A flowing ocean is inscribed with the words from a famous English poem on the oddities of the language. Butterflies frolic amidst a land filled with bright plantation. Musical instruments and other objects float across an expanse of wide blue sky. An inky black landscape of space…put them together and what would you get, apart from one massive work of art? You have the British Council Wall, an inviting space for the thousands that walk into the premises every day.

 

The concept itself is fairly commonplace, but it’s the execution that awes one into contemplation. The British Council premises, currently under heavy refurbishment was desperately in need of a space for city-weary eyes to rest on. The idea for a contemporary and interactive design space was thought of by the creative minds behind the institution, and together with M.D.Gunasena they set about making it a reality.

Four students of design background were commissioned to conceptualise and execute the artwork for the wall. Chathurangi De Silva from the University of Moratuwa, Ruwangi Amarasinghe and Shanika Perera from the Academy of Design and Indrajith Abeysena from the Raffles Institute of Higher Education worked together for about a month to design the British Council Wall, the final outcome of which you will see today as you walk though the entrance and towards the library area.

The artists chose the settings of sea, land, sky and space to develop a mural reflecting the British Council’s work in English, Society, the Arts and Education.

Shanika Perera, speaking on her depiction of the institution’s work in the arena of English through the medium of sea said, “English is not our native tongue, so when we learn the language it’s very much a new thing and represents such huge possibilities. It might seem daunting and intimidating just like the ocean, but once you get the hang of it and learn more, you begin to understand it better.”

Chathurangi De Silva used the medium of land to highlight the British Council’s work in society, saying “the land represents fertility. The British Council invests time and energy working with the community, and the results are many times the effort that was put in-just like when you plant a seed, the eventual outcome is so much bigger than that seed itself.”
“The sky represents endless possibilities,” enthused Ruwangi Amarasinghe. “And so do the arts. Just like the sky the arts are free, expressive and a change from the norm. It’s imaginative, and I’ve used bright colours and objects to highlight the many forms of art.”

For Indrajith Abeysena, nothing expresses the infinite possibilities of education more than infinite space. “There is so much that is undiscovered in education.

Both present you with endless possibilities, and it’s a constant learning curve. I’ve used kaleidoscope and mirror imagery to highlight the infinite and many faceted possibilities that education can give you,” he said.

Visit the British Council in Alfred House Gardens to have a look and mull over the wall of art.

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