusiasm and skills.
As leader of the Arts for Queenborough School, I feel Nicholas and Rob have left a permanent legacy and ‘buzz’ across the school for digital media to be embedded into our curriculum."
Lisa Shoebridge
Arts Leader
Queenborough School & Nursery
Rob and Nicholas also put together a video showing the journey the children took to achieve this and this was showcased to the rest of the school and the children’s parents. This video was also shown at a conference for the Island Collaborations Arts Mark Award in July 2017.
Not only did Nicholas and Rob develop the ICT leader and my (Art Lead) own skills and practise, they also led a CPD session to the rest of the teachers in the school, so they too were able to achieve the same thing with their classes. This was also differentiated at the appropriate level for the age groups. The teachers took away with them the knowledge, skills and confidence they needed to develop their classes in the following academic year. I have observed several classes teaching animation across the school and this impact is down to both Rob and Nicholas’ enthusiasm and skills.
As leader of the Arts for Queenborough School, I feel Nicholas and Rob have left a permanent legacy and ‘buzz’ across the school for digital media to be embedded into our curriculum."
Lisa Shoebridge
Arts Leader
Queenborough School & Nursery
"I am an AHT at Minster-in-Sheppey Primary School and worked with Al and Nicholas on an animation project with our Year 4 pupils during the academic year 2016/17. As part of our Artsmark journey we have worked alongside and received match funding from CCCU (a local university) to promote collaboration and partnership with artists as part of a Young Arts Advocate program. As a school we were keen to capitalise on our successful arts-enriched literacy curriculum and use this as a model to develop our whole approach to curriculum design. We felt that by embedding the arts throughout would support our pupils to be active participants in the learning process, increasing levels of well-being and engagement. In our context arts-based multi-media approaches were an area we were keen to utilise and develop, Nicholas and Al have supported us with this process.
Using a literacy text as a stimulus Al and Nicholas planned a number of workshops with the aim of creating a short animation and pupil evaluations of the process. Pupils were exposed to the processes of written and illustrated storyboarding and created their own desktop animations before participating in a larger scale animation, which allowed the pupils to take on a number of roles linked to acting, set/prop design, production and directing.
As well as having the experience of understanding the basic principles behind animation pupils were also able to develop a range of ‘soft-skills’ such as: decision-making, problem-solving and creative thinking.
In evaluating the project teachers and other stakeholders felt that a striking end product was produced which enthused and motivated pupils. The classroom studio promoted inclusion and significantly engaged all pupils. Pupils’ self-reflection and evaluation were developed as part of the project, pupils and staff learnt a range of interesting techniques whilst recording these. As part of the process having worked with Nicholas and Al all year 4 pupils were also able to undertake Arts Awards at Discovery level.
In addition to working with our Year 4 pupils and staff, Al and Nicholas also ran a CPD session on the use of and versatility of animation. Staff were able to consider how to create a short animated piece and developed an understanding of how animation could be used to enhance all aspects of the curriculum. This session was well-received with staff responding positively to how accessible the application modelled was and how easily animation could be used to support classroom-based learning. Nicholas and Al also provided staff with an animation toolkit providing staff with notes and guidance to support the use of animation in their own classroom."
Lynne Lewis
Acting Head Teacher
Minster-in-Sheppey Primary School
Using a literacy text as a stimulus Al and Nicholas planned a number of workshops with the aim of creating a short animation and pupil evaluations of the process. Pupils were exposed to the processes of written and illustrated storyboarding and created their own desktop animations before participating in a larger scale animation, which allowed the pupils to take on a number of roles linked to acting, set/prop design, production and directing.
As well as having the experience of understanding the basic principles behind animation pupils were also able to develop a range of ‘soft-skills’ such as: decision-making, problem-solving and creative thinking.
In evaluating the project teachers and other stakeholders felt that a striking end product was produced which enthused and motivated pupils. The classroom studio promoted inclusion and significantly engaged all pupils. Pupils’ self-reflection and evaluation were developed as part of the project, pupils and staff learnt a range of interesting techniques whilst recording these. As part of the process having worked with Nicholas and Al all year 4 pupils were also able to undertake Arts Awards at Discovery level.
In addition to working with our Year 4 pupils and staff, Al and Nicholas also ran a CPD session on the use of and versatility of animation. Staff were able to consider how to create a short animated piece and developed an understanding of how animation could be used to enhance all aspects of the curriculum. This session was well-received with staff responding positively to how accessible the application modelled was and how easily animation could be used to support classroom-based learning. Nicholas and Al also provided staff with an animation toolkit providing staff with notes and guidance to support the use of animation in their own classroom."
Lynne Lewis
Acting Head Teacher
Minster-in-Sheppey Primary School