Issue 4, June 2016
Cuthbert’s Chronicle The biannual publication of St Cuthbert’s Society
1946 - 2016
JCR Awards
Always at the Back
Alice Abroad
Celebrating the Refounders
Celebrating Karaoke and Arabic, p.3
Reflections of a Book Indexer, pp.6-7
Thoughts on a year abroad, p.8
Cuthbert’s Chronicle A message from... The Principal We have just celebrated Cuth’s Day, the finale of Arts Week which showcases so many of the most impressive qualities of our students. It is a major logistical challenge: the sound stage, the gazebos, the performers, the food stalls, the bar, the weather, not to mention the cleaning up after over 700 participants. The musicians who perform are current students, mostly from Cuth’s, and the standard is amazingly high. Visitors to Cuth’s contribute enormously to our community. This year’s Artist in Residence, Alan O’Cain, and his wife Juliet Lunn have worked with the Art Society and Drama Soc: we shall long remember their appearance as Caliban and Ariel at the Shakespeare Formal. We are delighted that our last IAS Fellow, American journalist Ted Gup, is returning in January as Writer in Residence; his Letters from America about current politics, our very own Ted Talks, are available on our website. We say goodbye this summer to a number of important contributors to the Cuth’s community. Prof Graham Towl, Principal from 2008 to 2011, is stepping down as Deputy Warden. Prof Tom Ward, PVC (Education) and an enthusiastic SCR member, is taking up a new position at Leeds University. Last year’s JCR President, Millie Tanner, has been DSU President this year; she is moving south for the Police Now training programme. Rich Root, the outgoing JCR President, hopes to work in the North East. Katherine Fone, the Bar Steward, will stay in Durham for an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Harriet Rawet, Development Officer and excellent editor of this Chronicle, leaves us in August. We are very grateful to them all, and wish them very well for the future. Professor Elizabeth Archibald
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Many of our societies have done particularly well this year, and in the This is a particularly recent Team Durham College Sport special year as we awards, our Badminton team was celebrate the 70th announced as the best badminton team in anniversary of the the University. We are also currently Refounding of St sitting 4th in the College Sport table, but Cuthbert’s Society, are hopeful that we can climb to third after following the Second some promising cricket and rounders World War, and our cover image for this fixtures. As my fifth year in Cuth’s draws issue is the 1946 St Cuthbert’s Society to a close, I am honoured that I had the photograph, the year the Society was opportunity to give back to the Society refounded. The photograph makes a stark that has given me so much, and I wish St contrast to the 300 students in our photos Cuthbert’s Society every success in the from recent years (and that’s only the first future. years!). Thanks to Henry Tudor’s Rich Root excellent history of the Society, we know that by 1939 the Society’s numbers had Alumni Association Chair dwindled to just 8 men, with only 1 The Alumni remaining in 1940, so the group of 39 Association is there for men pictured in the 1946 class every single former photograph is certainly an achievement. student of St Many of the Refounding members had Cuthbert’s Society. served in the war and upon their arrival in Whether you were at Durham decided to resurrect St Cuth’s for an Cuthbert’s Society. The 1946-47 undergraduate or postgraduate degree, President, T. I. Percival, had been whether you graduated or not, whether released from a prisoner-of-war camp in your course was part-time, short-term, or 1945. In the first meeting the group held, Erasmus, or indeed any other type of as well as electing a committee and course - if you studied at Cuth’s, you are committing to writing a constitution, it was a member. decided that a dance should be held in This year will mark the 70th anniversary Epiphany term. To me, this relentless of the Society’s Refounding. We are as sense of fun, even in a troubled and grateful as ever to our alumni - especially difficult time, embodies everything I have the Refounders - whilst simultaneously come to love about St Cuthbert’s Society, recognising the energy of youth. The last and I is what will draw me and others 12 months have been fruitful for the back for many years to come. Association, but we hope to extend the Harriet Rawet breadth and depth of activities and benefits to members, and the whole JCR President Cuth’s community. With that in mind, we It’s been a busy few are refreshing our constitution, and very months in the JCR, soon you will be able to review and give and we have now feedback on our new proposed aims, to successfully recruited be ratified at the AGM in September. a board of four external trustees, We are also evolving the Alumni Reunion mainly consisting of Weekend so that new aspects will Cuth’s alumni, and who all come from complement the favourite aspects of the diverse backgrounds in finance and weekend. You can find out more about charity, as well as spanning a range of the weekend, and the booking details, on years. This is an exciting step for us and page 7 in this magazine. we hope to have further involvement from Richard Peralta alumni in the future.
Development Officer
News Events in Cuth’s As usual, there have been some wonderful events hosted by the JCR this year, most notably the Feast of St Cuthbert and Cuth’s Day. The Feast was a fabulous evening, hosted at 12 South Bailey and themed around Peter Pan. The dining hall, gardens, and bar were transformed into a magical Neverland thanks to the hard work of Social Committee and bar staff. Cuth’s Day was the event of the year, and we had numerous alumni from years gone by come back to join us. One of the highlights of the day was an Abba tribute band, complete with costume changes, as well as live music throughout the day from some home grown talent, including Millie Tanner and Jen Hack, who graduated in 2014 and 2015 respectively and were formerly regulars at Cuth’s acoustic nights. Old friends were reconnected and new friendships were forged. Here’s to many more years of the spirit.
Spotlight on Badminton In recent years Cuthbert’s badminton has been going from strength to strength, and currently has seven teams competing across the Men’s, Women’s and Mixed sport. Natalie Farmer, who has been at Cuth’s for four years and just finished her Chemistry degree, had never had a badminton lesson before university and had only played it in PE, but is currently the Mixed B Captain, and former Women’s A Captain and Socially Secretary for the club. This year the Women’s A team finished top of their league, an improvement from their second place last year, and the Mixed A
The Parson’s and Bailey women’s football teams after their match, alongside their referees
team are also the top of their league for the second year running. The Badminton team recently attended the Team Durham College Sport Awards where they received a slew of trophies, much to the pride of several key members who have helped develop the club throughout their time in Durham, and showed unfailing dedication to their sport.
Parson’s vs Bailey Football Badminton is not the only sport excelling within Cuth’s, and on 13th June, the annual Parson’s versus Bailey football tournament was held. The competition is between those who lived, or currently live, in any of the Bailey houses, and those from any of the Parson’s Field accommodation. There were four fixtures throughout the day where three men’s and one women’s team competed in the ultimate Cuth’s rivalry. The day ended in a 3 - 1 victory to Parson’s, despite a fierce resistance from the Bailey teams.
Postgrads Conquer Cuth’s The PG Committee has been very active this year under the leadership of Sarah Sheehy (a PhD student in Engineering), organizing both social and scholarly events. As well as the regular Research Fora and Reading Group, they ran an informal mini-conference for postgraduates and finalists to present short papers and get feedback from their peers, and a fascinating workshop on Hearing, as part of our ongoing series on the Senses. The workshop explored sound and reverberation in prehistoric caves, echo-location in people, rhythm,
aesthetics and perception, auditory verbal hallucinations and responses to music. A mixed audience of students, staff and SCR members contributed to the workshop with discussion, comments and questions. Important questions were asked about the extent to which we rely on hearing without being actively aware of it in our everyday lives. The speakers inspired the audience to listen more attentively and actively to the sounds around them and the workshop received very positive feedback from all.
JCR Awards For the first time this year, alongside the traditional colours and half colours, the JCR introduced a series of awards for outstanding efforts, including New Student of the Year, Unsung Hero, and Most Improved Sport or Society. Each award was hotly contested; the eventual winners were announced during the annual Sports and Societies Formal. Some notable nominations included Trà My Hickin and Hitham Hassan, both of whom created new societies within months of arriving and were nominated for New Student of the Year. Trà My began Karaoke Society who have since had a very successful innagural first meeting, while Hitham set up an Arabic Society, where he teaches Arabic to his fellow Cuth’s students. A special mention goes to Body Conditioning Society, which won Society of the Year despite only being two years old. Particular congratulations to Becca Rowson who has been the heart and soul of BodCon throughout her time at Cuth’s.
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Cuthbert’s Chronicle Mim Mason, as well as Alex Meldrum, Katie Dyer, Harriet Rawet, and Danielle The annual Hill vs Bailey charity rugby Hyde. Danielle is also club captain for the match took place on Wednesday 4th May, college side. in aid of Sport in Action Zambia. It was a Just as in 2015, it was a victory for the superb day with glorious sunshine and an Bailey women with an impressive score of excellent turnout. The matches were 37-17 against the Hill, while the men were highly anticipated as all the teams had unfortunately beaten 54-19 after a tough worked hard to publicise the event, with battle against the formidable men’s Hill the Bailey women even running a charity squad. auction and selling spaces on their arms and legs for people to have their In total the Bailey squads raised over messages written before the match. £4000 for charity and showcased the excellent standard of college rugby in There was an impressive Cuthbert’s Durham. The Bailey women’s squad were contingent in both teams; for the men also been nominated for Student Brian Crossan, Josh Andrade-Brown and Campaign of the Year at the Annual Freddie Davies all represented Students’ Union Awards for their Cuthbert’s. For the women there were first fundraising efforts. years Katie Elcock, Maddey Watson and
Hill vs Bailey Rugby 2016
Durham Pride On Monday 30th May, Durham hosted its annual Pride celebration for the third year running, with the second ever parade. The streets of Durham were transformed as the parade ran from Palace Green and down to Millennium Place, with a number of students groups marching. Rainbow flags adorned buildings across the city, flying from every Bailey college, including Durham Castle keep, as well as Durham police station. Almost all student groups were represented in the parade, and St Cuthbert’s was no exception, with staff and students marching alongside each other carrying no less than three banners. For the first parade in 2015, students created two rainbow banners (one of which graced the cover of the Chronicle last year), and this year Maisie Eastwick, Cuth’s first year and LGBT Rep, coordinated another banner painting session. The afternoon of painting was run in conjunction with Art Society and had an excellent turnout, with the JCR President, not known for his artistic ability, getting assigned ‘brush washing duty’.
Photo credit: Caroline McHale, Durham City RFC
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It was a super day and wonderful to see the whole Durham community come together to celebrate LGBT+ pride.
News Inaugural Cuthbert’s Day Lunch
fantastic £169.47 with pledges for £100 more.
The Association hosted the inaugural St Cuthbert's Day lunch in London on Saturday 19 March 2016 in Notting Hill.
You can read more about Gemma's fundraising, and make individual donations at www.gofundme.com/ St Cuthbert died on 20 March 687AD, and gemmasroadtorio whilst his feast day has been celebrated It was especially pleasing to hear the around that time in Durham for many genuine enthusiasm about the different years, the Alumni Association decided to events the Alumni Association have in the help mark the 1,329th anniversary with a diary and the various initiatives being run. new annual lunch in London. These include graduation anniversary Twenty-one guests were treated to a drinks on July 2, a revamped Alumni beautiful two course lunch with wine in a Reunion Weekend in Durham, and global private room, followed by enjoying the Six events, as well as a push on the collection Nations rugby upstairs in the main bar. and publication of alumni articles and memories. Richard Peralta (2002-2005)
Pearls of Wisdom Pearls of Wisdom is an exciting project recently launched by our Alumni Association, spearheaded by committee member Derrick Phillips (Classics, 195659), and showcases the lives and works The Alumni Association were also of our alumni in the years since their delighted to be able to help Gemma graduation. Articles are all available on Collis, a Cuth’s student, in her fundraising the Alumni Association website efforts to get her to the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Gemma is currently 6th in the world in wheelchair fencing with the top 12 qualifying for the Games. She couldn't be with us whilst she competed in a qualifying event near Paris - finishing in a fantastic third place - but sent over a video message of thanks which we played on the big screen.
Money was collected through a small addition to the ticket price, as well as donations in exchange for a hard copy of the Cuthbert’s Chronicle, a weddinginspired "speech length sweepstake", and other kind donations. We raised a
(cuths.org) and cover an enormous range of subjects. Recent graduate and winner of the prestigious Undergraduate Award in the Classical Studies and Archaeology category Li Sou (Archaeology, 20112014) has written about ‘Adventures in Archaeology: how Cuth’s and Durham brightened my future in heritage’, while Dr Bill Block (Zoology and Animal Ecology, 1956-1963) recounts a tale of his Antarctic adventure. In a very moving article, Ben Scanlan (Sport, 2004-2009) (photo below) has written about his work with Maytree, Sanctuary for the Suicidal, and more broadly about his experiences with suicide, both personally and professionally. Ben recently met Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge who paid a visit to Maytree in March to hear about the valuable work which is done there.
The Queen’s Birthday Honours Dr Rowan Whimster received an MBE for services to heritage and conservation. Dr Whimster attended St Cuthbert’s Society from 1973 to 1980 where he successfully completed his PhD in Archaeology.
Cuth’s alumnus Ben Scanlan meeting the Royals. Photo credit: Maytree Sanctuary for the Suicidal
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Cuthbert’s Chronicle book was published, my index included, and I received a fee of unusual Reflections of a Book Indexer generosity, as the book was supported by a wealthy foundation. This was as long Douglas Matthews (1948-51) read English, French and German at Durham. ago as 1957, and it means that I may well He has worked at the Library of the India be the longest practising indexer in the country. For many years, working as a Office, at the Home Office, and at the librarian in London, I engaged in indexing London Library, where he was Librarian as a secondary job, working in the from 1980 to 1993. In 2013 he received isolation of a commuter train to and from an OBE for his work as an indexer. Victoria, balancing proofs and papers on Book indexes are usually taken for my knees, and baffling everybody else in granted, but when I say that I am a the carriage as to what I was doing. practising indexer I normally expect a During the twenty years or so that I slight flutter of interest, then almost worked like this I was only once asked by guaranteed, three or four standard a curious fellow-traveller what I was up to. questions: `Oh, doesn’t the author do It was that isolation that made it possible. that?’; then, `What made you start and Since retiring, more than twenty years how do you do it?’; and, `Don’t computers ago, indexing has been my main activity, do it more efficiently?’ though now I work in a stationary locale Authors do sometimes compile their own with a computer and a dedicated program. indexes, and if they have mastered the technique, there is probably nobody As to how I do it, the process is quickly better. But many like to have an outsider explained. A publisher sends me page take on the task, and there is now a proofs in advance of publication and I considerable body of qualified indexers work from these. Starting at line one, with their own professional association, page one, I read carefully through to the the Society of Indexers, to establish and last line of the last page recording an maintain standards, run training courses, entry for everything I judge to be and provide a forum. The question of appropriate for inclusion in the finished computers is an unresolved one at index. Most entries are obvious: personal present. They are excellent for certain name, place names, events, institutions, types of book, and with the growth of ebuildings, and (most demanding) books we are seeing the development of concepts and abstract terms. This more refined programs. produces a list which is arranged usually
Always at the Back
entry occurs. The result is a working list whose essential purpose is to enable the book’s reader to find any particular feature. Readers will use an index in different ways, sometimes before reading the book to check whether something is mentioned, sometimes after reading it, knowing an item is there, sometimes while reading the book to refer back to something half-remembered. A book can be likened to a landscape, and the index to a set of signposts to locations within that landscape. The word `index’ means to point out, to indicate or show. There, then is the purpose and method. The endeavour calls for judgment and understanding. I work pretty exclusively in the field of humanities, and often think that indexers of scientific and technological books where entries tend to be specific and exact have an easier time. In my field, selecting headings may be straightforward, but making sense of them less so, and commonly requires the breaking down of long entries into subheads. In a book on Victorian history the name of Gladstone may occur dozens of times. It is not helpful to consult an index and find a long string of page numbers. So, to be useful, I would break down the references under Gladstone to smaller sub-heads like birth, marriage, health, offices held, travels, religious views and so on. This enables the reader to locate relevant references without having to wade through lots of irrelevant ones. The brilliant journalist Bernard Levin used to
in alphabetical order, giving (generally) My own introduction to indexing arose from my professional career as a librarian, the page number showing where that where I had useful experience as a book cataloguer. There are strong similarities between the two practices: both aim to establish systematic and comprehensive lists and accurately to describe the individual items within those lists, usually with some recognisable location symbol for every item or entry. I had taken a year’s absence from my then library to work in the Royal Library of Sweden in Stockholm, and was asked if I would take on the indexing of a historical study by a professor at the university there who had written it in English and wished to have a native English speaker. I decided to give it a go, and have never looked back. The Douglas, third from the left, with some of his fellow Refounders at a Cuth’s reunion in 2004
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Features boil with fury at the practice of undifferentiated references, and let off steam from time to time in his column. I used to think that whenever he was short of copy he would pop in a sharp paragraph just to let this particular bee have a good buzz. Often enough the form of the entry or subhead is supplied by the indexer and the word itself does not appear on the page of text. For example, in writing about an individual the author may refer to physical attributes like height, beauty, hairstyle, dress, plumpness, eye-colour and so. These can be gathered together as one sub-head, `appearance’, though that word does not occur in the text. When I begin an index I like to know whether the author has particular preferences as to what should be included. What about footnotes or endnotes? Introduction, illustrations, appendices? And style: most indexes are set in double columns, but should subheads be set out line-by-line, or in a runon style. And should the order of subheads be alphabetical or in order of occurrence? One style is no more valid than another, but it is as well to know which before submitting an index, and here the various computer programs are immensely useful, as they can automatically change many aspects of style at the touch of a few buttons.
Cuthbert’s and this was her first book. How many more are there? There have been one or two unexpected occurrences, too. I once found myself mentioned unfavourably in a book I was indexing and had to make a decision: do I include myself in the index and publicise the fact, or leave it out. (I applied proper professional principles and put myself in, and so far I have escaped comment.) Another author, a militant feminist, reacted angrily when she saw the finished index because it had been compiled by a man and, more eccentrically, objected to the very first entry in the index which was to Abraham (the Biblical patriarch). That a male name should appear first was an offence to her, but fortunately the publisher’s editor was a very balanced woman who refused to interfere with the order of the alphabet and allowed it to remain. I am still puzzled as to how an intelligent person can suppose that there is any hierarchical significance to alphabetical order.
diffident about pointing these out, but do so and leave it to others to consider what to do. One of the privileges of indexing is to be part of the creative process and to establish relations with living authors. In this I have been lucky, and can boast of association with some great works and some delightful people.
Alumni Reunion Weekend
From Friday 2 - Sunday 4 September, we are hosting our annual Alumni Reunion Weekend, this year themed around sports and societies. We encourage you to sign up in your team and society groups – whether it be the “Old Gits” rowing crew (their words, not mine), or the 2005 Mixed Netball team. There will be an informal drinks reception on Friday night (we are encouraging you to wear your best and brightest Cuth’s clothing/’stash’). Saturday afternoon will host a sports and arts day, complementing an intellectual trip to Palace Green to take in the exhibition on the Somme. In the evening, we will be Should an indexer point out errors in a putting on live music in Cuths Bar after book? I do find mistakes: wrong dates, the traditional – and fabulous – formal wrong identifications, inconsistencies in the spelling of the same person, and then dinner on Saturday night. For further details and booking, visit the website at I do notify these to the publisher, as a kind of long-stop editor. Occasionally, too, www.dur.ac.uk/st-cuthberts.society I find myself stumbling over a badly Richard Peralta constructed or ambiguous sentence. I am
If my education reached maturity at Durham, it has flourished and expanded with my indexing. Among the hundreds of books I have worked on, I may cite St Augustine’s City of God; The Letters of Charles Dickens (twelve volumes of which I did the last seven); The Domesday Book; Hitler’s Mein Kampf (kept in print in English, but without an index until I was asked to provide one for a late edition); Roy Jenkins’s Churchill. A few years ago I was indexing a book for Yale University Press, a biography of the celebrated cellist Emanuel Feuermann, and had cause to telephone the author, Annette Morreau, whom I did not know. It turned out that she had been a student at St One of our many historic societies: the 1977 Darts Club
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Cuthbert’s Chronicle Alice Abroad The great thing about Cuth’s is that it’s so easy to get settled in. Somewhere amongst the crazy Freshers’ Week fancy dress, the formal dinner rituals, and the countless hours of cramming for exams and summatives, you find you’ve built solid friendships, as well as a strong sense of college and university identity. After two years you’d consider yourself an expert in shortcuts to Bill Bryson Library, as well as a master of the best tea rooms around Elvet. So when you’re a year abroad student, as exciting as it is to spend a year in another country (or countries in my case!) it can feel a bit like interpreting, but equally wouldn’t hate a someone’s started the musical bumps short-term tutoring job. music again after hours of sitting down. I chose to spend 8 months on the other side of the classroom as an English language assistant in Spain, and then 4 months doing volunteer work in France. So far I’ve been in France a week, and already the two placements feel worlds apart, rather than one 200km-ish border.
“I haven’t experienced much in this world scarier than being left alone in a classroom with 23 sixteen-year olds, trying to explain the difference between ‘fun’ and ‘funny’.”
Alice at a park in Pamplona, Spain
preparation for leaving the comfort of Durham. While it’s not been easy to explain why I sing the words wrong when Angels comes on, I’ve managed to forge some wonderful friendships abroad.
Some final words of advice would be to relish the opportunities that you wouldn’t have in any other place. One of the best examples of this for me was hiring a car and taking a mini road trip. It was one of As a language assistant, I was the only the best things I did, and actually not that native speaker in the department of 13 scary! I spent a lot of weekends sightstaff. It was strange being the go-to for But perhaps the greatest benefit of a year seeing, and I advise any future Erasmus professionals twice my age, who had abroad is being able to see and students to soak it all up and grab the spent the majority of their lives studying experience so many new things. The opportunity by the horns (perhaps literally the language I had somehow come to language barrier can hinder this (because if you’re close to Pamplona like I was). know due to random geographical factors. no oral class explains how to put a Polo But likewise, don’t feel bad if you cling on At times it gave me a strange sense of into reverse gear…) but the worst thing to your own culture a bit – after all you importance for something I’d never had to you can do in a tricky communicative can’t continue to be a bastion of British learn! Something which proved more situation is to panic. In reality, it’s not culture if it becomes an alien concept! difficult was learning classroom skills; I actually a life or death situation choosing While it can seem daunting, it’s easy to can wholeheartedly say that I haven’t whether to employ the imperfect get used to life in the Durham bubble, and experienced much in this world scarier subjunctive or not. Try and be as accurate to find it hard to imagine what could than being left alone in a classroom with as possible, but failing that sound effects possibly come after the hazy days of 23 sixteen-year olds, trying to explain the and hand gestures will become your student life. A year abroad even in a difference between ‘fun’ and ‘funny’. saviour. For me, the battles further afield country on the same continent can really An Erasmus year can really help you get were the most challenging; it’s hard open your eyes to all your post-graduate realising that some Durham friends will perspective on careers. I have course opportunities. In fact, while I do cherish have graduated when you return. With the mates who plan to return to the schools the memories of my first two years of internet and social media, we still have a where they worked as soon as possible, university, this year has made the convenient way of maintaining contact; and others who wonder why they ever prospect of leaving Durham less scary. signed themselves up for teaching in the although this can provoke pangs of I’m now eager to jump in to other jealousy and homesickness when you see first place. I place myself somewhere opportunities which await me the other the photos and status updates of friends, between these two extremes; I’m still side of graduation. enjoying college events and journeys planning to work in translation and Alice Nichols, Cuth’s third year studying home which don’t involve airports. Modern Languages However tough this is, it’s good
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Features world of swimwear fashion. I wanted to maximise the opportunity for St Cuthbert’s Society Artist/Writer in collaboration, and to create something Residence Alan O’Cain writes about that would take student involvement making a cherished vision become a beyond the confines of the college into a reality. public-facing world. I decided the ideal I have been delighted this year to be living format was “installation”. in the Fellow’s Flat at 12 South Bailey and given an opportunity to mix with all members of the St Cuthbert’s Society community in the interests of fostering creativity and making exciting things happen. The centrepiece of the year has been a cherished project to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of a little-thought-about event. In 1946 (coincidentally the year St. Cuthbert’s Society was refounded) a total of 167 inhabitants of Bikini Atoll in the Pacific In March 2016 I approached Mike Marshall Islands were relocated by the Hughes, Head Gardener at Durham US Government in order to carry out Botanic Garden, and floated the idea. nuclear bomb testing in the area. A series Mike immediately embraced the concept. of twenty-three nuclear devices were We would set-up the installation in the detonated over a twelve-year period. The centre of the garden, hidden tantalisingly reef was contaminated beyond safety and in a shady and atmospheric conifer glade. only recently have a few intrepid diving The focal piece was to be a beaten-up companies established businesses on the and abandoned washing machine, atoll. The Bikinians and their descendants slumped on a mock tropical beach, hope one day to be repatriated. Also in around it seventy individually designed 1946 a new swimwear garment hit the bikinis on washing lines or strewn in the fashion scene. The press was quick to trees. A further element would be sound: make connections and give a nickname to the eerie noise of the washing machine the revealing two-piece garment and its still running. My residency is shared with “explosive” effect on the public. They Josephine Butler College and I knew named it the “bikini”. Butler had just the man: Student Support
Line of Vision
Officer Neil Crimes. Neil is a Music graduate and sonic whizz. We clawed together a modest project budget and set to work.
“It is orchestrated chaos, beautiful ugliness... ‘a mixture of poignancy and wit’.” Since 2008 I have been anticipating this double Anniversary and hoping to create an artwork juxtaposing some of the serious questions raised, not least the topical issues of forced migrations and environmental regeneration, with the colourful and (some might say) frivolous
The installation opened on 16 June 2016. An exciting Launch Party was enhanced by the joyous sounds of the Cuth’s Big Band and poetry from Durham student Molly McKay and Cuth’s alumnus and Fellow Christopher Somerville. Students from both colleges and SCR members worked magnificently to help create the
seventy hand-painted paper bikinis, as did pupils from Ryhope Junior School, Sunderland who happened to be visiting the Botanic Garden on bikini-painting day. Mike and his highly-skilled staff toiled heroically to wrestle the installation into shape and transform an unseasonably cold and damp northern English conifer clearing into a South Pacific atoll. My wife Juliet created the alluring project website, concocted the poster and signage designs, ferried innumerable objects back -and-forth in the car and gave her usual invaluable input to the overall conception, as did Mike Hughes and Neil Crimes, with their inspired ideas and practical help. Many people have asked about the meaning of the work, and whether it can be truly called art. I regard a work of art as a product of no intrinsic value designed to provoke thought. In that respect “The Bikini Line” is a work of art. But it is also garden design, and theatre. Most excitingly it is a “coming-together”, of people to create it, of material elements (sound, vision, texture, colour, vegetation) and of viewers, visitors, audience. Visually, it is orchestrated chaos, beautiful ugliness, or as postgraduate student Emily Carson called it, “a mixture of poignancy and wit”. This duality is a stylistic trait characterizing all of my art and so I find the completed installation particularly pleasing. Without enlightened initiatives such as having artists and writers in residence in Durham University colleges, or individuals like Mike Hughes and his staff at the Botanic Garden who are willing to stop at nothing to make ambitious creative visions a reality, or the students, SCR members, staff and others happy to rollup sleeves and get stuck in, such enjoyable, thought-provoking and lifeaffirming creative interventions could never happen. I give everyone my thanks, and hope for the continued recovery of Bikini Atoll from nuclear devastation, and for continued innovation from the world of fashion bringing colour into lives and smiles onto faces. Alan O’Cain, Artist/Writer in Residence
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Cuthbert’s Chronicle Arts and Culture Week When asked to write a short piece about our Arts and Culture Week, I had to think long and hard about when this activity started. It’s been around for as long as I can remember or for as long as I’ve been here, give or take a few years. I do remember the conversation I had with the then Principal, Professor Graham Towl about how we could shake off the image that we were just a sporty college and surely there must be something else apart from rowing and rugby; not that I don’t like rowing and rugby I hasten to add. It was the new Art Society, created in 2008 by one of our students and now an alumna, Phillippa Haughton, that started us thinking about how best to promote the Arts in Cuth’s and get more student involvement. The idea of showcasing the students’ work quickly followed with a small exhibition towards the end of 2008. What happened after that is now history which has repeated itself every June since 2009: the annual Arts and Culture Week. Of course, Arts and Culture doesn’t just happen in June, it happens all year round in talks, events, workshops, discussions and many more activities in the college. For example, the Art Society meet every Sunday evening and explore and develop their artistic talents. The choir are regular performers at the college Formals and the Big Band are so busy with gigs it’s amazing that they can find time for their degrees. But what I really enjoy about Arts and Culture is the fact that one week in the year we can show off all the talents of the students to the rest of the university and beyond. I looked back at the first ever week we held in 2009 and albeit small, it still provided an array of artistic talents of our students. We even arranged a Champagne Reception for the first Art Exhibition although I don’t think we ever did get the champagne, more of a cheaper fizzy alternative. We also held our first photography competition with many entries ranging from rugby matches and rowing boats to people and the Beer Garden. Hannah Ryley, who graduated in
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2010, was the first student to win the Photography Competition with a fantastic shot of Prebends Bridge at night.
This year was no different with many activities, performances, discussions and competitions. We had a very successful Garden Party despite the poor weather. We were entertained by the choir and the Big Band with a magical singing performance from the JCR PresidentElect, Megan Croll. The Arts Exhibition, organised by the President of the Art Society, Annie Osborne with help from the Artist in Residence, Alan O’Cain, was officially opened by the Principal, Elizabeth Archibald. On show were the entries from the Photography Competition which was organised by the President of We also hosted a poetry reading evening the Photography Society, Amy Stockdale. in the SCR evening entitled “Summer” Zsofia Borsi, one of our first year students which was organised by one of the received a first prize of £100 for her entry postgraduates. Also, a classic film night, a entitled “Solitude”. First years Emma Long performance from the choir (who had and Keziah Baskerville-Muscutt won the received an award from the Henry Tudor Art Competition. fund to tour Rome and perform in front of the Pope), Cuth’s Day and then we ended with the Principal’s Garden Party. In the years that followed, we’ve had an edible quilt, a martial arts demonstration, a film night held in the Gala Theatre (Les parapluies de Cherbourg), a production of An Ideal Husband by the Drama Society, many performances from Cuth’s Big Band, a floral art workshop, Olympic Torch celebrations, the creation of a 125 Choir, a trip to see the Lindisfarne Gospels exhibition, a mixology workshop, talks about Harry Potter, a music workshop delivered by the Chancellor himself, Sir Thomas Allen, a specially written play by Antonia Goddard, the Nightwatch, which was also performed at the Fringe in Edinburgh and Durham Drama Festival.
We also hosted the annual Harry Potter lecture, a popular addition to the programme and delivered by our Harry Potter expert, Martin Richardson, who teaches in the School of Education and is the creator and deliverer of the very popular module ‘Harry Potter and the Age of Illusion’. This year, he talked about memories, dreams and manipulation in the Potterverse. There was also a careers talk on how to get into arts and culture delivered by one of postgraduates and member of the SCR, Pauline Moger. There were a selection of workshops: Felt Flower Making, James Joyce/Bloomsday and Poetry Writing, and a visit to Beamish Museum.
Features Not being the most naturally sporty person, I gave myself from November till April to train. Training became rather gruelling quite quickly but I was incredibly lucky to be training on my year abroad (and Strasbourg is blissfully flat compared to home). High points included discovering the best way to explore my new home was in my running shoes and persuading my fellow Erasmus friends to jog the last few kilometres of my longest training run with me; whereas low points included running by a river whilst dealing with a mildly irrational fear of swans.
‘Solitude’, the winning photograph by first year student Zsofia Borsi
Even though it’s a festival of arts and culture, we still include a very cultural pastime, cricket. The annual JCR v SCR cricket match which usually bats off the week is very rarely won by the SCR but that doesn’t matter. It’s the fact that we get a group of people together to fight it out over which team is the best. This year’s event saw the introduction of the newly founded Sam Stoker Trophy, and Pam Stoker was there to present it. Of course, the 2016 winners were the JCR. As I finish my article, I’m reminded of something that was said to me a couple of years ago. The Prime Minister, at the time, Sir Winston Churchill, when asked to cut the arts budget in aid of the war effort in the 1940s was heard to say “...then what are we fighting for?” Whether it’s true or not, it resonates with me as to why I feel the arts are so important in so many ways. It’s not something that has a right or a wrong answer, it is subjective and not objective, it encourages us to think and to listen, it makes us laugh and cry but more importantly it allows us to come together as a community to be involved in something that is truly magical. Sharon C Richardson, Deputy Principal
Henry Tudor Awards Each year, Cuthbert’s students and societies are given the opportunity to apply for Henry Tudor Awards, which provide small amounts of money for personal development. If you’ve ever donated to St Cuthbert’s Society, there’s a good chance your donation helped to support these awards and our students. One of last years recipients was Cat Conquest, a third year Mathematician who was on her year abroad in Strasbourg: On 12th April 2015 I ran the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon in an effort to raise funds for Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. This is a cause close to my heart as my much-missed Uncle Paul died suddenly as a result of this condition in 2011. He was one of the most wonderful people I have had the privilege of knowing and I am deeply saddened to think how different his life could have been. Although it is too late for Paul, I aspired to contribute towards both the research and support supplied by Muscular Dystrophy Campaign in hope of improving the lives of others who suffer from this difficult condition.
The date itself came along incredibly quickly, and soon enough I was on a train to Paris. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with over 40,000 participants. The best advice I received at the start line was “Do not wish it away as there is nothing like your first marathon.” At the time I brushed this off amidst nerves and disbelief (said person was on their third/ fourth). Safe to say, she was absolutely correct. Although exhausting, it was an absolutely incredible experience. Paris looked absolutely beautiful and the crowds were out in full force to support, alongside various bands, dancers and musical groups. I even crossed paths with another volunteer running for the same charity, which was a wonderful boost at around 17km to share stories and speak about the charity. My completion time was 4 hours 54 minutes, just inside my target time of 5 hours. I managed to raise a total of £1,402 which will go towards both research into muscular dystrophy itself and towards care for those who live with it today. I cannot thank college enough for this award, given the incredibly personal nature of this event, and I feel truly touched by their generosity and belief in the cause. Thank you. Cat Conquest
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Get Involved
Come to an event!
Be a representative for your year group and organise a reunion.
Stay in Touch Cuth’s Development Officer, currently Harriet Rawet, can be reached in a number of ways: www.facebook.com/CuthbertsAlumni
Volunteer as a local representative to help us host regional events.
@CuthsAlumni
Offer time or space to help run an industry networking event.
www.durham.ac.uk/st-cuthberts.society/alumni
Become a Careers Angel and support current JCR members.
cuthberts.alumnirelations@durham.ac.uk
Let us know if there is a particular cause which you would like us to raise money for.
Association Contact Details:
Tell us what’s important to you as a Cuth’s alumnus or alumna.
www.facebook/st.cuthberts.association
Send us your photos and memories from your time in Durham.
@Cuths
If you’re interested in any of these, please don’t hesitate to get in touch using the details to the right.
www.cuths.org contact@cuths.org
Are there things you wish you had known when you set out into the world of work? Do you wish you had had someone to ask about a particular career? Cuth’s Careers Angels is a scheme in which alumni are asked to give current students help and advice about their future career. We recognise that our alumni are diverse, ambitious and successful, with expertise in just about every career area.
By becoming a Cuth’s Angel you can share invaluable advice and information with current Cuth’s students about your area of employment, making sure that the next generation of Cuthspeople to enter the workplace are better informed and more prepared for what lies ahead. Our Careers Angels receive free membership of the SCR and UK-wide event invitations.
To become a Careers Angel or find out more, please visit: www.durham.ac.uk/st-cuthberts.society/alumni