At the end of term before Christmas, the pupils of Rowan Class at Templeton School took part in an art workshop with artist Ben Lloyd.

The workshop, organised by the Friends of Oriel Q and funded by the Arts Council of Wales, was inspired by Ben's work, Empire Kiosk that was exhibited in Oriel Fach in September 2012 before transferring to Chapter Arts in Cardiff.

In 2011, Ben worked as a volunteer teacher in Sierra Leone and 'Empire Kiosk' is a response to the sales kiosks seen in every Sierra Leonean village and town.

Said Ben: "These vibrant multi-coloured kiosks, all made from humble materials, are a source of pride for their owners and a joy to be part of. They are brightly painted with various images of mobile 'phones, household goods and the flags of Sierra Leone, US or UK."

For the project, Ben talked and showed photographs and films of the kiosks and the children in Sierra Leone. Working in pairs, the children of Rowan Class constructed their own kiosks from cardboard, withies and scrap materials.

They then decorated them with models of fruit, bottles and phones made from plasticine and pictures of celebrities, flags etc.

The pieces of sculpture produced by the children were inventive, resourceful, exuberant and decorative. In addition to developing their art and craft skills, the pupils of Rowan Class were able to understand something of the lives of other children in an exciting part of Africa.

The project covered aspects of the national curriculum and fitted in with the theme of people that the children were exploring in school with their teacher Helen Roberts.

Helen said: "The children thoroughly enjoyed working with Ben. His photos brought Sierra Leone to life and the children could really imagine what it would have been like to come across the kiosks. 

"The project covered many of the skills needed to cover the Art and DT curriculum and the children were so proud of their end products.

"Many thanks go to Graham Meredith from Oriel Q for his help in organising the workshop and to Ben Lloyd."

The workshop was one of the series organised by the Friends of Oriel Q for 2012-2013 with support from the Arts Council of Wales.