Wild Blue Yonder for Bracknell & Wokingham College
Jeni Walwin was the public art consultant on this project.

Context
As a condition of its planning permission, the College was required to integrate the work of a contemporary artist into one of the public areas of the new building. In view of the highly visible and public service nature of the College, and its location within a few minutes' walking distance from the town centre, this work could make a significant contribution to the town's refreshed cultural strategy.

The Project
Following a rigorous selection process, the artist Nicky Hirst was appointed to undertake the commission for the glass panels at the front entrance of the building. Covering an area 8 metres high and 25 metres long the work is made of coloured self-adhesive vinyl panels divided vertically into two - one half following the RAL colour chart, the other incorporating computer-cut black vinyl text based on Crayola crayon colour names.

The entrance to the building is literally the threshold of the work - on the outside visitors are challenged by the reversed text, on the inside all is revealed. During the day the coloured panels behave like a stained glass window, scattering coloured light into the building foyers, and when backlit at night the panels beam out their colour across the town announcing the college's presence to drivers and pedestrians alike.

Image:
Nicky Hirst, Wild Blue Yonder, commissioned by Bracknell & Wokingham College, 2009, installation view
Photography: Steve White

Links
www.nickyhirst.co.uk