A snapshot of 1968
In this year at Warwick:
The first degree ceremony was held in Coventry Cathedral.
Born in Germany, Schottlander came to Britain in 1939 and became a full-time sculptor in 1963. This confident and colourful work was chosen to provide interest in the space between the austere glass and white tiled walls of the Rootes buildings and gave this space its name: Red Square.
In keeping with the utopian spirit of the time, Schottlander used simple geometric shapes and a primary colour to create a work he hoped could be read by all cultures and generations. Students living in the Rootes residence opposite read it more literally as an instruction to toil.
And in the world:
- Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot dead at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
- Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated after winning the California primary.
- Yale University announced it was going to admit women.
- The film Oliver!, based on the hit London and Broadway musical, opened in the U.S. after being released first in England.
The first graduation ceremony, in Coventry Cathedral
Bernard Schottlander | 3B | Painted steel | 2615 x 3470 x 5020 mm | 1968