Coventry University unveils art installation featuring Ricoh Arena letters
Coventry University unveils art installation featuring Ricoh Arena letters
Coventry University has given a temporary home to the Ricoh sign letters salvaged from what is now Coventry Building Society arena in the form of an art installation at the newest addition to its campus.
The 1.5 metre letters, rearranged to spell CHOIR, will be illuminated in the Delia Derbyshire building until the end of January, as work continues to finish the new Faculty of Arts and Humanities building.
CHOIR was created by Coventry arts and technology organisation Ludic Rooms and was previously exhibited during the Random String Festival as part of City of Culture in 2021, after the letters were salvaged by BBC CWR. It’s now on display at Coventry University, the letters illuminated in different sequences with an original choral accompaniment by Coventry’s One Voice choir.
The exhibit faces Starley Gardens on the other side of Cox Street and looks towards Coventry Cathedral. The artwork will be in place until 30 January.
The project is being led by Craig Ashley, Associate Head of School – Enterprise and Innovation in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. He said: “Displaying these iconic letters is a hugely exciting opportunity for us. The artwork fits in with the aims of the new Delia Derbyshire building to work across the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the piece really resonates with the Delia Derbyshire association, contributing to our civic role and how we work together to bring those creative skills to the space.
“It’s our first opportunity to speak to the city, and CHOIR will engage audiences outside the building, hopefully sparking their curiosity. It shows how we as a university can work with arts organisations and really build on the lasting legacy of the City of Culture.”
Dom Breadmore, the Co-Artistic Director for Ludic Rooms, said: “This is an iconic illuminated sign for a lot of people in Coventry and it works so brilliantly in the space of the new Delia Derbyshire building. These letters could very easily have ended up in a skip and finding some new way of breathing life into them and sharing them with more people was important to us. We wanted this to be relevant to the people of Coventry and act as a kind of siren song to lead people toward the building, gradually revealing itself over the coming months.”
“Both Ludic Rooms’ Co-Artistic Directors originally came to Coventry to study at the School of Art and Design, albeit a little while ago! The development of this building and the potential role it might play in bridging the gap between the university and the artists and communities in the city, that’s really exciting for us.”
Presenter Phil Upton from the Breakfast show on BBC CWR, said: “When we heard the Ricoh letters would be coming down from the stadium, we knew we had to save them for the city. They’d become part of the Coventry skyline, a visual representation that after being away you were ‘home’ so there’s was no way we could see them consigned to a skip. We’re delighted that a set of letters so synonymous with the city will now be housed in a Coventry University building named after one of the most significant daughters of the city, Delia Derbyshire!”
