Papdale Primary School Residency 2006/7
The Papdale Primary School Artist in Residence Scheme was co-funded by the Scottish Arts Council's pARTners Artist in Residency Programme and Orkney Islands Council.
The funding was for a year's post at Papdale Primary School in Kirkwall - and the brief for the residency included 'the creation of artworks to complement a major refurbishment of the school buildings' and 'to develop innovative approaches to art in collaboration with the school children'.
The pARTners Scheme was set up in part to foster a greater understanding of how professional, practicing artists work on a day to day basis.
This was the first long term school-based arts residency in Orkney.
Christil Trumpet
About the Artists
Christil Trumpet was an artistic collaboration between Orkney-based artists Matilda Tumim and Christopher Prendergast. The name, a shortened anagram of their own, reflected the merging of two distinct practices into one creative identity.
Formed in 2002, the partnership arose from practical and artistic necessity. Working independently had become increasingly difficult due to the logistical and financial challenges of making and exhibiting work from Orkney. Collaboration offered a way to pool resources, share ideas, and integrate family life into a sustainable, idea-driven practice.
Their residency at Papdale Primary School provided a year-long opportunity to work together full-time, developing projects with direct input from the children. The collaboration encouraged pupils to witness and participate in the creative process, fostering an understanding of innovation, teamwork, and contemporary art in context.
As Christil Trumpet, Tumim and Prendergast realised several major projects, including Wave (2003), Foul Flora, Weird Waves (2004), and Wedded (2005), with further works in progress such as Goldilocks/Consequence, Pupils Wave, and the ongoing Free Radicals. They were also commissioned by the Pier Arts Centre for Constellation, exhibited at Tullimentan: An Orkney Arts Showcase in 2005.
Pupil’s Wave
Pupil’s Wave was developed as a wall relief for Papdale Primary School, designed to integrate with the building’s refurbishment. The completed work was installed on the large stone wall facing the stairs to the P5–7 classrooms.
The artwork comprised a “sea” of price tags and luggage labels contributed by every pupil in the school. Each child was invited to draw or write on a blank tag, which was then assembled into a wave-shaped trellis. A glass panel protected the final piece, ensuring its preservation under artificial lighting.
Inspired by Christil Trumpet’s earlier studio project Wave (2003), Pupil’s Wave used the motif of the wave as a metaphor for energy, continuity, and Orkney’s enduring relationship with the sea. The project engaged the entire school community, with over 300 children contributing drawings and words, supported by teachers and parents.
