Wisdom ond Lar - Alice Kettle
Textile commission on display in the University Reception
Wisdom ond Lar is a specially commissioned wall hanging that was created by Alice Kettle for the University of Winchester. The piece references the University’s values, aims and connections with the local community.
Our core values - Intellectual Freedom, Social justice, Diversity, Spirituality, Individuals Matter and Creativity underpin everything that the University does, for example our commitment to environmental sustainability where we aim to become an exemplar of good practice.
The original Anglican Foundation established a strong commitment to public service which persists today in a values-driven institution which lives up to its mission: “To educate, to advance knowledge and to serve the public good”.
Central to the work is the view from the University across Winchester. There are landmarks over which the University casts its gaze both in terms of its geographical aspect and in its desire to function as an active partner in the community of Winchester. The central white ‘book’ section shows the Cathedral, the statue of King Alfred and to the right St Cross with Saint Catherine’s Hill, which includes an Iron Age hill fort, in the back ground. As an institution originally known as King Alfred’s College and founded on Christian principles, King Alfred stands in the centre, an exemplar of learning, scholarship and Christianity.
In the foreground are crowds of people dancing, working, loosely representing aspects of the University, including performing arts, as caretakers of community, and of the legacy of responsibility to the landscape and the future.
In the foreground is a reference to mythology, with Coeus the Titan of knowledge and intelligence. Here are shown thoughts, ideas and learning which spill from his mind as he looks over the landscape of Winchester.
Earth, is Gaia, his Mother whilst Heaven is Uranus, his Father.
Thus the University’s commitment to environmental sustainability is represented and the balance of earth and thought is evident. Here too there is Phoebe the Moon, Sister of Coeus, casting her silvery light of intelligence and brilliance over the landscape.