A new sculpture was unveiled on Saturday at Bishop’s Stortford College Junior School to commemorate the centenary of Grimwade House, which has served as a home from home for boarders since 1912.
Pupils, staff, parents and former pupils gathered to watch Steve Ross, President of the Old Stortfordian Society, and Paula Moon, Chair of the College Junior School Friends’ Association, reveal two children sitting and reading together.
The bronze statue was the inspired creation of the College’s Artist in Residence, Chris Sutherland. “I wanted to create a piece that reflects the history and ethos of the house in an interesting and beautiful way,” he explained. “It has been an honour and a challenge to have embarked on a commission of this scale and I thank the school for giving me this opportunity to contribute to such a high level.”
Describing the design process, Chris said: “The decision to have an older pupil nurturing the reading skills of a younger pupil was made because it is a stage of learning that is timeless and of great significance to the development of a young mind. The slight lean of the girl towards the boy suggests the giving of carefully selected advice and also adds subtle movement to the piece. This emphasises the co-operation and integration of boys and girls together, which is a hugely important advancement over the last century. Through the permanence of a bronze I hope to have captured visually that Grimwade is not only a haven of friendship, sharing and support, but that it is also at the forefront of social and educational progress.”
Ten year old Adarsha Gurung and thirteen year old Elizabeth Francis helped Chris by being models during the development process to ensure the figures looked realistic and natural.
Head of Junior School John Greathead said: “It was wonderful to see everyone’s smiles the moment they saw the statue. It captures beautifully the essence of the boarding house spirit, and, indeed, of the school as a whole. We are very grateful to the Junior School Friends’ Association and the Old Stortfordian Society for their help in funding this lasting reminder of our centenary celebrations for Grimwade House.”
PHOTOGRAPH:
Centenary sculpture unveiling ceremony
Pictured left to right: Steve Ross, President of the Old Stortfordian Society, Chris Sutherland, Artist in Residence, Adarsha Gurung, John Greathead, Head of Junior School, Elizabeth Francis, Paula Moon, Chair of the Junior School Friends’ Association.
NOTES
About the design and construction of the centenary sculpture
When given the opportunity to design and build a sculpture to mark the centenary of Grimwade House, it became my aim to create a piece that reflects the history and ethos of the house in an interesting and beautiful way.
Grimwade House is a long-standing hub of learning, friendship and development and it is these defining factors that I felt needed to be expressed in the bronze.
Other requirements for the sculpture were for it to be figurative, rather than abstract, and that both sexes be included as girls were introduced to the boarding house in 1995. The sculpture was to be sited on a low wall in the gardens just to the rear of the boarding house. Once I had these specifications, I could begin the design process.
The decision to have an older student nurturing the reading skills of a younger student was made because it is a stage of learning that is timeless and of great significance to the development of a young mind. The slight lean of the girl towards the boy suggests the giving of carefully selected advice and also adds subtle movement to the piece. This emphasises the co-operation and integration of boys and girls together, which is a hugely important advancement over the last century. Through the permanence of a bronze I hope to have captured visually that Grimwade is not only a haven of friendship, sharing and support, but that it is also at the forefront of social and educational progress.
To construct the piece I first built an armature using welded steel, bubble-wrap and chicken wire; this acts as a skeleton, giving core strength to the sculpture. Over the armature a two inch layer of clay was applied which I then sculpted, refined and smoothed to completion. Much time was spent on the drapery in order to emphasise the feeling of motion, dynamism and ultimately interaction between the two figures. It has been an honour and a challenge to have embarked on a commission of this scale and I thank the school for giving me this opportunity to contribute to such a high level.
Chris Sutherland, Bishop’s Stortford College Artist in Residence
About the artist
Chris grew up in the New Forest and studied for a BA(Hons) in ceramics at the much celebrated Harrow Ceramics course at the University of Westminster, London. After graduating he became the Artist in Residence at Harrow Boys School, where he remained for two years.
As the current Artist in Residence at Bishop’s Stortford College, he has produced the Grimwade centenary statue and is currently working towards a solo exhibition, which will be in the College Art Centre gallery on Friday the 18th January. Chris’ work is sculptural and varies from conceptual figurative work to large scale, stoneware fired vessels.
About Bishop’s Stortford College
Situated between London and Cambridge and close to the Hertfordshire-Essex border, Bishop’s Stortford College is a co-educational, day and boarding school for children aged 4 to 18 years old.
www.bishops-stortford-college.herts.sch.uk