The Lancaster Ballroom at The Savoy hotel where the participatory art event is taking place.

Year Nine and Year 13 students from St Bonaventure’s RC School in Forest Gate will help stage a unique art event today at luxury hotel The Savoy.

Mentored by graphic designer Patrick Lasey, they will join around 200 young people aged 11 to 16 from across east London for a piece entitled ‘The Liberties of The Savoy’, drawing inspiration from the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381.

The event was the brainchild of Ruth Ewan who is the winner of the fourth annual Create Art Award where £50,000 is given to an artist to deliver a public art commission by engaging local residents.

Originally from Scotland, Ruth now lives in Walthamstow and is know for creating site specific contextual art to highlight the continued relevance of historical moments to the present.

Ruth said: “The idea for ‘The Liberties of The Savoy’ came from a number of places including a folk song called ‘The Cutty Wren’ which talks of the 14th century Revolt.

“The site of The Savoy is key to the project. I want ‘Liberties of The Savoy’ to create a unique situation, all be it for one afternoon, in which the participants are unrestricted in their desire and ambition, where they can temporarily experience liberty of sorts.”

The young students will be responsible for a particular aspect of the project including the menu, music, performance, design, and transport, as well as developing key practical skills, managing a budget, and working with Ruth’s vision where participants will be invited to reflect on a integral part of London’s history.

The event will eventually be recorded and turned into a documentary and publication.

Produced by the Frieze Foundation as part of Frieze Projects East, the art event is support by The Savoy and sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Last year, the Create participatory event saw winner 30,000 people gather at a disused underpass in Hackney Wick for a piece entitled ‘Folly for Flyover’ where local people built a huge wooden cinema underneath the A12 on the fringes of the Olympic Park.