The Truth Behind PaperspACE: Issy Spence

Come July 4th, the University of Bath Architecture and Civil Engineering department will be bidding farewell to one of its greatest assets...

By Ben Hair

The printing of this issue of paperspACE carries far greater weight than may initially be apparent. Come July 4th the University of Bath Architecture and Civil Engineering department will bidding farewell to one of its greatest assets; Issy Spence.

For the last four years Issy Spence has been the life blood of this student led magazine rising to the role of Editor-in-Chief in 2015. My involvement has been somewhat shorter, only joining the team this year, but in that short time I have learnt of the astonishing scale of Issy Spence’s contribution.

As Editor-in-Chief, Issy reads, writes, and reworks every article to varying degrees almost independently, all the while retaining the smiling affable demeanour she is known and loved for. With diplomatic creativity, she cultivates the conversations that become the topics, the topics that become articles and the articles that become paperspACE. There are scarce few people who would work until the early hours of the morning, tirelessly compiling a magazine that promotes the department and its students alike, all the while with a 4th year studio project to wrestle with.

This article was initially intended to be an investigation into the truth behind paperspACE, but in truth paperspACE is just one of the many hats that Issy Spence wears with unwavering enthusiasm and cheer. It is fair to say that the Bath End of Year Show 2017 will owe a significant debt to the time and effort Issy has put into its co-ordination. She leads with fervour and exuberance and gives the enormous chicken that is the 4th year cohort a head.

I could list the countless societies, troops and causes that Issy associates herself with, giving each an exorbitant amount of care, but its perhaps more fitting (and aligned with Spence’s own humble nature) to just say this; Issy Spence is as caring as she is charismatic and as committed as she is crazy.

It is impossible to condense all that Spence has done for her fellow students in just 800 words, instead let this article be a small salute to the relentless positivity, consideration and love that she has given to every facet of her time at Bath.

Thank you, Issy Spence.

Omnipresent

Fuelled

Bodacious

Selfless

Kooky

Enthuthiastic

Caring

Kindhearted

Wonderful

Bubbly

Vivacious

Boozy Legend

Bootylicious

Vibrant

Quirky

Happy Hippo

Inviting

Genuine Legend

Mental

Charismatic

Fizzy

Effortlessly Likeable

Kind

Sparky

Exuberant

Effervescent

Bohemian

Flexible

Relentless

Tingly Magical

Issy’s peers were asked to sum her up in one word. These are the words that they put forward.