Brislington Enterprise College. Image courtesy of Bristol City Council. Photo © James Harris.
Synopsis
Brislington Enterprise College is one of a number of new schools in the City developed under the first wave of Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme in Bristol led by BCC and the Bristol LEP (Local Education Partnership). As part of the development artist Walter Jack was commissioned to develop a new art work for the building, working closely with the art consultant (RIO).
Description
Jack’s work, “bunchedupbenchforbec” is a long steel bench that has been installed on both sides of the college after the previous surrounding old buildings were demolished. A group of 17 students from different years selected and commissioned Bristol artist Walter Jack to create the work in a process led by Real Ideas Organisation (RIO) and curator Kim Tilbrook. They approved his designs and finalised the location before the bench was made by Whitchurch firm JT Engineering.
The bench was funded by Bristol Local Education Partnership which developed the new college. The students formally handed the bench over to the college. One of them, Patrick Carver, said: “We hoped to create a lasting impact on the new college building – something that can be seen by everybody in the college, keep with the building’s modern design and is something that everyone can interact with.”
Walter Jack
Walter Jack is based in Bristol, South West. WJS create a wide range of work, mostly alongside public realm improvements. With a particular interest in transformation and innovation with the making process.
Brislington Enterprise College
Brislington Enterprise College moved into their brand new £34.8million building in 2008. Its facilities ensure that it is one of the best equipped schools and colleges in England. Its state-of-the-art facilities offer a modern flexible technology rich environment for teaching and learning.
Eight core learning communities are linked by a light and open ‘street’ design. The heart of our learning environment is the ‘Enterprise Learning Zone’. This excellent facility allows BEC to fully develop the skills of independent autonomous learners through the use of individual and collaborative working.
The enhanced ICT provision available within this learning space, and throughout the college, allows each student to access a full range of e-learning opportunities.
