Harrisdale Senior High School

Forward Thinking

Client

Harrisdale Senior High School

Location

Laverton Crescent, Harrisdale, Western Australia

Artists

Jason Hirst and Tim Macfarlane Reid

Materials

Aluminium, industrial paint, integrated lighting and printed glass artwork

Through a series of interconnected symbolic forms and images, these four artworks create visual interest points, triggering responses and connections across the campus.

The storyline begins at the entrance of the school with Forward Thinking. The large-scale sculpture relays imagery of the growing mind, from the inner facial profile of a young adolescent to the outer profile. Looking outward and in different directions, the young individual develops from a child into an adult, helped on this journey through the process of learning and critical thinking.

The same profiles are repeated in Clear Perception, symbolising the inner workings of the mind, the physical and mental growth of the students as they look forward and outward in new directions.

The third sculpture, Pathways of the Mind, in the undercroft area abstractly represents the inner workings and the connected pathways of the mind. The patterns emphasise key trigger spots linked through neurotransmitters igniting different parts of the brain.

The final work, A Sense of Purpose, is a series of icons scattered across the external screen of the school near the main entrance. These represent the choices we make our way through different learning pathways, from the academic to the purely practical, from the cerebral to the tactile, engaging both the left and right brain.

Forward Thinking celebrates the process of learning and personal growth though knowledge, but also the achievements of the teachers and support staff to facilitate, encourage and support learning opportunities for all.

Behind the scenes

Back to Showcase