2 days ago
- General
- Powys County Times
Piece by Powys students goes on display in Trafalgar Square
Students from the Centre for Alternative Technology near Machynlleth brought a unique structure to Trafalgar Square for the National Gallery's bicentenary celebration.
An architectural installation designed and built by students from the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), near Machynlleth, was put in Trafalgar Square as part of the National gallery's bicentennial celebrations, titled the Triumph of Art.
The structure is called Gorsedd, meaning 'throne' in Welsh, and was erected in Trafalgar Square on Saturday, July 26.
The piece was designed and built by a collective of Master's in Sustainable Architecture students, on their Build module in collaboration with artist Jeremy Deller, Mostyn Gallery in Llandudno and the National Gallery.
It was designed by CAT students Hannah Maxey and Anna Drost, they were joined by fellow students (Alfie Hatch, Cat San, Sam Garbett and Louis Parry-Jones) and supported by Senior Lecturer, Gwyn Stacey, Dieter Brandstätter, Jenny Hall, CAT graduate Simon Elliston and Momentum Engineering to build the structure as part of their Build module.
Hannah Maxey said: 'This has been an exciting, challenging and inspiring project to be a part of.
'The skills I have picked up working as part of a team to take the project from brief to build are innumerable – from liaising with Jeremy Deller and Mostyn Gallery, researching and specifying materials, to improving my confidence in the workshop.
'The opportunity to get hands-on in such a supportive environment is exactly what I wanted from my Master's at CAT. On top of this, it is especially exciting that we can showcase the beauty of natural materials in the centre of London.'
Gorsedd was constructed using Welsh timber, Somerset willow, Plywood supplied by ReCollective (a Materials Agency founded by graduates of CAT) and slate from CAT's own Llwyngwern Quarry.
The structure draws inspiration from Celtic stone circles, Druidic rituals, and the National Gallery's wartime history of storing paintings securely in Manod Quarry and was built with traditional barn raising and mast stepping techniques. It was raised in Trafalgar Square entirely by hand over a few days ahead of the unveiling.
Co-CEO of CAT Eileen Kinsman said: 'It has been inspiring to see how our students over the past year have applied their learning and understanding of implementing sustainable design and construction to the practical opportunity of working with Jeremy Deller and the team from Mostyn Gallery and the National Gallery as part of their Build project.
'It has been a real pleasure to see the build come to life, and its wonderful to see it finally in place at Trafalgar Square as part of the Triumph of Art'.
