Trinity Vortex is a celebratory piece of sculptural public art created in collaboration between myself and students from Trinity Academy, Lockleaze. This ambitious hanging steam bent ash sculpture, incorporates the school’s ethos and values of “Head, Heart and Soul”; expressed through the artforms of music and sculpture. This public art programme supports and celebrates Trinity Academy’s creative ethos in an artistic commission that responds to the multi-academy trust’s cultural ambition for every pupil to have ‘access to enrichment opportunities, in particular in music and the performing arts’.
The students selected a piece of music that held their intentions for their time at school; I ran workshops in movement and form to devise a structure that represented this and could be translated into a steam bent structure. A single tree was used to capture the form and many people from within Bristol’s community who came together to bring it to life.
Pictures by Ruby Turner
This project would not have been possible without the input of many contributors.
Special thanks to:
Bricks Bristol for all the great work they do with artists and community around the city.
Mark Rolt and team at Rolt’s Boat Yard for guidance with the steam bending
Jeff, Reza and Nigel at Chelvey Designer Makers Partnership for milling the timber
Joel at Tyntesfield, National Trust, for the very special ash tree!
Lucy Record Lighting
Engineers James Walker (Milner Associates) and Lloyd Evans (Spark Structures)
Riggers Fanna Augustine, Chris Price, Designs in Air and Tom Ryan
Eiron Bailey and the Trinity Academy team
Arilda Tymko, Phil Lawrence and all at Bristol City Council
The city of Bristol for having such a willing and pioneering community in Lockleaze.
Students of Trinity Academy: Abdullah Butt, Anastasia Manioti, Anika Mistry, Ben Macleod, Caleb Renshaw, Evie Williams, Filsan Muhamed, Huzaifah Awaisi, Joshua Hunt, Louie Relton, Maja Kupiec, Mia Cavender, Morag Carver Brown, Oscar Mckee and Zainab Shaikh.
All who support these people, habitats and artists.