Ihalagama Primary School | Mr Nisan | Sri Lanka | Water droplets made using found objects. Students chose different shades of orange as the background colour. This was because orange is opposite blue on the colour wheel and they wanted their blue droplets to stand out.
Ilfracombe Infant and Nursery School | Claire Grant | Devon, UK | The children explored the importance of clean water for our river wildlife. Each child was given a tile to engrave – some decided to engrave designs of fish, and others chose plants. After picking a colour for their ink, they printed their design on a piece of fabric. The space around the rectangle prints was decorated using recycled materials and acrylic paint.
Inverness Royal Academy | Isabelle Thomson | Scotland, UK | Metal embossed tins inspired by the life cycle of a Fresh Water Pearl Mussel. Students wanted to celebrate the role that this amazing species plays in the river ecosystem. They looked at artists such as Ninette Kruger and explored the technique of metal embossing.
Jagat Mandir Secondary School | Kailash Shrestha | Nepal | Students felt that the stingray powerfully symbolises rivers around the UK. Activities such as fishing, boating and trading, are expressed inside the stingray-shaped bodies. The stingrays grow in size from the centre, showing how human river activities are also growing. The border contains hourglasses to make people think about the critical issues surrounding climate change.
Jamerson High School | James Marume | Zimbabwe | A collage made with bold colours and a variety of different materials. Students wanted to express their thoughts and feelings about the suffering that takes place as a result of river pollution.
John Dewey High School | Kailash Shrestha | Nepal | Students thought about how rivers have inspired architects to create historic buildings, bridges and monuments. They also discussed how the human economy exploits rivers, which they have symbolised using bank notes. The waves around the border represent hope for people around the world, as rivers protect us even when they face a lot of trouble.
KAFCO School and College | Tania Islam | Bangladesh | The school is located in a shady, green environment on the bank of the Karnaphuli River in the city of Chittagong. As this is the main seaport of Bangladesh, the river is very busy and very resourceful. Students wanted to create images that reflect their sadness about the deterioration of the Karnaphuli River due to human activity.
Kathmandu Euro School | Kailash Shrestha | Nepal | This artwork was inspired by traditional Nepali Paubha art. Students made an elaborate border, with elements that resemble waves and drops of water. The swans represent the life found in rivers – the wings show how some parts of the river are still natural, but the bodies show how it is becoming urbanised. The droplets of water show what goes on in rivers across the UK.
Kesteven and Sleaford High School | Emily Cartwright | Boston, UK | Students studied the cultural significance of rivers around the Kathmandu valley. The artworks in this piece were inspired by the Paubha artform, which often contains a central image of a Hindu or Buddhist deity. Students were asked to consider what creature they would put in the centre of their Paubha. They used paper cutting, quilling and printmaking techniques to build the different layers of the artworks. The silhouette in the top corner is of Greta Thunberg as the students felt she symbolises young people standing up for the planet.
Khademul Islam School and College | Suman Biswas & Metun Mondol | Bangladesh | Students thought about the different kinds of work that take place on rivers in Bangladesh. They used pencils, paints, jute fibre, coloured paper and canvas to build a spectacular scene that expresses the importance of river resources.
Killyleagh Integrated PS | Conor McGinley | Northern Ireland, UK | Students thought about the journey that water takes before it arrives in your mug to make a cup of tea! Around the teacup, they included images of animals and plants to show that water is important for all life on earth, not just humans. The silhouette in the top corner is of David Attenborough, a popular environmentalist and documentary maker.
Kimbolton School | Fiona Tavares & Emma Jane Kelly | Cambridgeshire, UK | The children were inspired by their local river and Kimbolton castle. They designed creatures to protect the river and the children of Kimbolton.
King Edward VI Community College | Ione Maria Rojas | Devon, UK | Students used natural inks and mark making to create their own pieces of protest art, defending the rights of the River Dart and the nature that thrives there. The inks were made out of red cabbage, charcoal, turmeric, nettles and alder cones. Before making their protest art, students embarked on a foraging walk to get to know the Dart better. The final piece reflects the creative voice of each individual student, while having a unified colour palette to represent their collective desire to protect the river.
King's Park Primary School | Claire Griffith | Scotland, UK | One child was selected to participate in the project from each of the 18 classes in the school. The group visited our local river, the River Esk, which flows through Dalkeith. They discussed what they could see, hear and touch around the river, as well as how they felt being next to it. Then they came up with a strong statement that embodied their collective thoughts and feelings. Craft supplies and natural materials were used to form the letters, with blue to represent water, natural colours to represent wildlife, and bright yellow to represent hope.
Kwekwe High School | Memory Nyarota| Zimbabwe | A collaborative painting that brings together different elements of the river. Students wanted to create a sense of harmony in their final piece to signify that the world is stronger when everyone works together.
Lahore College of Arts and Science | Mahwish Shaukat | Pakistan | Inspired by the many different colours that can be seen in rivers, students developed a colour palette for their design. Then they cut out different shapes and silhouettes, arranging them in a pattern over a green and white checkerboard. Green and white were used to reference the colours of Pakistan’s flag. Can you spot the outline of Pakistan?
Lahore College of Arts and Sciences, Canal Side Campus | Aamna Jamil | Pakistan | A student designed this image as a response to the theme of River of Hope. He discovered that sunflowers and butterflies have been used in art to symbolise hope. He also used shades of blue for the mountains, instead of typical browns and greys, because he sees blue as a particularly hopeful colour.
Lambrook School | Becky Ukleja | Berkshire, UK | The artwork depicts lots of amazing sea creatures. Students incorporated the word ‘THINK’ into their design to remind people to think about what we use and what waste we produce. The centre piece is created from parts of an old laptop as well as other found objects.
Landau Forte Academy Moorhead | Ruth McNeil | Derbyshire, UK | The vision for this artwork is ‘The world is in our hands’. The design process generated conversation about water access and consumption across the world. Students built a papier-mâché earth that reflects what they want the world to look like in the future. They used a silhouette of David Attenborough to symbolise the conservation and protection of our planet.
Laxmipur Girls’ High School | Suman Biswas & Metun Mondol | Bangladesh | Students spent a lot of time researching environmental issues, both locally and globally. After this, they used pencils, pens and paints to create one image that brought together different elements of their research.
Little Flowers Public School | Kailash Shrestha | Nepal | Students worked with sand and stone from the Bagmati River, which is near their school. They have shared hope, with the figure of a woman, who is holding water and a plant in her hand. They have shared fear, with futuristic buildings drowning in water, which questions how development and technology is leading us to climate change. The border is inspired by carvings that can be found in temples in the Kathmandu valley.
Little Ilford School | Jimena Pardo Zamora | Newham, UK | Students from Year 7 and 8 produced line drawings and collages, and researched how river life is impacted by pollution and poaching. At the centre of the design is the silhouette of Berta Caceres, who was an environmental community leader who protected local rivers in Honduras.
Lochaber High School | Isabelle Thomson | Scotland, UK | Collages of river insects, made from recycled plastic! Students looked at the work of Christopher Marley and Levon Biss for inspiration.
Lycée Jean-Monnet de Bruxelles | Emmanuelle Geyer | Belgium | In Brussels there was once a river called the Senne, but over time it has become almost invisible. Students imagined what it would be like to have the river back, and they considered how this could be made a reality. After discussing their research and ideas, they created the artwork with coloured pencils.
Mallaig High School | Isabelle Thomson | Scotland, UK | Abstract collages that reflect the microscopic surface patterns, textures and colour palettes of the plants and organic matter found in their local river, the River Morar. Students used various painting and drawing techniques, then cut up their work to make a Rex Ray inspired collage. Their final design is a nod to the artist and biologist Klaus Kemp, who arranges diatoms.
Malmesbury Park Primary School | Roxanne McPherson | Bournemouth, UK | Students came up with inspiring phrases to make this artwork. They worked hard to think of imaginative ways to represent letters and words using items found around the school.
Malta School of Art | Umberto Buttigieg | Malta | Students discussed the ways in which Malta is vulnerable to climate change, as it is a collection of small islands. To make their artwork, they experimented with a variety of different techniques such as collage, mono-printing and 3D sculpture.
Mataheko School | Bright Ackwerh | Ghana | Rivers across the world are a crucial part of many spiritual and cultural events. Students at Mataheko School were asked to imagine what it would be like to bring their indigenous cultural practices to the Thames in the UK. Logojo Emmanuel (student): “The practices we have depicted in our art may seem strange to people in the UK but it is our culture and we are proud of it.”
Mee Toh School | Foo Tiang Weng | Singapore | Students talked about pollution in rivers, and plastic soon became the main point of discussion. They decided to use recycled plastic in their artwork to express the significant role that plastic plays in our daily lives, from grocery bags to water bottles. They then fused the recycled plastic with a hot iron to create 3D river creatures. Students felt that this technique symbolised how plastic is becoming infused into our rivers!
Merstham Park School | Lyndsey Harkness | Surrey, UK | GCSE art and geography students got together to make this artwork. The geography students have been learning about rivers in Nigeria, and about the devastating impact that pollution is having on the land and people. They researched the major industries responsible for water pollution and decided to communicate their concerns through the design.
Methodist College | Conor McGinley | Northern Ireland, UK | A graffiti-style artwork inspired by the River Lagan – a major river in Northern Ireland. Students included a silhouette of Belfast-born C. S. Lewis in the top corner because they look up to him and enjoy reading his books, particularly The Chronicles of Narnia!
Millbay Academy | Ione Maria Rojas | Devon, UK | A collection of clay creations, made in response to the students exploring their relationship with rivers and the sea, and their concerns about the consequences of water pollution. They learnt how to process wild clay, and made their very own batch! They also worked with air dry clay to compare hand-processed and synthetic materials. Students made their clay sculptures after researching different styles of ceramic art.
Munyati ZESA High School | Kiroda Munatsi | Zimbabwe | Students were keen to use found natural objects in their artwork, as well as handmade objects. The three-dimensional elements create interesting shadows that bring the design to life!
Ihalagama Primary School | Mr Nisan | Sri Lanka | Water droplets made using found objects. Students chose different shades of orange as the background colour. This was because orange is opposite blue on the colour wheel and they wanted their blue droplets to stand out.
Ilfracombe Infant and Nursery School | Claire Grant | Devon, UK | The children explored the importance of clean water for our river wildlife. Each child was given a tile to engrave – some decided to engrave designs of fish, and others chose plants. After picking a colour for their ink, they printed their design on a piece of fabric. The space around the rectangle prints was decorated using recycled materials and acrylic paint.
Inverness Royal Academy | Isabelle Thomson | Scotland, UK | Metal embossed tins inspired by the life cycle of a Fresh Water Pearl Mussel. Students wanted to celebrate the role that this amazing species plays in the river ecosystem. They looked at artists such as Ninette Kruger and explored the technique of metal embossing.
Jagat Mandir Secondary School | Kailash Shrestha | Nepal | Students felt that the stingray powerfully symbolises rivers around the UK. Activities such as fishing, boating and trading, are expressed inside the stingray-shaped bodies. The stingrays grow in size from the centre, showing how human river activities are also growing. The border contains hourglasses to make people think about the critical issues surrounding climate change.
Jamerson High School | James Marume | Zimbabwe | A collage made with bold colours and a variety of different materials. Students wanted to express their thoughts and feelings about the suffering that takes place as a result of river pollution.
John Dewey High School | Kailash Shrestha | Nepal | Students thought about how rivers have inspired architects to create historic buildings, bridges and monuments. They also discussed how the human economy exploits rivers, which they have symbolised using bank notes. The waves around the border represent hope for people around the world, as rivers protect us even when they face a lot of trouble.
KAFCO School and College | Tania Islam | Bangladesh | The school is located in a shady, green environment on the bank of the Karnaphuli River in the city of Chittagong. As this is the main seaport of Bangladesh, the river is very busy and very resourceful. Students wanted to create images that reflect their sadness about the deterioration of the Karnaphuli River due to human activity.
Kathmandu Euro School | Kailash Shrestha | Nepal | This artwork was inspired by traditional Nepali Paubha art. Students made an elaborate border, with elements that resemble waves and drops of water. The swans represent the life found in rivers – the wings show how some parts of the river are still natural, but the bodies show how it is becoming urbanised. The droplets of water show what goes on in rivers across the UK.
Kesteven and Sleaford High School | Emily Cartwright | Boston, UK | Students studied the cultural significance of rivers around the Kathmandu valley. The artworks in this piece were inspired by the Paubha artform, which often contains a central image of a Hindu or Buddhist deity. Students were asked to consider what creature they would put in the centre of their Paubha. They used paper cutting, quilling and printmaking techniques to build the different layers of the artworks. The silhouette in the top corner is of Greta Thunberg as the students felt she symbolises young people standing up for the planet.
Khademul Islam School and College | Suman Biswas & Metun Mondol | Bangladesh | Students thought about the different kinds of work that take place on rivers in Bangladesh. They used pencils, paints, jute fibre, coloured paper and canvas to build a spectacular scene that expresses the importance of river resources.
Killyleagh Integrated PS | Conor McGinley | Northern Ireland, UK | Students thought about the journey that water takes before it arrives in your mug to make a cup of tea! Around the teacup, they included images of animals and plants to show that water is important for all life on earth, not just humans. The silhouette in the top corner is of David Attenborough, a popular environmentalist and documentary maker.
Kimbolton School | Fiona Tavares & Emma Jane Kelly | Cambridgeshire, UK | The children were inspired by their local river and Kimbolton castle. They designed creatures to protect the river and the children of Kimbolton.
King Edward VI Community College | Ione Maria Rojas | Devon, UK | Students used natural inks and mark making to create their own pieces of protest art, defending the rights of the River Dart and the nature that thrives there. The inks were made out of red cabbage, charcoal, turmeric, nettles and alder cones. Before making their protest art, students embarked on a foraging walk to get to know the Dart better. The final piece reflects the creative voice of each individual student, while having a unified colour palette to represent their collective desire to protect the river.
King's Park Primary School | Claire Griffith | Scotland, UK | One child was selected to participate in the project from each of the 18 classes in the school. The group visited our local river, the River Esk, which flows through Dalkeith. They discussed what they could see, hear and touch around the river, as well as how they felt being next to it. Then they came up with a strong statement that embodied their collective thoughts and feelings. Craft supplies and natural materials were used to form the letters, with blue to represent water, natural colours to represent wildlife, and bright yellow to represent hope.
Kwekwe High School | Memory Nyarota| Zimbabwe | A collaborative painting that brings together different elements of the river. Students wanted to create a sense of harmony in their final piece to signify that the world is stronger when everyone works together.
Lahore College of Arts and Science | Mahwish Shaukat | Pakistan | Inspired by the many different colours that can be seen in rivers, students developed a colour palette for their design. Then they cut out different shapes and silhouettes, arranging them in a pattern over a green and white checkerboard. Green and white were used to reference the colours of Pakistan’s flag. Can you spot the outline of Pakistan?
Lahore College of Arts and Sciences, Canal Side Campus | Aamna Jamil | Pakistan | A student designed this image as a response to the theme of River of Hope. He discovered that sunflowers and butterflies have been used in art to symbolise hope. He also used shades of blue for the mountains, instead of typical browns and greys, because he sees blue as a particularly hopeful colour.
Lambrook School | Becky Ukleja | Berkshire, UK | The artwork depicts lots of amazing sea creatures. Students incorporated the word ‘THINK’ into their design to remind people to think about what we use and what waste we produce. The centre piece is created from parts of an old laptop as well as other found objects.
Landau Forte Academy Moorhead | Ruth McNeil | Derbyshire, UK | The vision for this artwork is ‘The world is in our hands’. The design process generated conversation about water access and consumption across the world. Students built a papier-mâché earth that reflects what they want the world to look like in the future. They used a silhouette of David Attenborough to symbolise the conservation and protection of our planet.
Laxmipur Girls’ High School | Suman Biswas & Metun Mondol | Bangladesh | Students spent a lot of time researching environmental issues, both locally and globally. After this, they used pencils, pens and paints to create one image that brought together different elements of their research.
Little Flowers Public School | Kailash Shrestha | Nepal | Students worked with sand and stone from the Bagmati River, which is near their school. They have shared hope, with the figure of a woman, who is holding water and a plant in her hand. They have shared fear, with futuristic buildings drowning in water, which questions how development and technology is leading us to climate change. The border is inspired by carvings that can be found in temples in the Kathmandu valley.
Little Ilford School | Jimena Pardo Zamora | Newham, UK | Students from Year 7 and 8 produced line drawings and collages, and researched how river life is impacted by pollution and poaching. At the centre of the design is the silhouette of Berta Caceres, who was an environmental community leader who protected local rivers in Honduras.
Lochaber High School | Isabelle Thomson | Scotland, UK | Collages of river insects, made from recycled plastic! Students looked at the work of Christopher Marley and Levon Biss for inspiration.
Lycée Jean-Monnet de Bruxelles | Emmanuelle Geyer | Belgium | In Brussels there was once a river called the Senne, but over time it has become almost invisible. Students imagined what it would be like to have the river back, and they considered how this could be made a reality. After discussing their research and ideas, they created the artwork with coloured pencils.
Mallaig High School | Isabelle Thomson | Scotland, UK | Abstract collages that reflect the microscopic surface patterns, textures and colour palettes of the plants and organic matter found in their local river, the River Morar. Students used various painting and drawing techniques, then cut up their work to make a Rex Ray inspired collage. Their final design is a nod to the artist and biologist Klaus Kemp, who arranges diatoms.
Malmesbury Park Primary School | Roxanne McPherson | Bournemouth, UK | Students came up with inspiring phrases to make this artwork. They worked hard to think of imaginative ways to represent letters and words using items found around the school.
Malta School of Art | Umberto Buttigieg | Malta | Students discussed the ways in which Malta is vulnerable to climate change, as it is a collection of small islands. To make their artwork, they experimented with a variety of different techniques such as collage, mono-printing and 3D sculpture.
Mataheko School | Bright Ackwerh | Ghana | Rivers across the world are a crucial part of many spiritual and cultural events. Students at Mataheko School were asked to imagine what it would be like to bring their indigenous cultural practices to the Thames in the UK. Logojo Emmanuel (student): “The practices we have depicted in our art may seem strange to people in the UK but it is our culture and we are proud of it.”
Mee Toh School | Foo Tiang Weng | Singapore | Students talked about pollution in rivers, and plastic soon became the main point of discussion. They decided to use recycled plastic in their artwork to express the significant role that plastic plays in our daily lives, from grocery bags to water bottles. They then fused the recycled plastic with a hot iron to create 3D river creatures. Students felt that this technique symbolised how plastic is becoming infused into our rivers!
Merstham Park School | Lyndsey Harkness | Surrey, UK | GCSE art and geography students got together to make this artwork. The geography students have been learning about rivers in Nigeria, and about the devastating impact that pollution is having on the land and people. They researched the major industries responsible for water pollution and decided to communicate their concerns through the design.
Methodist College | Conor McGinley | Northern Ireland, UK | A graffiti-style artwork inspired by the River Lagan – a major river in Northern Ireland. Students included a silhouette of Belfast-born C. S. Lewis in the top corner because they look up to him and enjoy reading his books, particularly The Chronicles of Narnia!
Millbay Academy | Ione Maria Rojas | Devon, UK | A collection of clay creations, made in response to the students exploring their relationship with rivers and the sea, and their concerns about the consequences of water pollution. They learnt how to process wild clay, and made their very own batch! They also worked with air dry clay to compare hand-processed and synthetic materials. Students made their clay sculptures after researching different styles of ceramic art.
Munyati ZESA High School | Kiroda Munatsi | Zimbabwe | Students were keen to use found natural objects in their artwork, as well as handmade objects. The three-dimensional elements create interesting shadows that bring the design to life!
200 Winning Flag Designs (Alphabetical by School)
River of Hope is supported by:
River of Hope is a Thames Festival Trust programme delivered in partnership with the British Council