Commissioned by St John’s College, sculptor Rona Smith has created the Scroll Bench for its new Passivhaus student community
Sculptor Rona Smith was commissioned by St John’s College, Cambridge to create a piece for the grounds of its new Passivhaus-certified student community, which was designed by architects Allies and Morrison in Hinsley Lane.
The Scroll Bench is the outcome of Rona’s research into the site’s agricultural history. Students and visitors can sit on the beautifully designed bench with a sense of sitting inside history.
Drawing inspiration from the rigid, curled shape of an ancient deed or ‘terrier’ scroll that she discovered at the St John’s College Archive, documenting the sale of the land in the 16th century, Rona created an interactive artwork that invites viewers to sit, rest and converse in this form lifted directly from a piece of local history.
Following her historical research, Rona designed the piece by hand, drawing and model-making, before fabrication began. The Scroll Bench is fabricated in powder-coated stainless steel, measures 2000x1800x1800mm and was realised in collaboration with fabricator Benson-Sedgwick Engineering, powder coated by Bradleys Metal Finishes and installed by Artful Logistics.