Head boy wins with Covid-inspired art
The coronavirus pandemic has given a Southland student the inspiration to create award-winning art. Visual art is an interest of James Hargest’s head boy, Logan Dennis, and during the lockdown he worked on an entry for a University of Canterbury competition called The Art of Science. Dennis won the master’s section, for students in years 10 to 13, with his painting of the biological structure of the coronavirus connected by string to a hand and wrist. ‘‘I was absolutely stoked [to win],’’ Dennis said. ‘‘My friends were more excited than me. It’s definitely my best painting.’’ Dennis, a year 13 student, said his artwork depicted mother nature’s hand and fingers moving like those of a puppeteer to control the spread of the virus and restore order to the world. ‘‘Mother nature restored order from implications brought on by ourselves [people] . . . like the impact of pollution from cars and our carbon footprint,’’ he said. ‘‘Because of the virus and lockdown we noticed the world, in some ways, being able to catch its breath and restart.’’ Air pollution worldwide was reduced considerably when people stayed at home and self-isolated. Dennis said one example was in India, where the reduction of air pollution enabled people to see the Himalayas. ‘‘It was the first time it had been seen for so many years.’’ Dennis spent a total of 10 hours creating the artwork on calico fabric. For winning his section, he received $100 and university merchandise. Art will remain one of Dennis’ hobbies when he begins studies at the University of Otago next year. He usually completes two artworks a month.