Exploring bold ideas: Textiles students visit aquarium and art gallery

Year 12 Macleans College Textile students recently stepped beyond the classroom for a double-inspiration day.

Their journey began at SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium and continued at the Auckland Art Gallery’s Century of Modern Art exhibition.

At the aquarium, students immersed themselves in the vibrant underwater world. This visit was not simply recreational but carefully planned to inspire divergent thinking for their upcoming streetwear design assessment. They were challenged to look beyond traditional fashion references and explore how the natural world could inform contemporary design ideas.

The assessment requires students to generate a wide range of creative concepts before refining them into expressive, wearable garments. This stage of the design process emphasises originality, bold connections and freedom from predictable outcomes.

Later, at the Auckland Art Gallery, students encountered works by modern masters. Through abstract composition, striking colour and conceptual expression, they broadened their design vocabulary.

The contrast between the natural and artistic environments encouraged students to find unexpected connections and new directions for their creative work.