Three giant pictures attract attention
27 October, 2007
Three giant 10 foot high faces created by a renowned urban street artist have been unveiled on hoardings in front of Castle College’s Beeston Campus as the college progresses its £8m redevelopment of the site.Each face is that of a Castle College student who volunteered to be the public face of the college. Working with Urban Canvas, the students are captured on 10 foot high advertising-style hoardings that run the full length of the college frontage on High Street, Chilwell.
Investing £8m
The hoardings have been erected while the college invests over £8m to replace outdated teaching facilities on the site.
Nick Lewis, Principal and Chief Executive, Castle College, says: “The hoardings serve a functional purpose during the building refurbishment, but we wanted to enhance the look and feel of this space. The student faces looking out from the hoardings are intended to welcome visitors, college users and residents, as well as reflecting the diverse learning community that we serve.”
Three Students
The three student volunteers are Shelley Zhang, a former A Level student who is now studying Psychology at Nottingham University; Kelly Taylor, a Level 3 Hair and Beauty student at Castle College’s Whiteley Mill campus in Stapleford; and former student Zahangar Hussein.
Artist Anthony Donnelly from Urban Canvas says: “We chose real students to capture the personality of the college, to celebrate the diversity of its learners and to present a really warm welcome to anyone passing or using the college.
”A Celebration”
“And we wanted to create an artwork for the local community on something that is usually considered utilitarian and uninspiring, by breathing new life into the hoardings with a celebration of what the college is about – educating young people for a better start in life.”
Shelly Zhang, a former A Level student at Castle College who is now studying Psychology at Nottingham University and who volunteered to be a ‘face’ of Castle College, enthuses: “It’s very exciting seeing what the artist has done. I hadn’t realised how big the hoardings would be – so it was quite a shock to come face to face with myself, but enlarged beyond belief!
“I think the hoardings add a colourful and creative dimension to the local community. Just imagine a long row of uninspiring, blank hoardings. This is much better and I hope everyone enjoys them.”
Castle College is undertaking a complete review of its learning and skills accommodation and has recently announced plans for a £35m redevelopment of its flagship Maid Marian Way campus in the centre of Nottingham.
By The Editor.
