Ideals about love and beauty, old and new, were scrutinised in a mini-drama which included a smart phone and the goddess Aphrodite, at the Otago Museum yesterday.
A dozen pupils from St Hilda's Collegiate School performed a series of mini plays, of their own making, in various parts of the museum yesterday, including in the People of the World Gallery.
Another group of pupils from the school will present more short plays in various spots round the museum today.
Some thought-provoking and creative ideas were woven into the short plays, which were inspired by some of the gallery's most striking artefacts.
A year 13 pupil, Mhairi Rowbottom (17) used a museum statue of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, and Instagram images on a smart phone, to explore, in a witty solo show, the pressures faced by young women to conform to a narrow range of body images and behaviour, to remain popular with social media ''followers''.
Rachel McMillan, the teacher in charge of performing arts at St Hilda's, said the museum was proving a rich source of creative ideas for pupils, and all the plays were being filmed as part of NCEA assessment.
