Ringing Out The Diamond Jubilee Year
To mark the end of the Diamond Jubilee year of the University, 2 new artworks are being unveiled as part of the art collection.
Alumna Nicola Hutchison (MSc Music Composition for Film and Media, 2011) was the emerging artist chosen to undertake the commission on the College Lane Campus, which was recently installed.
The piece, entitled ‘Invitation to Leap, Touch, Make a Sound’, takes inspiration from Nicola’s time as a student. Hung in the underpasses that run through the centre of campus, the suspended bell-like forms function visually as sculpture, but also encourage people to strike them to create a sound and to reach – both physically and intellectually – during their time on campus.
Nicola explains: 'The work invites people to put aside their inhibitions for a moment, much in the playful way a child might run her hand along railings or leap to touch an apple hanging from a branch. I like the idea that learning is about openness to new ways of thinking and this includes how you engage with the space around you.'
The de Havilland commission, called ‘Material Flight’, is due to be installed in reception in February and was created by established artist Lyndall Phelps. It takes inspiration from the history of the site by integrating designs of aircraft built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company at Hatfield with British moth wing patterns.
Lyndall said: 'Through my research I became interested in the concept of pairing, particularly where both similarities and differences occur. The site itself has 2 distinct twentieth-century histories: one relating to the de Havilland Aircraft Company and the other to the University itself.'
Lyndall was additionally interested in the dichotomy between the natural and manufactured world, which also intrigued Geoffrey de Havilland, who took inspiration from moths and butterflies.
Please contact Amisha Karia for more information about the sculptures or the University’s art collection. You can also find out more about the launch of the artworks, by looking at our Diamond Jubilee art page.