BACKGROUND
A Bristol Building School for the Future
(BSF), Public Art Commission for Whitefield
Fishponds Community School (WFCS - now
Bristol Metropolitan College) project
This commission has been produced by the
Bristol BSF Public Art Steering Group
through the WFCS Public Art commissioning
body, a partnership between Bristol City
Council, Skanska Education Partnership,
Creative Partnerships Bristol, and WFCS
staff and students.
The broad aims of the Public Art Programme
are to produce artworks and integrated
design features in response to the following
questions:
A Bristol Building School for the Future
(BSF), Public Art Commission for Whitefield
Fishponds Community School (WFCS - now
Bristol Metropolitan College) project
This commission has been produced by the
Bristol BSF Public Art Steering Group
through the WFCS Public Art commissioning
body, a partnership between Bristol City
Council, Skanska Education Partnership,
Creative Partnerships Bristol, and WFCS
staff and students.
The broad aims of the Public Art Programme
are to produce artworks and integrated
design features in response to the following
questions:
- How can we facilitate Young People to
have input into their new school
buildings? - How can we use the Public Art
programme to facilitate the expression
of the cultural identity and specialist
status of each school? - How can we build excitement, positivity,
changes in attitude, a sense of
ownership and enhanced expectations
of the school communities in
preparation for occupation of their new
school buildings?
'TALK TO ME'
a series of 3 text-based artworks
integrated into the fabric of a new
specialist language college in Bristol at
design stage
(Ralph Hoyte & Steve Joyce)
a series of 3 text-based artworks
integrated into the fabric of a new
specialist language college in Bristol at
design stage
(Ralph Hoyte & Steve Joyce)
REALISATION
vinyl lettering on aluminium trays
mounted on walls
vinyl lettering on aluminium trays
mounted on walls
PROCESS
workshops over 6 months with members of a dedicated
group of 15 children aged between 11 and 14 resulted
in the concept of asking the whole school the existential
question WHY?
The overarching question WHY? was interpreted by 5
small groups as:
(groups self-nominated by the kids)
Each group designed their own consultative A5
postcard on computer to distribute throughout the entire
school (students/staff). The results of the consultation
were collated under the banner heading TALK TO ME
and designed as the three text-based artworks:
workshops over 6 months with members of a dedicated
group of 15 children aged between 11 and 14 resulted
in the concept of asking the whole school the existential
question WHY?
The overarching question WHY? was interpreted by 5
small groups as:
- WHY language?
- WHY did you or your family come here?
- WHY poetry – what has it got to say?
- A Quest for WHY (thru' comics)
- WHY do we need Fantasy?
(groups self-nominated by the kids)
Each group designed their own consultative A5
postcard on computer to distribute throughout the entire
school (students/staff). The results of the consultation
were collated under the banner heading TALK TO ME
and designed as the three text-based artworks:
- TALK TO ME - WHY?
- TALK TO ME - about WHAT?
- TALK TO ME - HOW?