Treasure Island inspired paper sculpture displayed in Colinton Church

Mariana McCormick and her Treasure Island cut-out.

Working with the Museums & Galleries Edinburgh Learning and Programmes Team and artist Tessa Asquith-Lamb, 11 advanced higher art students from Firrhill selected their own text from which to create their Storyworld.

The pupils’ exhibition was made up of their paper sculptures, inspired by indie music, poetry, novels, popular Higher English texts and the Writers’ Museum to create delicate worlds that bring these stories and the images they inspire to life. Based on works such as The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan, Harry Potter by JK Rowling and The Woodpile by Frightened Rabbit, the talented teenagers’ sculptures, including Mariana McCormick’s Treasure Island cut-out will be on display until May 16.

The sculptures were transferred to the parish church to form part of the pupils end-of-year exhibition – a celebration of their creative work and a chance to share it with family and friends before it is examined officially.

Mariana McCormick, Rachael Healy and Kathryn Leask.

One of the sculptures, by student Mariana McCormick, shows a moment in time from Treasure Island and it is fitting that this work will now find its place in the church where Robert Louis Stevenson's grandfather was the minister.

As a child, he frequently visited the manse, where his maternal grandfather, Dr Lewis Balfour, lived while he was the Minister of the Parish Church.

The exhibition highlights the partnership between Museums & Galleries Edinburgh and Edinburgh’s local schools and communities.

On selecting The Woodpile, Eva Willson said: “Creating this piece has been a way of celebrating and honouring the music of Scott Hutchison, and an opportunity to process emotions through art.”

Councillor Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “Inspired by Scottish literature, these talented young people have created beautiful and intricate paper sculptures in a fantastic example of how our museums can inspire people and communities."Artist Tessa Asquith-Lamb said “As an artist motivated by narrative I have been delighted to be a part of this project, working with these amazing young artists to create their fantastic artworks. Paper is such a simple medium yet full of interesting possibilities for creating the tiniest of details, textures and surprises. Technical challenges for the students included how to fit an entire story under our glass domes, and how to best support structures using paper engineering, and new methods experimented with included paper pricking - based on Georgian pinprick pictures - curling, folding and fringing. Each self-contained little Storyworld freezes a special moment from a book, poem or song. I hope you enjoy them.”