Trips and visits play a crucial role in life at SWPS, helping to extend the education offered beyond the classroom.  Our Art and Design students spent part of their October half term visiting Barcelona. 

During October half term, I went on a trip with the Art Department and my classmates to Barcelona. Visiting such a beautiful city, surrounded by friends and stunning artwork, was an amazing experience and one that I will remember for years to come.

Despite the 5:30am start, the journey to Barcelona was filled with nothing but buzzing excitement for the days ahead. Our first stop was Casa Batlló: a whimsical but charming house designed by Antonio Gaudí, with nature imbedded into every aspect. I was particularly fascinated by Gaudí’s use of natural light through carefully crafted windows and a skylight that made you feel as if you were underwater. After a long day of excitement, a delicious meal at a tapas restaurant was just what we needed.  

Having explored the winding, cobbled streets of the gothic quarter, we headed for another one of Gaudí’s masterpieces on the metro, a church called La Sagrada Familia. Although still under construction, I was in awe as we walked inside and saw rainbows of light pouring through stained glass windows and reflecting off grand pillars.

My favourite part of the trip was the Spanish cooking class where we were taught how to make gazpacho, paella and, for dessert, crema catalana (a Catalan crème brûlée). The atmosphere and food made it a truly enjoyable evening. 

In the next few days, we visited a Joan Miro exhibition, Museu Picasso and Museu Dali. I especially enjoyed Museu Dali, in a town called Figueres, due to his surrealist themes and visuals, but also because of the layout of the gallery. The original building was a theatre that Dali had previously invested in and had been converted into an exhibit as a tribute after he died. We also explored the peaceful town of Gerona for some shopping.  

On our final day, we explored La Rambla and visited Museu d’Art Contemporani (MACBA) where we completed a workshop about the interpretation of contemporary art. Soon enough, to our dismay, it was time to fly back home. The trip had gone by so quickly, but we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of exploring the wonderfully artistic city of Barcelona.  

– Siona M, Year 13 

Experiencing artwork is central to studying Art and was naturally at the heart of our trip to Barcelona, where we broadened our understanding, perspective and appreciation for the subject, as well as getting a feel for the vibrant city of Barcelona. Each day had a busy schedule full of gallery visits, cultural sights and Spanish restaurants to make the most out of our 5-day trip. Needless to say, it was a quiet flight home. Among these activities, we were lucky enough to visit the Dali Museum in a converted theatre in Figures just south of Barcelona, where Dali grew up. The museum uses his infamous surrealist style within its own design, with striking architecture which only elevated Dali’s work. Our perspectives of art were probably most challenged at the MACBA, where we were guided through a variety of unique installations and taught of contemporary arts role in the modern world. At each museum, we all got involved in drawing and studying the work around us.  

I found we gained an immense appreciation for the city of Barcelona, including exploring independently, visiting shops, restaurants and parks. Seeing the city of Barcelona really gave context to the incredible artwork we saw, with artists like Miro and Picasso being so relevant to the city’s history. Outside of galleries, I was most blown away by the breathtaking Sagrada Familia, which managed to exceed my already high expectations. An entertaining cooking class also interrupted our cultural sights, cooking delicious paella and crème de Catalonia. I am so grateful to have gone on this trip growing closer ties to my classmates and experiencing all that Barcelona has to offer.  

– Ashbury W, Year 12