Fifteen students aged 12 and 13 from Cardinal Newman School in Hove have taken a fresh look at the Royal Pavilion’s Chinese interiors.
 
They have produced photographs to create recognisable but strange images that have been printed onto clocks to produce ‘souvenirs.’ The clocks tell the time in Brighton & Hove, Agra in India and Shanghai in China to remind visitors of the cultures that have influenced the Pavilion’s design.
 
Three students put together a video tour of the Royal Pavilion showing the historical facts and stories they discovered.
 
Councillor David Smith, cabinet member for culture, said:
“The young people have produced an exhibition that is making us all look at the Royal Pavilion in a different way.
 
“Their idea was to draw attention to the fact that when the Pavilion was made, people who had not visited China got some of the decoration wrong, so what we have is a strange mixture of designs.”
 
The students have been working on the project since September, exploring the Royal Pavilion’s Chinese interiors. They visited London ’s Chinatown and the British Museum where they talked to experts on Chinese history. They also put together an audio piece by capturing the responses of visitors.
 
Councillor Vanessa Brown, cabinet member for children and young people, said:
“The project has enabled the students to develop their creative, technical and interview skills. They have produced something that is quite unique and will appeal to people of all ages.”
 
The World of Interiors exhibition runs from February 12 to April 11 2010 at the South Balcony, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.

For more information view:
www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk