CRITICS' CORNER
From The Boarder Issue 4 July 1961
Exhibition on Subtopia
Upper Three displayed their ability in organising an exhibition on the evils of Subtopia. The exhibition was arranged in the school library and anyone entering was terrified by vivid paintings and drawings of bare modern landscapes and urban wastelands. Challenges met your eye: "Citizens, will you allow this to go on?"
The exhibition was against everything that men made ugly in the name of progress at the present time - ugly lamp standards in towns, ugly traffic roundabouts, ugly signposting, ugly advertising which concealed the countryside behind gigantic hoardings.
Whilst preparing the exhibition Coventry city Council made its disasterous decision to destroy - or 'transplant' in official language - the 60 year old lime trees in Warwick road. A letter of protest was sent to the Coventry Standard and the entire class enrolled themselves in the 'Save the Trees' Campaign.
As well as criticising, the exhibition had its positive, constructive side. Plans were shown for the new school, for an ideal housing estate, an ideal city centre and the ideal school of the future - The Pentagon school of Architect G. Spencer, one which would be larger than the largest comprehensive school.
Many boys gave up some of their spare time to put on the exhibition and to these, and to all who helped, our thanks are due for a most instructive display.Now we see with new eyes.
N. Blackford and M. McAvoy.
Wyredfarm Note 1 - In the original text it said Coventry Evening Standard! So I'm not sure which paper it was supposed to be - the Coventry Evening Telelgraph or the Coventry Standard - I decided it was more likely the Coventry Standard but I may have been wrong.
Wyredfarm Note 2
Ian Nairn, a British Architectural critic and Topographer - " In 1955 he made his name with a special issue of the Architectural Review called "Outrage" (later a book, 1959) in which he coined the term Subtopia for the areas around cities that had in his view been failed by urban planning, losing their individuality and spirit of place The book was based around a nightmarish road trip that Nairn took from the south to the north of the country - the trip gave propulsion to his fears that we were heading for a drab new world where the whole of Britain would look like the fringes of a town, every view exactly the same. He also praised modernist urban developments such as the Bull Ring shopping centre in Birmingham, which eventually became one of the most unpopular buildings in the UK and was demolished in the early 21st century." Interesting video on this Guardian siteART AND CRAFT EXHIBITION
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| Director of Education Mr Chinn & Wife and Headmaster Bob Rowland and wife |
The Art and Craft Exhibition was held in the woodwork shop and attracted many visitors during sports day. The Director of Education for Coventry and Mr Rowland, saw the exhibits and commented favourably on the standard of work.
Paintings, fabric prints and figure drawings dominated the artistic side of the display, and bureaus, coffee-tables and lampstands were of interest to the woodworker. Worthy of particular mention were D. Brown's fabric printing and K. Payne's magnificent chair.
The exhibition was, as in the past years, well organised and well laid-out, and some of the finished pieces showed signs of great talent.
N. Blackford - Form Upper 111
Peak District Survey Exhibition :
This exhibition was held in Lower three classroom and consisted of maps, results of local surveys of farms, geological phenomena and notes on the studies of villages, local amenities and tourist facilities. Paintings of of things seen on the journey covered the walls of the room and one fine painting by J. Starling of the Youth Hostel in which the party stayed appeared to be left on permanent exhibition after the rest of the display had been put away. Thanks should be extended to Mr Foy for the painstaking work he put into organising and arranging the exhibits. N. Blackford Form Upper 11
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