A snapshot of 1995

In this year at Warwick:

The climbing room in Warwick’s Sports Centre was opened to the public. It included a 13.5 metre tall competition wall.
Dr. Stephen Hill, from the Department of Classics and Ancient History, directed an international team to save two ancient Byzantine mosaics from being washed away at Ciftlik, Turkey.
The first instalment of a £1 million donation to help establish the Medical Research Institute at Warwick University was received from the WPH Charitable Trust. The total cost needed to set up the MRI was £5 million.
Students graduate for the first time on main campus.
A mini police station or Police Office opened on campus. It was situated in the area within Engineering formerly occupied by a hair salon.

With the development of Phase VI of the Social Studies department, a courtyard was developed in which staff and students might spend their free time. It was felt that the courtyard needed a focal point and, initially, a fountain was proposed. However, further discussions suggested that the staff whose rooms overlooked the courtyard might prefer a quieter, more contemplative feature and Bettina Furnee was approached to design a pool for this site. The sandstone rim is broad enough to seat people while a carved stone in the centre provides gentle movement of water, the ripples moving outwards to the edge of the pool. In keeping with the circular theme, Bettina proposed a carved poem by Fadwa Tuqan which evokes ideas about circles and water: 'Here the footprints stop/ Here the moon was in labour/ Give her then the glass rings/ And the blue bracelets' The forms of the letters themselves reflect the circular motif and the ripples across the pond.

And in the world:

Steve Fossett Becomes the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a hot air balloon.
Nigeria Expelled from Commonwealth due to Human Rights Abuses.
The United Kingdom's oldest investment banking firm, Barings Bank collapses after a securities broker Nick Leeson has lost $1.4 billion by speculating on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
The first wholly computer generated film is released. Toy Story.

1995

Moon Pool | Bettina Furnee