A highly unique exhibition was installed in the Verbal Arts Centre at the beginning of January 2005. The exhibition was entitled “WASTED” which was the main project of young people in Year 11, Limegrove School, Limavady, as part of the Verbal Arts Centre’s ‘BUZZ’ Programme. The BUZZ programme is an innovative arts-based drugs education project for pupils in the Limavady Borough.

Cynthia Browne, The Verbal Arts Centre’s Creative Arts Co-ordinator in Drugs Education, explained the ‘unusual’ exhibition; “The young people wanted to depict how drugs can destroy lives and, in order to capture their varying talents, they decided to use photographic images which all represent a particular line of a poem that they wrote collectively – no-one ever said art was uncomplicated! Most of us can find the concept of obscure abstract thought difficult to comprehend at times but, as the project progressed, the young participants found their creative ideas flowing naturally, and increasingly unprompted, with some resulting surprising and almost disturbing images. The photographs and their accompanying poetry lines portray a variety of negative emotions—they are not designed to be pretty pictures that make you smile! The feelings they conjure up in the viewer’s mind are not pleasant and this is where their power lies as a deterrent to other young people from a life involving drugs. They provoke negative thought. It is for this reason that this exhibition will travel around Limavady, Derry and further beyond in the coming year to venues frequented by young people such as Books Upstairs (on Limavady’s Market Street, installed for February ‘05) as well as an array of Leisure Centres, Libraries and Youth Centres—arrangements are still being made and there are no limits as any suitable venue is welcome to avail of the exhibition. What these young people have created is a first in Northern Ireland and will have a valuable legacy for a long time to come.”

The Poem by L1 of Limegrove School –

WASTED

Born full of promise and hope
But a childhood forsaken,
Talent in tatters,
Violent abuse,
Love fallen apart,
Brain damaged,
Communication smashed,
Families destroyed,
Homes broken,
Health neglected,
Bodies scarred,
Beauty abandoned,
Dreams shattered,
Promise shrivelled,
Your life in your own hands,
A life wrecked,
Wasted.

The Wasted exhibition is currently travelling from venue to venue.

Anyone interested in ‘hosting’ the exhibition for a period of time, please call Cynthia on 71 266946 to make arrangements.