Students at Haverhill school Samuel Ward Academy exhibiting work on interactive virtual platform ArtsSpace

An innovative virtual exhibition has seen Haverhill students rub creative shoulders with famous artists and peers from across the world.

The ArtsSpace interactive virtual platform has been set up to house a broad collection of online exhibitions and performances.

Its first exhibition, ‘Reclaimed, Rethought, Revisited, Recycled’, has seen students and former students from Samuel Ward Academy showcase their work alongside creative communities and schools from the United States, France, Italy and Indonesia.

The platform is the brainchild of 4th Dimension, which was set up to offer a virtual space for creativity, connection and collaboration, and includes Neil Williams, head of art and design at the Haverhill secondary school, as a founder.

Neil said: “We are really excited to see ArtsSpace host its first virtual exhibition.

“Due to its online platform, there are no physical boundaries which means artwork can be displayed in the biggest and best way possible.

“But it also means we are opening up the possibility of having student work ‘hung’ next to professional artists as well as giving opportunities to those that might not otherwise have this voice and creative space.

“Our students have been hugely excited about having their work exhibited and also this new way of showcasing their amazing artwork.”

Alongside the ability to ‘walk’ around the exhibition on any device, including a Virtual Reality headset, a virtual guide has also been created to enhance the experience even further.

Neil added: “The opportunities are almost limitless.

“We can host several exhibitions at the same time, we can keep old exhibitions constantly on file and we can open up the platform for design and technology, science and many more subjects.

“We are also talking to businesses about ways they can use the interactive virtual platform.”