Visions of Swindon sees pupils look to the future (From Swindon Advertiser)

Visions of Swindon sees pupils look to the future

2:20pm Monday 9th February 2009 in News

SHOPPERS got a vision of the future of Swindon as the Brunel Centre opened its doors to students.

The centre lent one of its prime spots next to Lush as a gallery for Swindon College’s School of Art students.

The Visions for Swindon exhibition saw students come up with ideas of how to improve the town and included revamping current facilities and creating some new ones.

Judging the art were Mike Pringle, director of the Swindon Cultural Partnership, Erik Burnett-Godfree, community producer for the Big Screen and local artists Laurie Plant and Ken White.

Mr White, who is still recovering from an operation to donate his kidney to his daughter, said the display highlighted the need for an established gallery in the town.

“It’s very good, a good standard of work,” he said.

Mr Pringle said: “It’s nice and the variety is what’s got me so far. Every single artist seems very different from every other one.

“Even that idea of getting the students in the town to think about the town they’re in – I’m sure that happens, but the results show that it does stimulate them.”

In third place was Amy Johnson, with a new football stadium called the Robin’s Nest, second was Josh Fitzwilliams, with his Swindon arts and culture centre and the winner was graphic design student Mitchell Nelson.

He came up with a theatre and performance space called the Diamond Arena.

Twenty-year-old Kim Perry, who is taking a national diploma in art design, had her idea for a multi-venue arts centre on display.

“We have got the Wyvern Theatre which is great but it’s really dated and the idea I had would have a screen,” she said.

“We have got the museum and art gallery in Old Town, but it needs to be very well publicised.

“We are art students and we didn’t know it was there – people aren’t that aware of what we’ve got.”

Fellow students Rian Whiteside, 16, and Kyle Roberts, 17, both doing the national diploma in art design, thought the centre could do with a cinema, more shops and a floor devoted to culture and food to draw people into the town.

Shopper Chris Evans, 52, who visited the exhibition, said: “It was very nice to see that the work of young artists in the town is being seen by the public.”