The Lady Butterworth, widow of the University’s founding Vice-Chancellor, has presented an oak seat to the University of Warwick. It was commissioned from Jim Partridge and Liz Walmsley who have a studio near Oswestry. When they first visited Coventry and walked around Warwick Arts Centre, they noted how the terraced roof of the Butterworth Hall cast triangular shadows. These wedge shapes became the modular form for each baulk of oak.
The finished work was installed on Thursday 27 September, starting at 7 am in bright sunshine and ending at 3:30 pm in rain needless to say. The scale and age of the oak trees used can be seen in the rings which are visible on the front face of the seats. The oak has been burned and the soot cleaned away to leave a hard, durable surface that will gradually weather to pale silver.
The seat is designed to provide tables for books, papers or picnics as well as places for groups and individuals to sit. It can provide an auditorium for performance or people can use it as a stage with the audience seated on the grass. We hope you enjoy using it.
