A STUDENT will be turning the clock back to her school days when she exhibits her works at one of the regions top visitor attractions.
As a primary and secondary school visitor to a Bedes World in Jarrow, Erin Dickson found plenty of material for her classroom work.
Now the 22-year-old from Harton Moor in South Shields is one of a group of Sunderland University students who are staging an exhibition of their creations at Bedes World.
The MA and PhD students in glass and ceramic studies have used what is hoped will be the North Easts third world heritage site as inspiration for the project which has now produced a wide range of artworks. Around 1,000 pieces of what is thought to be the oldest coloured window glass in Europe were found during archaeological digs at the Jarrow monastic site in the 1960s-70s.
Some of the best pieces have been reused in a recreated Anglo-Saxon window in the sites Seventh Century St Pauls Church.
Erin, who is in the middle of an architecture degree course and has taken the time out to study glass at Sunderland, has created a chandelier interpretation of one of the windows at St Pauls Church.
The exhibition has been curated by internationally-known Sunderland professor of glass Sylva Petrova, with the project being led by the universitys Dr Kevin Petrie.
Students involved in the project have come from the UK, China, Japan, Latvia, Costa Rica, Israel, Sweden and Austria.
Dr Petrie said: It is apt as in the days of Bede, Jarrow was an international centre and has some of the earliest stained glass in Western Europe.
This has been a tremendous opportunity and challenge for the students and many of their ideas have been inspired by the site. The students have responded to the site and in many cases this has led to new approaches and unexpected ideas.
Ruth Bratt, 23, from Chester-le-Street in County Durham, who has an degree in embroidery, has created perspex and vinyl panels for the goats house on the Bedes World Anglo-Saxon farm site.
Kelly Leone Lee, whose family lives in Berwick, based her contribution on Japanese wartime ceramic grenades she saw during a trip to Hong Kong.
She used Victorian floral teaset-style decoration to mix the military with domestic influences.
Bedes World director Kate Sussams said it was hoped that the university exhibition will become an annual event. She said: Bede and his works have been an inspiration for 1,300 years and the students have continued that theme.
The selling exhibition is open until March 14. People can view the exhibition for free if they pre-book their visit with Bedes Worlds on 0191 489 2106.
