The developers who have redeveloped the former GAC airfield at Brockworth have commissioned and installed a piece of public art at ‘Whittle Square,’ a few yards from where the E28/39 was assembled in 1941.
Artist Walter Jack was apparently ‘inspired by the unique engineering of Whittle’s engine.’
The aluminium ‘cones’ are equipped with a sound system that plays short clips from former GAC employees recalling anecdotes from their time at the factory. There are also some former BBC archive recordings of aircraft engine sounds, including Meteors, Javelins and a Hurricane (Gloster built 1750 of them at the site).
These ‘public art’ pieces aren’t always everyone’s cup of tea and, on a forum like this, the purists will probably question the relevance of Whittle at the Brockworth site and expect something more obviously aeronautical. Nevertheless, anything that captures the historic past of the site can only be a good thing.
21 Jan 2013 15:45 by Darren Lewington, on Flickr
By: TonyT - 9th February 2013 at 17:00
Stunning work, simply stunning.
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January 21, 2013 at 10:49 pm