While I breathe, I explore, I hope

Recently, on the most visible space of TWIS's campus, there are several spectacular murals whose rich color collocation, realistic design, and waving light-and-shade contrast that gives the school's architectural space vibrancy and vitality. Let's explore the behind-the-scene stories following the article!

多元化钥匙

Keyhole to Diversity

教学楼的的外墙是校园中最为显眼的空间，悬挂于学校教学楼外墙的巨型壁画是《多元化钥匙》，这是一幅由MYP中学生与艺术老师共同完成的绘画作品，历时数个月。

Keyhole to Diversity is an artwork displayed on the wall, which is the most visible space on campus. It is a mural produced by MYP students and our arts specialists over a period of several months.

《多元化钥匙》艺术作品旨在捕捉和呈现多元文化和多样性的核心本质，正如TWIS一直以来所追求的国际视野一样。壁画由多种野生动物组成，分别代表着不同IB学习者属性——探究者、有原则的人、关爱他人的人、善于反思的人、全面发展的人、思维开阔的人、知识渊博的人、善于沟通的人、思考者和勇于尝试的人。这些属性和动物是根据九年级学生的思考而选择的。然而，壁画中的动物具体传达的文化寓意，创作者们则希望留给观众想象的空间进行阐释。

The artwork of Keyhole to Diversity aims to capture the core essence of diversity as we seek to foster international perspectives. The animals depicted represent the IB learner profiles -- Inquirer, Principled, Caring, Reflective, Balanced, Open-Minded, Knowledgeable, as well as, Communicator, Thinker, and Risk-Taker. We then chose different animals to represent these student attributes based on the perspectives of the 9th Graders. The animals in the artwork, however, also convey different meanings and significance to various cultures, and the art is, therefore, open to multiple interpretations by the viewer.

从整体上看，壁画形似一把钥匙。创作者的想法是，让观众看到一个独特的学校社区和教育风格——不是通过单一地“容忍”差异，而是鼓励健康的文化融合与交流。每一种文化最理想的状态是得到祝福，并融入于一个社区中。钥匙对TWIS来说是一种象征，也是一种邀请，以钥匙打开多元文化的大门，进入一个具有国际思想的世界，而不是掉进只有同一性才能实现一致的陷阱。

The shape of the mural was constructed to look similar to that of a keyhole. The idea here is that it gives the viewer a glimpse into a unique community and style of education that is not achieved through mere ‘toleration’ of differences but instead encourages healthy enculturation. Here the best aspects of each culture is celebrated and incorporated into a richer community full of ancient and spiritually elevating traditions. The keyhole is a symbol here for us, it is an invitation to open our doors to an internationally-minded world, and not fall into the trap of assuming that unity can only be achieved through uniformity.

栖息森林

Resting Forest

《栖息森林》这幅壁画是由九年级学生在“生活绘画”的艺术单元期间与艺术老师共同创作的，他们探索了黑暗中的色彩、视角和元素的运用。壁画的主题是当地（松山湖）的荔枝农场，这些农场充分利用了上个世纪在此土地上劳作的人所遗留的松山湖文化遗迹以及我们学校周围依然存在的野生动植物。

This mural Resting Forest created by Grade 9 students during the Art unit of “Life Drawing” explores color, perspective and elements in the darkness of night. The subject matter is the local lychee farms which harness the remains of an authentic Songshan Lake culture of people who have worked the land for the last century as well as the remaining wildlife around our school.

画面中存在的人类文明元素：断裂的秋千、火坑和脚印，表明从原生态的生活方式向公寓建筑的过度发展使得该生态系统处于被灭绝的危险中。这幅画颂扬树木的多样性和活力。神奇的萤火虫和夜行鸟都是很珍贵的，这就是为什么我们要保持原始森林和农场的原貌的同时，合理建造开发项目以帮助我们的城市而有不损害这些自然痕迹的原因。

The human elements: broken swing, fire pit and footsteps show a transition from the farmers' lifestyle to the development of apartment buildings as this ecosystem is in danger of extinction. The painting extols the diversity and vibrance of trees. The magical fireflies and night birds are precious, which is why we want to keep these pockets of forests and farms untouched while development can be carefully built to help our city without damaging these vestiges.

画面中的深颜色还显示了人类当前的健康状况和生存危机。树木中的眼睛和生物嬉戏地代表着大自然所拥有的未知奇观。在这项大型工作的整个过程中，学生在设计、集思广益、绘画和管理不同角色方面花费了大量的精力。您和观众可将抽象的笔画视为想象力的发散和思考的深入。由于我们还致力于建设可持续发展的城市，因此这幅壁画将提醒我们所有人应做得更深入、更透彻。

The dark colors also make reference to the present health and existential crisis. The eyes and creatures in the trees represent playfully the unknown wonders nature holds. Students show an enormous amount of effort in designing, brainstorming, painting and managing different roles throughout the process of this large work. You and the audience may see the abstract paint strokes as imagination and a work in progress, and since we also are working to develop our cities more sustainably, let this be a reminder for that deeper and obscurer thinking we must all do.