On 2 May, one of two new and exciting artworks was installed at No.1 Station Approach, the student accommodation building in the centre of Hereford city.

Artists Matthew Cornford and John Beck have been commissioned by Meadow Arts and Hereford College of Arts to create a series of new works for the graduate student accommodation building.

Inspired by the bustling visual environment of Station Approach, where road signs, traffic lights and advertising compete for attention, Cornford and Beck have created a huge and vibrant illuminated sign that boldly spells out the word “ART”. The lettering for this sign has been taken from documents in the art college’s archives and has been produced by Hereford company Signs & Labels.

The second artwork will be installed next week on the Aylestone Hill side of the building. Here a billboard work will also spell out the word “ART” and reproduce architectural details taken from now redundant art schools around the Midlands.

The aim of these works is to draw attention to the presence of the art college in the city and to highlight the important role it plays in the cultural life of the whole region. With this year marking 170 years of creative education in the city, we hope these new works will be a valuable source of inspiration for students, providing fresh perspectives and opening conversations.

On Wednesday 17 May at Hereford College of Arts, Cornford and Beck will be introducing the new works during an artist’s talk, which will be followed by a viewing of the works in situ. This is a great opportunity to learn more about their creative process and to engage with the works on a deeper level.

Free tickets are available to book online.

Images 1 & 2 by Georgia Ranford. Image 3 by Daniel Pryde-Jarman.

This is the second bold commission of public artwork for No.1 Station Approach, Hereford. It is one of 15 projects that aim to make Hereford a greener, fairer, creative, digital, more connected city. Together, the projects have been awarded £22.4 million in funding from HM Government’s Towns Fund to help Hereford blossom into a richly creative, digital, connected and highly skilled place to live, work, study, visit and invest.

This exhibition is the first of the fifteen projects to be launched in the city thanks to the support of Stronger Hereford.

We can’t wait to see these stunning new works revealed.