Seaside Holidays activity 4: a panorama of Folkestone

Seaside Holidays Resources Panorama - Folkestone Regatta before 1869 H1 F6118 (2) - Copy

Overview

Victorians were fascinated by panoramas. Create a panorama of Victorian Folkestone or the town as it was in a later period such as the 1970s or today. Create a short film by panning your camera slowly along your completed panorama and recording a commentary.

Learning objectives - Curriculum links

Introduction

Children use Learn with Objects Seaside holidays 4: action at sea and 13: view of Victorian Folkestone to look at panoramas of Folkestone.

They also investigate the history of bird’s eye views and panoramas, including Learn with Objects Master 1: Bird’s eye view of Venice and Master 9: Panorama of Rome.

They think about the following questions and do some on-line research to discover the answers:

What is a bird’s eye view?
What is a panorama?
How were they made?
Why did artists make them?
Where could you go to see them?

The following websites provide some useful information for teachers and older students, including on the history of panoramas, and on the different types of panoramic views.

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/visual-art/virtual-reality-19th-century-style-the-history-the-panorama-and-balloon-view

https://shannonselin.com/2016/11/panoramas-19th-century/

https://www.bl.uk/picturing-places/articles/the-spectacle-of-the-panorama

Creative activity

Create a panorama of Folkestone

Working independently or in teams, pupils create a partial or a 360 degree panorama of Folkestone.

Artists should think carefully about the location of their panoramic view. A view from out at sea is a good vantage point for a partial panoramic view of Folkestone, showing all the major attractions on the Leas and Lower Leas from Sandgate to the Warren.

A location with ‘all round’ interest is perfect for a 360 degree view. By the harbour perhaps, or on the Leas?

Don’t forget you can use the panoramic setting on a smart phone to take an excellent partial or 360 degree panoramic photograph. Why not experiment with taking some of these, then transforming them into digital works of art?

Top tips: If working in teams, why not divide your panorama into a number of sections, from left to right, with each pupil in the team completing a different panel to the same scale, then joining them together at the end?

If making a 360 degree panorama, mount the completed artwork on thick card and bend it into a circle, with the panorama on the inside. Turn it round slowly to see the full visual effect.