Students illustrate Southampton’s history and heritage on vacant building’s hoardings
Southampton Solent University has joined forces with Southampton City Council, the Chamber of Commerce, and City College to spruce up the hoardings on a vacant building that sits next to the iconic Bargate.
Jan Ward - Southampton resident, local business woman and Board Member of both the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and Solent LEP - was appalled at the state of the tatty, boarded up property that sits right next to the city’s historic Bargate.
"My family go back a couple of hundred years in the city, and seeing things like this drive me crazy,” says Jan. “I wanted to do something to help make the area more attractive.”
With her Chamber hat on, she got permission from the city council and the property’s administrators to make the improvements and set Solent University’s School of Art the challenge of making the hoardings that cover the vacant Jongleurs building, Below Bar, more attractive.
Solent lecturers Jonny Hannah and Louise Weir incorporated the challenge into a unit which sets first-year illustration students, who are mainly new to the area, the task of exploring the city and depicting its key aspects. The resulting images have been placed into a design that echoes the exterior of Tudor House.
“Welcome to Sotonia, is an annual first-year project that encourages the students to locate themselves and see what they make of area. Even if they are from Southampton it encourages them to look at the city with fresh eyes.” Says Jonny. “It’s a group of people’s reactions to a new space and a new city.”
Speaking about the benefit of the public project to the students, Jonny adds, “For many it will be their first commission, they are seeing their work in public, and the images are six feet high! Not bad for your first year at university.”
Amy Woodham, 19, from Chichester, submitted several images, mainly of the parks just beyond the main High Street. “I really enjoy the contrast of hard city walls and the big areas of plants and greenery,” she says.
Southampton's history and heritage - from the Humble Vikings in the dark ages to the spitfires in the last world war, were Adam Allori’s inspiration. “I found them interesting to draw as a representation of Southampton as it's hard to get a sense of the historical events of the city just from walking around,” says the 19-year-old from Southampton. “So many buildings were levelled in World War II and it could be quite easy to forget just how old and important Southampton has been in English history.”
City College provided the supplies and labour to prepare the panels and, thanks to funding from the Ben 4 Volley charity, the panels were printed and installed.
“Everyone’s hard work and creativity has really paid off,” says Jan Ward. “The site looks so much more inviting. I love the way in which the illustrations document the landmarks, the events and the people that put Southampton on the map.”
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT THE MEDIA OFFICE ON 023 8201 3040 or press.office@solent.ac.uk
About Southampton Solent University
Southampton Solent University offers more than 23,000 students over 200 qualifications ranging from HND to PhD, in subjects such as maritime education and training, fashion and design, media and television, music, health, sport and leisure, business, IT and technology. The University was awarded the 2013 Quality Assurance kitemark for quality and standards of teaching and learning. Solent was voted one of the most creative universities in the UK in a Which? University 2014 poll of students. Solent Business School has been awarded the Small Business Charter Award, which is supported by the Association of Business Schools and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and ‘gold approval’ by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
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