Celebrating Diversity through Upcycling Colour
Our young team created a colouful collaborative collage using old canvas paintings and pencil
and crayon stubs. The end result symbolises the demography of our Muslim National School in
Clonskeagh, Dublin.
The pupils in our school are from a wide array of diverse and multicultural backgrounds. The
resulting collective work created by this young team not only showcased their creativity but also
highlighted their shared vision of unity and diversity. The project, made from the most basic
items that they use the most in the early years of primary school that are otherwise discarded,
symbolises a powerful message of sustainability, creativity, and diversity.
The pupils collected hundreds of pencil stubs—colouring pencils, writing pencils, and
crayons—that would have otherwise been thrown away. These seemingly insignificant remnants
of everyday school supplies were transformed into the heart of the project as the children saw
them as a raw material for something beautiful.
In addition to the pencil stubs, the pupils also reclaimed old canvases that had been damaged
and were destined for the rubbish bin. These canvases were found next to a clothes recycling
bin and were painted black to transform them into blank slates for the children's vibrant
creation.
The project also made use of repurposed furniture. A neighbour of one of the pupils had been
discarding a frame and giraffe-shaped shelves. Instead of these items being thrown into a skip,
they were salvaged and repurposed as part of the canvases. The frame was used as the central
focus point. The giraffe shelves became decorative elements that acted as columns of support
to the overall design. This thoughtful upcycling process gave new life to discarded objects,
further emphasising the project's commitment to sustainability and inclusivity.
The pencils and crayons, with their unique shades and varied sizes, symbolised the different
backgrounds, cultures, and personalities that make up the school's vibrant student body.
In the final stages of the project, the pupils decided to focus on a central theme that captured
the essence of their work. They chose the song "Colours of Islam" as the core of their project,
recognising its message of unity through diversity. The song, which celebrates the variety of
colours in the world and their connection to faith, perfectly mirrors the pupil’s abstract art. The
final works were varnished to make them durable to be hung on the school yard fence.
The project served as a reminder that even the smallest and most seemingly insignificant
objects can be transformed into something beautiful when viewed through the lens of creativity,
teamwork, and respect for differences. The finished project now hangs loud and proud for
everyone in school and the wider community to see.
