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Ben moves to California to attend West Valley community college
by Ben Wood
September 1999
Following his two week visit to California in May, Ben completes his Foundation Art Diploma and prepares to continue to University. California made a bold impression on Ben, and he was fortunate to meet some wonderful teachers, Clo Hampton and her family, who invite Ben back to stay with them. West Valley College offers Ben a scholarship so that he can afford to to pay out of state tuition. Waitlisted by the Glasgow School of Art, Ben moves to California on September 1st, a week later, GSA have accepted him, and Ben politely defers GSA so that he can pursue a gap year in California.
Ben embarks on exchange visit to California
by Ben Wood
May 1999
During his Foundation Art Studies, Ben becomes intrigued with bringing his artistic ideas to life on the computer, using Adobe Photoshop. Early in 1999, he is singled out by his course head, and awarded an opportunity, along with 4 others from the College, to go on a two-week long visit to visit a community college in the San Francisco Bay Area at West Valley College. On May 8th, 1999 Ben arrives for the visit and is introduced to the Bay Area and his mind is expanded. This is a trip that opens him up a world of new possibilities.
Ben begins Art School in Brighton
by Ben Wood
Created in 1998, with assistance from Margaret Wood, 3 jackets made of paper, plastic, felt and photographed.
Ben is accepted to study an Art Foundation course at Brighton College of Technology in 1998, while Bryan gets accepted to Northbrooke College and Richard studies at Brighton College of Technology in Hospitality. In one of his first projects in the course, Ben creates a series about the triplets new independence. An image from the series can be seen above. This is also Ben's first experimentation using digital technology.
Ben begins Art School in Brighton
by Ben Wood
Created in 1998, Photo and Transparency's using scanner
Ben is accepted to study an Art Foundation course at Brighton College of Technology in 1998. In his first semester he experiments with Image, Text and photographs and a variety other media. Ben begins an interest in workign with photos with early pieces that express an interest in buildings, space and time based media.
Triple Jump for Joy: Brothers embark on Adulthood
Published on August 27th, 1998
TRIPLETS Benjamin, Bryan and Richard Wood are preparing to celebrate the 18th birthday their parents feared they might never share. The brothers, from Southwick, were born a month early at Southlands Hospital, Shoreham, on August 28, 1980. Benjamin, who weighed in at only 2lb, fought for his life on an incubator for several days. Bryan, at 5lb, was also on an incubator for a time, and Richard was the heaviest at 5lb 5oz. Mum Margaret, a housekeeper and needlewoman at Brighton's Grand Hotel, said: "There was a very strong chance we could have lost Benjamin because he was so small, like a bag of sugar."
Read ArticleFollowing GCSE's Bryan and Benjamin study for A-levels
by Ben Wood
Created in 1996, Batik portait of Bryan on canvas.
After the triplets complete their GCSEs in 1996, the 3 continue at Hove Park School with Richard studying a GNVQ, and Bryan and Benjamin moving onto A-levels. Ben continues to evolve his passion for art, technology and german, and Bryan studies art and german. It is during this period that they make their first trips abroad to Paris, Switzerland and Germany.
Wood Triplets celebrate Bar Mitzvah
Photographed in 1993, Southlands Hospital United Kingdom
In September 1993 the triplets participated in a "historic" bar mitvah in their town where the community witnessed the rare event. During their teen years, the three would attend Brightons Middle Street Synagogue, a historic landmark, where they became lay leaders. Richard and Bryan became very active in leading services for several years, until the closure of the synagogue in the early 2000s.
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Fun Fact
Ben Wood is the middle of a set of triplets, the others being Bryan (identical) and Richard (fraternal) When the Wood Triplets were born, they were the first triplets to be born in many years at Southlands Hospital in West Sussex, United Kingdom. Ben weighed the least at a little under 2 llbs. He is one of six boys.See news from 1980.