SPACE May 2015

SPace

Bath Spa University’s monthly magazine MAY 2015

WINNING DESIGNS PAGE 17

FEATURES 15

Spotlight on‌ Research Excellence Framework 2014

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My Student Experience Rhian Beynon, BA (Hons) Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors

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Review The Matchbox Museum Private View

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contents 6. Update from the Vice-Chancellor 8. University news • • • • •

Honorary Degree for Australian author David Malouf Commons shortlisted for Construction News award British Academy Rising Star Award Top 20 academics to follow on social media Graduate success

13. Talking Point…Gift Horse lends austere note to Trafalgar’s fourth plinth

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SPACE magazine is published every month and is aimed at staff and students of Bath Spa University. SPACE welcomes contributions from all members of the Bath Spa community.

Want to get involved?

Contact Jane Wakefield – j.wakefield@bathspa.ac.uk

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Editor Jane Wakefield Features Writer Jenny Davies Design and layout Lorna Leigh Harrington Contributors Rachel Withers Naomi Box Rhian Beynon Bobby Anderson Faye Williams Front cover: Rhian Beynon’s designs, for Whittards

15. Spotlight on… Research Excellence Framework 2014 17. My Student Experience… Rhian Beynon, BA (Hons) Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors 19. Development and Alumni news 23. Review 24. What’s on 27. Archive update 28. Staff news SPACE MAY 2015

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Professor Christina Slade, Vice-Chancellor

Update from the Vice-Chancellor Welcome to the latest issue of SPACE magazine.

At the end of April, I was delighted to award an honorary doctorate to the internationally acclaimed author David Malouf. His body of work includes poetry, opera librettos, plays, fiction writing and memoir. We were also very fortunate that David was able to participate in a half-day symposium, where students were able to hear him speak with composer Michael Berkeley CBE, giving insight into Michael’s opera Jane Eyre, which was written to David’s libretto. David also spoke to Professor of Creative Writing Philip Hensher about writing and rewriting, and the theme of adaptation and metamorphosis.

The Creative Writing programme continues its success, PhD graduate Rick Hudson’s novel Shrapnel has been published by New Haven Publishing. Christopher Vick who graduated in 2014 from the MA Writing for Young People has a two-book deal with HarperCollins.

Academics from other areas have also been recognised recently including the new Chair of Education Gráinne Conole, who was voted as one of the top 20 educational academics to follow on social media. In addition, Lecturer in English Literature: Writing and the Environment, Dr Samantha Walton was one of only ten people to be awarded the British Academy Rising Star Award.

Professor Christina Slade Vice-Chancellor

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UNIVERSITY NEWS Honorary Degree for Australian author David Malouf David Malouf with Vice-Chancellor, Professor Christina Slade

David Malouf, the internationally acclaimed author was awarded an honorary doctorate at a

ceremony on 30 April. Mr Malouf was born in Brisbane in 1934 and lives in Sydney. He is the author of seven collections of poetry, four opera librettos, two plays, eleven works of fiction (including three collections of short stories), and a memoir, 12 Edmondstone Street.

Upon receiving his degree, Mr Malouf said: “It is with real gratitude and pleasure that I accept Bath Spa’s invitation to join their list of Honorary Doctors. I am very aware of Bath Spa’s many years of teaching in a wide range of arts and the quality of its achievements. I am deeply honoured to become part of such a long and distinguished tradition.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Christina Slade commented: “David Malouf is a huge inspiration to our students. We at Bath Spa University are recognised for our focus on creativity and in particular Creative Writing. It is a real honour that David will join the Bath Spa community.”

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Commons at night.

Chief Operating Officer Neil Latham and winner Florentyna Sidery

Commons shortlisted for Construction News award Skanska’s build of Commons at Newton Park has been shortlisted for ‘Project of the Year (between £10m - £50m)’ at the Construction News Awards 2015.

Professor Christina Slade said: “I am delighted that Commons has been shortlisted for this award.

The Commons building is a significant part of a long-term investment in the student experience at Bath Spa. The high quality facilities provided by Commons help to ensure our graduates are well prepared to meet the needs of the growing creative industries as they go on to work across the creative economy, both in the UK and abroad.”

The Construction News Awards run annually to promote and reward outstanding projects within the construction industry. They are considered the industry’s biggest award event and the ‘one to win’.

The judging panel for this year’s entries consisted of 55 industry experts and the shortlisted entries now face a rigorous interview in front of a prestigious judging panel, consisting of senior figures from 20 major clients. The winners for the Construction News Awards 2015 will be announced on Tuesday 30 June 2015.

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British Academy Rising Star Award Dr

Samantha Walton, Lecturer in English Literature: Writing and the Environment, is one of ten people to be awarded the British Academy Rising Star Award. The value of the support and training given to the winners and provided by the Academy is worth up to £15,000.

Dr Sam Walton

Dr Walton was given the award for her idea entitled Landscaping Change: exploring environmental regeneration and conservation using arts and humanities research methods.

This project will see humanities scholars, writers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), policy makers and arts and community groups consider how conservation and regeneration activities impact on natureculture relations through arts and humanities conceptual frameworks.

Dr Walton commented: “It’s an honour to have been selected for this new award, and I’m excited to begin organising the engagement events. They will showcase new creative writing, scholarship and third sector voices, and will be themed around the changing landscapes of Bristol, Europe’s Green Capital for 2015.

“I anticipate that collaboration between scholars, writers and community groups will demonstrate the role and value of the humanities in public life by engaging researchers in pressing socioenvironmental issues of local, national and international significance.”

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Top 20 academics to follow on Social Media The University’s new Chair of Education, Gráinne

Conole has appeared on the list of the top 20 educational academics recommended to follow on social media.

An informal research survey recently carried out by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), highlighted the top 20 academics in Educational Technology to follow. The list includes previous AACE conference keynote speakers, EdITLib contributors and conference committee members. Gráinne covers topics such as online learning, higher education and learning theories.

Gráinne joined Bath Spa in March. She has considerable experience within the educational profession and was a Professor of Education Innovation in Post-Compulsory Education at the University of Southampton. Prior to that she was Chair of e-learning at the Open University in IET and later became Director of the Institute of Learning Innovation at the University of Leicester.

Gráinne Conole

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Graduate Success Chris Vick

Christopher Vick graduated in 2014 from the

MA Writing for Young People. He was signed by literary agent Catherine Clarke at Felicity Bryan Associates whilst still on the course and working on his Young Adult manuscript, Kook. He has now secured a two-book deal with HarperCollins.

Kook is told by 15-year-old Sam, recently arrived from the big city to a cottage by the sea. He falls in love with Jade, the mixed-up surfer girl next door, and with surfing itself. But Jade is driven by an obsession: finding and riding a legendary huge wave. As the autumn wears on, the story barrels forward with the force of a deep-water wave, towards a heart-breaking conclusion.

and expanded form by New Haven Publishing Ltd in June 2015.

The novel was originally written as the creative component of a PhD in Creative Writing at Bath Spa under the supervision of Professors Steve May and Bill Hughes, who Rick would like to thank for their invaluable support and encouragement, not to mention patience.

Rick said: “Undertaking the PhD at Bath Spa was a hugely valuable experience which has enabled me to expand my writing career into new fields and allowed me to develop my creative and critical faculties further.”

In addition to his fiction writing Rick is Arts and Media correspondent for the US based Indiebration.com. and has recently been invited to write a regular column on Science Fiction and Fantasy gaming for Wargames Soldiers & Strategy magazine. Rick is also an academic and is currently launching a research project Kook will be published summer 2016, with the at Manchester Metropolitan University which follow up in 2017. interrogates the appeal of horror fiction for Creative Writing graduate Rick Hudson is to writers and readers. have his novel Shrapnel, which was initially published in 2012, re-published in an amended Chris says: “This book wouldn’t have been written without the MA, and even if it had, it wouldn’t be half the book it is. I’d recommend the course to anyone who is serious about writing for young people.”

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talking point Gift Horse lends austere note to Trafalgar’s fourth plinth, by Rachel Withers, Senior Lecturer in History and Theory of Art and Design Gift Horse by Hans Haacke

Put in place as the election race heated up, a cadaverous warning about austerity and stock market sharp practice cast a disturbing, skeletal grin in the general direction of Whitehall and Downing Street. Hans Haacke’s exquisitely cast bronze Gift Horse is the tenth incumbent of Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth.

A double life-size skeleton of a horse, it grimly eyeballs (well, eyesockets) the Square’s foot traffic and Nelson on his column. A large bow adorns its daintily extended offside leg-bone and on the bow is a display of electronic data streaming “live” from the London Stock Exchange.

Gift Horse’s political tendency is unambiguous. Haacke, now aged 78, has framed much of his work

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in opposition to capitalism and corporate power. He’s made it pretty clear that, on one level at least, Gift Horse symbolises a social body ravaged by free market speculation and the Coalition’s public spending cuts.

Boris Johnson, the work’s official commissioner, knows this perfectly well, as his opening ceremony speech showed. The mayor nailed Haacke’s “emaciated quadruped” as an allegory of George Osborne’s “excessive pursuit of austerity”, but then tried to re-spin it as a representation of a “fantastic” Toryrevitalised London underground system.

The flippancy of this disavowal of austerity’s effects hasn’t received much comment, so let’s underline Johnson’s self-exposure here and now, as an unanticipated early return from Gift Horse.

Haacke’s politics are clear, but the language his project speaks is twisty. The artist’s reputation rests significantly on early works that were also concerned with capital. Unlike Gift Horse, though, they tended to analyse the relationship between financial and symbolic capital in precise, tightly researched detail.

In one 1971 work, he used a mass of specific data to expose two decades of dodgy dealing by a powerful New York slum landlord. In doing so he precipitated the cancellation of his own planned solo show at the Guggenheim, since various Guggenheim trustees feared they’d be similarly exposed.

In subsequent projects in the 1970s and 1980s, Haacke revealed the Nazi involvements of the owner of a Manet still-life; business links between the state-owned company British Leyland, the artcollecting advertisers Charles and Maurice Saatchi and apartheid South Africa; and the use of art sponsorship by diverse international corporations as simultaneous PR lubrication and tax dodge.

By contrast, Gift Horse’s use of the London Stock Market’s ticker display seems a bit imprecise at first glance: a quick fix to the problem of welding the work’s imagery of disease to a symbol of capitalist free-marketeering.

Initially one wonders if it’s necessary, not least because if you mentally strip away Gift Horse’s ribbon, the sculpture’s true pedigree is revealed. By reducing the form of a grand equestrian statue to a skeleton, Haacke isn’t merely playing with an image, he’s creating a stealthy version of a particular and very effective later 20th-century art genre, the “negative-form monument”.

So, if Haacke’s skeleton horse is a “negative” monument that points up the obsolescence of the “positive” statuary around it, where does that leave its information-streaming, frivolous-seeming bow? Maybe it’s there because its ticker stream, representing a tiny proportion of actual London Stock Market trading, is itself a near-obsolete artefact.

In the modern marketplace, as Michael Lewis’s 2014 book Flash Boys revealed, computers make money by exploiting nanosecond advantages over other computers. There’s nothing “live” about the stream of illuminated data that lights Gift Horse up at night. The bow is a decorative trimming in more than one sense: its data is as dead as the carcass it prettifies.

This article has been adapted from the original that appeared in The Conversation in March 2015.

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spotlight ON...

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the new system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The research of 154 UK universities was assessed, across a broad range of subject based units of assessments (UoAs). Each UoA was awarded a quality profile, based upon the quality of its research as reviewed by independent panels of experts, drawn from academic, government, industry and third sector organisations, representing the user groups and stakeholders of UK HEI research.

Bath Spa University submitted the research of 74 of its staff in six UoAs: Education, English Language and Literature (including creative writing); History; Art and Design; Music, Drama, Dance and Performing Arts; and Communication, Cultural and Media Studies. The results of the 2014REF were published on 18 December 2014, and overall the University moved up the overall ranking based on quality of research submitted by 13 places, from 102nd in RAE2008 to 89th in REF2014. This shows that we have improved our position, against our key performance indicator benchmarked institutions, and within the million+ group.

Each REF submission is broken down into three sections: Research Outputs (e.g. journal articles, books, compositions, exhibitions etc), Research Environment, and the Impact that our research has had over the last five years. Each section is given a quality profile which is then aggregated to give an overall research quality profile for each UoA, for which outputs count as 65 per cent, environment 15 per cent and impact 20 per cent.

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spotlight on...

As a result of REF2014, the University substantially improved its quality profile of 4* (world leading) and 3* (internationally excellent) research from 19 per cent in the RAE2008 exercise to 51 per cent in REF2014, meaning that we have received an 86 per cent increase in our HEQR allocation for 2015/16, increasing our grant to just over ÂŁ1 million. This is an excellent result, placing us at the top of our KPI comparator institutions in terms of an increase in funding and marking us as one of the best winners in the South West.

Overall University points of interest arising from the results of REF2014 • Our overall quality Grade Point Average overall now firmly reflects that research at Bath

Spa is ‘recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour’.

• Our internationally excellent research has tripled since RAE2008.

• Our Times Higher Education ranking of 89 shows we have improved our position, against

our key performance indicator benchmarked institutions, and within the million+ group.

Research Outputs • 51 per cent of our research outputs are internationally excellent, with 15 per cent world

leading.

• In English Language and Literature 70 per cent of research outputs are internationally

excellent, with 23 per cent world leading.

Research Environment • 85 per cent of our research environment is internationally recognised - this is a good result,

and reflects our HR Excellence in Research award which is an EU badge of recognition

awarded to the University in January 2012.

• In Communication, Culture and Media 70 per cent of research environment has

been ranked as internationally excellent.

Research Impact • 95 per cent of our research impact is internationally recognised, with 10 per cent world leading.

• In Music and Performing Arts 100 per cent of research impact is internationally

excellent, with 60 per cent world leading. This unit of assessment was ranked joint 1st of all

institutions in this category.

HEFCE has undertaken an analysis of the impact case studies submitted to REF2014 and launched a database which can be found here Details of the full University’s REF2014 submission can be found here

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MY STUDENT EXPERIENCE

my student experience

Rhian Beynon, BA (Hons) Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors

Rhian with her finished tea caddy

Second year student Rhian Beynon was recently chosen as one of the winners of Whittard of

Chelsea’s 2014 ‘Design a Caddy’ competition. Rhian’s Tropical Afternoon Tea Caddy is currently available as part of Whittard’s Limited Edition Designer Caddy range. Here she talks about her experience.

I entered the Tea Caddy competition because their design theme, ‘the exotic provenance of tea’ fitted well to my tropical style of floral painting, and I thought it could be a good opportunity for other people to see my designs. I saw the competition on various social media websites including SPACESPACE NOVEMBER MAY 2013 2015

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Preparatory sketch of Rhian’s design

Facebook and Instagram.

Focussing on the word ‘exotic’ I used a bright, refreshing and contemporary colour palette to illustrate the origin of tea from China and the Far East. Having been inspired by exotic plants for this design, I am constantly inspired by the natural beauty of the Gower Peninsular.

I created my flat colour design from observational drawings of flowers and plants of the spring season, and also exotic plants from the Swansea Botanical gardens. I used acrylic paint to create my design and mirror repeated it using Photoshop. By doing this I created a design to fit the dimensions for a tea caddy. One of my projects in my first year of University was a colour project where I found a love for vibrant, tropical colours. I was inspired by trend magazines such as ‘View’ magazine, as sources of inspiration for my contemporary colour palette.

Seeing the tea caddy in the flesh was really great as I am studying a textiles surface pattern course, and to then see one of my own prints manufactured and available to purchase was amazing! I thought the other tea caddies looked great too, they worked well together and all had an oriental feel.

My course leader, Amanda Goode, encourages us to enter competitions because we will be working in a competitive industry and competitions like this create a platform for other people to see your work. The course has also helped me develop my style within textiles design.

As an aspiring textiles designer this was a great opportunity to have one of my own designs manufactured, produced and made available to purchase. It was really exciting to see my own design for sale. As a result of the competition lots of people, including other designers have been able to see my work. I would definitely recommend that other students enter competitions, especially within design, as not only is it a great asset to your CV, but can create other opportunities.

Rhian outside Whittards of Chelsea

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Development and Alumni news

DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI NEWS

Students calling

In March the Development and Alumni Relations Office employed 20 current students to call alumni of the University and its predecessor colleges. Over three weeks the students contacted over 900 alumni to find out what they have been doing since leaving university, to update them on what it is like at the University today, to invite them to the Alumni Reunion in August, and to ask them to consider supporting current students either financially or through giving their time, advice and expertise.

The callers spoke to a wide range of alumni from The Bath Academy of Art and the School of Domestic Science right up to more recent alumni and a wonderful time was had by all. This was demonstrated not only by the laughter heard in the calling room, but also by a number of alums calling the office after their call to let us know how much they appreciated being called by such wonderful and engaging young people.

Charlotte Claydon, a first year BA (Hons) Acting student, took part in the telethon and she describes her experience.

I was part of Bath Spa’s first ever Alumni Telethon. If I’m honest the original reason I applied to do it was to earn some extra money and gain some experience to add to my CV. However, I found that actually being part of the telethon gave me so much more than that. During our training we learnt a lot about the University and the history of the University – something I’d never really given much thought to before. It opened my eyes to not only how much the University has grown

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Charlotte Claydon

since it was first opened, but also how many of its traditions still stand.

Most interesting of all was finding out about the different grants, awards and scholarships that are available to students; which are funded by generous supporters and alumni of the University. In speaking to people who receive them, you also found out what a difference they can make.

DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI NEWS

The telethon itself was hard work, but so rewarding – and I’m not the only student caller who thought so. Alicia describes how: “I was given the opportunity to chat with some wonderful Alumni, who all shared not only their experiences and memories of the University, but also offered some valuable advice about how to succeed both during University and postgraduation.” Whilst Sophie talks about how the Telethon “developed my confidence on the phone and with talking to people.” Both experiences are vital from a current student’s point of view in order to excel both in University and afterwards in the professional world.

Our main objective was to get support for the various funds available to students, and it was amazing how much alumni were willing to give. We spoke to over 900 of our alumni and many of them pledged funds and more of them offered their time as mentors for current students and in some cases offering work placements.

Overall, Bath Spa University’s first Telethon was a great success. Not only did it get more alumni involved with the University – whether by a donation, by mentoring or simply coming along to an alumni event – it has also given those involved a great experience which will benefit both our University and future professional lives. Here’s to the 2016 Telethon!

International Travel Fund The Bath Spa University International Travel Fund, established in 2014, is the merging of several awards designated to assist students wishing to embark on international travel placements and study trip. The funds include the Mollie Humphreys Memorial Award established in 1963 in memory of one of the founding members of Newton Park College, the Jill Radford Memorial Fund and the Wardle Fund.

Five students received funding towards their studies abroad. Ed Low (BA Photography 2015) was the first recipient to receive his award and complete his trip. Here he talks about his experience.

Thanks to the Bath Spa University International Travel Fund, in late March this year I was able to put my plans of travelling to Jordan into action.

Za’atari Refugee Camp is situated a few kilometres south of the Syrian border, and as a result of the civil war in Syria, is home to over 80,000 refugees. As a third year photography student, I planned to document the daily life in the camp with the hope to produce a book of portraits. I had seen many news reports coming from the camp, but I wanted to produce a body of work that is intimate with its subject. Not just to simply observe, but to interact and extract.

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Champes-Elysees by Ed Low

When I started university, I did not expect, in my third year, to be driving towards a small patch of desert that is very much on the world stage. During my time at the camp I met with many refugees, and heard many stories of heartbreak and tragedy. I had been preparing myself for this, but what I had not expected, was the sheer resilience of the Syrians. When I left the camp on the first day, instead of feeling emotionally shifted as I had expected, I felt humbled to have met such incredible people.

Working within Za’atari was certainly a challenge, not only the searing heat of the desert, but also the stress of having to be constantly vigilant due to security reasons. As well as dealing with huge crowds, which come when a camera appears, I had to be incredibly cautious where I pointed my camera. Many dislike having their photo taken for fear of the Syrian Regime locating them.

I’ve learnt an incredible amount about the way journalists and photojournalists work first hand. Not just physically, but also the red tape that surrounds it. An awful lot of planning went into this project, including having to meet with Jordan’s International Media and Press Director in order to obtain a press pass. When you work alongside professionals such as these, professionalism seems to naturally come to you. I found myself in the shoes of a photojournalist.

Many NGOs are working tirelessly to ensure there is adequate care and shelter at the camp. But the international community appears to have all but forgotten about the Syrians’ plight. In the absence of much needed funding, we must ask, where is the world?

District 3 by Ed Low The International Travel Fund is open to any currently enrolled student to support a study trip or work placement abroad which will have direct impact on their studies, research and/or career. More information and an application form can be found here The next deadline for submissions is Friday 19 June. If you have any questions please contact Naomi Box on 01225 875808 or email daro@bathspa.ac.uk

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(L-R) Peter Bodenham, Roxanne Jackson, Poppy Clover, Rosie Hughes, Simon Hunt, Pip Marshall, Andrea Wright.

DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI NEWS

The Porthleven Prize On 27 March ten students presented to the Porthleven Prize judging panel to secure one of five places on a ten day residency supported by The Trevor Osborne Property Group. The panel consisting of Professor Anita Taylor, Salima Hashmi (Bath Academy of Art Alum 1965), Patricia Singh (Beaux Arts) and Helen Statham (O3 Gallery) had an incredibly difficult decision as the standard of entries was extremely high. The five selected students have just returned from the residency and are now creating works which will be exhibited in the O3 Gallery, Oxford and Bath School of Art and Design in the autumn. The selected students are: Roxanne Jackson PhD Fine Art Simon Hunt MA Music Andrea Wright MA Fine Art Poppy Clover BA Contemporary Arts Practice Philip Marshall BA Fine Art

The Cullum Family Award The Bath Spa University Cullum Family Award aims to support students and new graduates by helping them explore and better understand the music industry and the various career pathways available to them. In April two students secured funding:Elizabeth (Lil) Patuk will be completing an internship with Music Ally in London while Silas Blackburn Chandler will be travelling to New York to complete an internship at Nylon Videos.

This is the second year the Cullum family has supported music students at Bath Spa University.

For more information about please visit the undergraduate support page or the postgraduate support page or contact daro@bathspa.ac.uk

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REVIEW

The Matchbox Museum Private View

Paul St George

When Bath Academy of Art alumnus Paul St George decided to create a collaborative piece of artwork with other former students, he knew that people would need a lot of freedom to really let their creative juices flow. He decided that a ‘Matchbox Museum’ style project would allow for the most diversity, with every piece of artwork created in a different medium, but measuring no larger than a matchbox (47 mm x 35 mm x 14 mm).

Paul got in touch with the University in October and the Alumni Office has been helping him promote the project over the last couple of months. In the end 26 artists submitted artwork to the Matchbox Museum, with the majority coming from Bath Academy of Art alumni. Work ranged from a tiny Punch and Judy stall to an intricate ceramic cat, to a miniature angle poise light. The full set of designs can be viewed on the Alumni Association Facebook page.

The Matchbox Museum was unveiled at Sion Hill at a private viewing on Friday 24 April and artists, students and staff came together to view the finished collection. We were also very grateful to Paul St George who flew over from his home in Sweden to join us for the event and give a speech about the project. The exhibition has recently been taken down and is due to begin a short tour around the UK during the summer. The Alumni Office is very pleased to have been able to facilitate this exhibition.

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What’s on Bath School of Art and Design Undergraduate Degree Show Sat 6 – Sun 21 June, 10:00am-5:00pm daily, Sion Hill Gallery, Bath Tickets: FREE The Art and Design Undergraduate Degree Show provides an exciting showcase for the work of the graduating students in Creative Arts, Contemporary Arts Practice, Fashion Design, Fine Art, Graphic Communication, Photography, Textiles for Fashion and Interiors and Three Dimensional Design.

The Bath School of Art and Design was founded more than 160 years ago and has a successful history and international reputation for creativity and innovation. The School provides students with the opportunity to work with a range of internationally recognised art and design practitioners and thinkers in an unparalleled creative context.

Gala Concert Fri 12 June, 7:30pm, Assembly Rooms, Bath Tickets: £12, Concessions £10, U16s £6 Students from the Department of Music celebrate the end of the academic year with a grand concert at Bath’s prestigious Assembly Rooms.

This year, the Bath Spa University Orchestra and graduating singers present excerpts from Gershwin’s timeless American classic Porgy and Bess, performing such memorable songs as Summertime and It Ain’t Necessarily So. Other highlights include William Walton’s Crown Imperial, which was first performed at the coronation of King George VI in 1937.

The evening will also feature concertos: Ferdinand David Concertino for bassoon, Songs from Messiaen’s Poèmes pour Mi and the second movement of Rodrigo’s Guitar Concerto performed by student soloists.

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Bath Spa Live Wyrd-O! Tales from The Absurdicon Tues 2 June, 6:30pm, Burdall’s Yard Tickets: £7, concessions £5 From The Guardian Visual Shakespeare Prize winner and seasoned improviser, Simon Blakeman, comes this ‘go anywhere’ theatre fizzing with wyrd wisdom. A one man show with guest artists and totally made in the moment so that NO TWO SHOWS ARE THE SAME!

2 UP, 2 DOWN, 1 BACK Wed 3 June, 2:30pm, Burdall’s Yard Tickets: £8, concessions £6 Five teenagers wake up in a void, neither knowing each other, or how they got there. The only thing visible is a box with the words ‘2 Up, 2 Down, 1 Back’ written on it. Forced to play a deadly game, they have to face up to the consequences of their actions, and to fight for a second chance to return to… Reality.

Doug McLeod - Acoustic Blues Wed 3 June, 8:00pm, Burdall’s Yard Tickets: £10, concessions £8 Doug MacLeod, winner of two 2014 Blues Music Awards for acoustic album and acoustic artist of the year and the winner of The 2013 Blues Blast Music Award for Male Artist Of The Year and perennial Blues Music Award nominee, is a singer-songwriter in the American tradition. Plus support (Bath Spa’s Cassidy Sacre).

Ridiculusmus - The Happy Ones (Previews) 4 - 7 June, Times vary see website, Burdall’s Yard Tickets: £10, concessions £8 We’ve been toying with a ridiculously lengthy explanatory sub-title for this new work in our trilogy of plays that highlight innovative uses of dialogue as a means of treating mental health. “Progress Report on MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in South Carolina’ sounds like you’ll be getting a dryly delivered recitation of a stuffy medical report. Rest assured that this is a non-stop action theatrical sit-rom-com with explosions, blood, vomit and singing. Two invalided soldiers aim to attempt a DIY therapy session cum battle re-enactment while on the best psychedelic medicine they can buy on the street. One has already entered into a state of SPACE MAY 2015

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schmaltzy enlightenment and reconciliation post-MDMA assisted therapy, and wants his friend to join him on his dreamboat of heroism and cross-cultural unity. But his friend has locked himself in a box.

Noir: A Dick Privet Mystery Sat 6 June, 6:30pm, Burdall’s Yard Tickets: £8.50, concessions £7.50 A puppet theatre pastiche of film noir detective thrillers. Wealthy businessman Mr Richman hires hard boiled private detective Dick Privet to find a missing person. Dick soon discovers that he’s not the only one hunting for Jonny Volent. He sure is a popular guy, but there’s more to the case than first meets the eye. Dick soon becomes embroiled with femme fatale Lola Me-me as the two of them witness a murder and try to out-fox the heavies, and then there is the mysterious man calling himself The Collector on their tail.

Bring it All Back - 90s Party/Tribute Night Sat 6 June, 8:00pm, Burdall’s Yard Tickets: £8, concessions £5, BSU students £4 5-Piece 90s/00s Cheese Band. Amazing sets where each Popalicious tune follows straight through to the other. No pauses, just tons of fun! Featuring some of the most recognisable songs from the 90s by the Spice Girls, S Club 7, Shania Twain and the Backstreet Boys.

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ARCHIVE UPDATE

by Dr Bobby Anderson 2014-15 has been a particularly busy year for the Archive. We were very excited to move into our new home at Newton Park at the beginning of the academic year and have now settled very comfortably in the Castle (CE. G01). We have acquired the Bath Archive for Contemporary Religious Affairs (BACRA) collection and are applying for funding to take on the huge Civic Trust collection too.

We now have nine Bath Spa students working with us on placement, from both History and Studies of Religions courses, who are working on archiving, sorting, researching and generally keeping the constant flow of new documents under control. Alongside our own students we are pleased to have our first external volunteer who comes in two days a week to help us with the accessioning. Thanks for all your hard work. Our thanks go also to Kate James and Maria Nita.

The Archive is still working alongside the Alumni Office, providing exhibition items for various alumni meetings.

Later this year we will curate a much bigger exhibition for the ten year Anniversary Alumni Weekend in August.

Don’t forget – if you have anything hiding in your cupboards or drawers which you think we could look after, please do send it to us. If necessary we can scan and return items.

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Starters and Leavers In April and May we welcomed…

•

Lucy Sweetman, Lecturer in Creative Writing, School of Humanities and Cultural Industries

•

Fred Reed, Technical Demonstrator: Media Production, School of Music and Performing Arts

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Peter Bodenham, Lecturer in Ceramics and Sculpture, Bath School of Art and Design

•

Kit Harrison, Widening Participation Outreach Assistant, Marketing and Communications

•

Helen Eastwood, Partnership Administrator, School of Education

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Samantha Bitmead, HR Administrator, Human Resources

•

Gareth Williams, Technical Demonstrator in Sculpture/Casting, Bath School of Art and Design

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Aidan Gray, Cleaner, Domestic and Portering Services

•

Vanessa Doust, Business Liaison Manager, Enterprise and Local Partnerships

•

Jeremy Arnold, IT Helpdesk Technician, Computing Services

•

Charlotte Taylor, International Relations Assistant, International Relations

•

Karen Aniola, Personal Assistant to the Director of International Relations, International Relations

•

Hetty Burcham, School Receptionist, School of Humanities and Cultural Industries

•

Lynda Adourian, School Receptionist, School of Humanities and Cultural Industries

•

Francisco Guzman, Cleaner, Domestic and Portering Services

•

Victoria Stevenson, Academic Services Librarian, Library

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Jennifer Davies, Communications and PR Coordinator, Marketing and Communications

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Adiel Fernando Vanegas Vanegas, Cleaner, Domestic and Portering Services

•

Xeuqing Ma, Cleaner, Domestic and Portering Services

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SPACE MAY 2015

We also said farewell to…

•

Caroline Follett, HR Admin Team Leader/HR Advisor, Human Resources

•

Seongue Moon, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, School of Education

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Diana Newport-Peace, Head of Strategy, Chancelry

•

Ian Hodell, Project Accountant, Finance

•

Daniel Ashton, Senior Lecturer: Media and Cultural Studies, School of Humanities and Cultural Industries

•

Mohan Siriwardena, Team Leader, Domestic and Portering Services

•

Viv Kenchington, Research Assistant, Bath School of Art and Design

•

Kieran Fenby-Hulse, Researcher Development Officer, Research and Graduate Affairs

•

Nigel Newbutt, Senior Lecturer in Media and Digital Cultures, School of Humanities and Cultural Industries

•

Estela Lima, Cleaner, Domestic and Portering Services

•

Zi Ren, International Relations Assistant, International Relations

•

Cate Dash, HR Business Partner, Human Resources

•

Chris Broughton, Core Systems Co-ordinator, Planning Support

•

Anya Clifton, Communications Manager, Marketing and Communication

•

Steve Wilson, Cleaner/Porter/Driver, Domestic and Portering Services

•

Simon Brooks, Head Gardener, Estates

•

Anna Gravelle, Technical Demonstrator Textile Design, Bath School of Art and Design

•

Sue Barlow, Student Records Co-ordinator, Student Services

•

Dave Hassall, Director of Computing Services, Computing Services

•

Crystal Kholowa, HR Administrator, Human Resources

SPACE MAY 2015

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