SPace
Bath Spa University’s monthly magazine MAY 2014
BATH SPA SAYS rELAX!
PORTHLEVEN PRIZE 2014 ED BALLS MP VISITS ARTSWORK MEDIA
FEATURES 14
Spotlight on... Dr Janet Rose, Programme Leader Education Studies and Early Years Award Leader, School of Education
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My Student Experience... Amy Lamborn, BA (Hons) Education Studies with Media Communications
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Geography field trip to India
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Bath Spa Says Relax!
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Porthleven Prize 2014
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In the News
School of Art and Design in Selvedge Magazine
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18 NEWS 6
Update from the Vice-Chancellor
8 Newton Park campus development update 9
Ed Balls MP visits Artswork Media
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Bath Spa Global
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Library Improvement Works
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Equality Forum 2014
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Spotlight On... Dr Janet Rose, Programme Leader Education Studies and Early Years Award Leader, School of Education
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Talking Point... Born to troll: Is risky online behaviour in our DNA? By Gordon Ingram, Lecturer in Psychology
18 My Student Experience... Amy Lamborn, BA (Hons) Education Studies with Media Communications 22 Three writers on Author’s Club Award Shortlist 23 Increasing students on Access to HE courses 28
Bath International Music Festival 2014
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Bath In Fashion
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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 Editor Jane Wakefield
Features Writer Rob Breckon
Design and Layout Lorna Leigh Harrington
Contributors Dr Gordon Ingram Amy Lamborn Front cover Clare Furniss Bath Spa Says Relax! Students Hayley Crymble with a pony at the petting farm Alice Meigh that visited Newton Park. Carol Forrester
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30 Portleven Prize 2014 32
Alumni News
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What’s On
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Archive Update
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Staff News
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Professor Christina Slade, Vice-Chancellor
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Update from the Vice-Chancellor In May and June we begin to bid farewell to many final year students. For some examinations and coursework signal the end of their course and for others the final performance or recital. This is however not the last time we hope to see you all as you become part of our growing alumni community. I hope all students, not just the final year cohort benefitted from the activities in Stamp Out Stress Week. The week was a success and I extend my thanks to everyone who took part and made it so. It was pleasing to see the activities featured on a regional and national level, with quite a bit of press interest! The bar is set high for what new and exciting creative ways to reduce stress we can come up with! Along with my colleagues in the School of Humanities and Cultural Industries, I welcomed Ed Balls MP, Shadow Chancellor, to Bath Spa led Artswork Media at Paintworks in Bristol. It was a great opportunity to showcase students working with industry. I also highlighted the value of the creative industries to the UK economy, particularly important given political parties are setting their policies for the 2015 General Election. Staff and students contributed to the Bath International Music Festival at the end of May. Burdall’s Yard played host to performances for Party in the City and the Festival went ‘on tour’ to Radstock and Newton Park, with two shows by Bath Spa University. I am sure, like me, you are looking forward to The Daily Telegraph Bath Children’s Literature Festival later this year, with Bath Spa University as creative partner.
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Newton park campus development update The media wall in Commons.
Commons: Commons has been abuzz since opening in April with staff and students alike making the most of the new space. The building will be officially opened by Academy Award winning film producer Lord Puttnam CBE on Thursday 5 June. The spectacular launch event will include a special ‘unveiling’ and guests will then be invited into the building to explore and discover how the space has been animated.
Residential development: Good progress continues to be made on the residential accommodation with work progressing on both the interior fit out and exterior cladding of the buildings. To ensure that Miller has enough time to complete the residences by September, the entire site will be handed to them on Monday 9 June. This means that there will be no car parking at the top of the campus from this date. If you currently drive to campus please consider using the bus, cycling or car sharing this summer. Details of car sharing scheme Car2Spa are available here If you have any questions or queries about the developments, please email the team npdevelopment@bathspa.ac.uk
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Ed Balls MP visits Artswork Media Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls MP visited Artswork Media in Bristol on 8 May and met with
company director and senior lecturer Nic Jeune and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Christina Slade as well as a number of students who work at Artswork Media. All final year Creative Media Practice students are taught at the Paintworks facility. Artswork Media is a growing local employer that gives students the opportunity to gain hands-on, practical experience in a commercial environment where they develop their skills by working with professional clients. Following his visit, Ed Balls said: “To tackle the cost-of-living crisis our cities and towns need to be effective engines of growth. To achieve this we need stronger local government supported by more effective central government, both working in stronger partnership with the business and education communities. “Artswork Media at Bristol’s Paintworks is an excellent example of what can be achieved when that happens. Bath Spa University’s commitment to nurturing their students’ entrepreneurial zeal by providing a business environment for them to hone their trade in is an innovative and clearly successful structure. It is just the sort of venture that with the right support by local and central Government can ensure our region’s cities and towns nurture the expertise they need to provide for the creation of high skilled jobs.” Many Bath Spa University graduates find employment in the Creative Economy with jobs in filmmaking, production, graphic design and advertising within and outside of the Creative Industries.
Ed Balls MP with Nic Jeune and students. SPACE MAY 2014 2013 SPACE NOVEMBER
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Bath Spa Global Dr Sarah McKenzie.
Dr Sarah McKenzie has been appointed as
academic director of Bath Spa Global – the University’s new approach to international student education, which launches this month. Dr McKenzie will be responsible for the new International First Year at Bath Spa. This programme will give new students additional support to help them integrate within the UK education system in their first year, before they progress onto full degree programmes across the University in year two. During this time their studies will include language tuition, academic instruction and information on UK history and culture, as well as the opportunity to become involved in local community projects. Dr McKenzie received her PhD in English Literature from University of Warwick and comes to Bath Spa with over 15 years of UK and international higher education experience across the US, EU, Australia and China. “Bath Spa Global builds on the University’s existing strengths of creativity, culture, enterprise and education, while fostering an environment that will help students from around the world find their inner entrepreneur,” she said. Another part of Dr McKenzie’s remit will be to develop Bath Spa Global’s School of Business and Entrepreneurship, where students from around the world will come to Bath to study one of the only degree programmes in Europe that combines design thinking with global business, entrepreneurship and creativity. Design thinking is the process of approaching any problem using the mindset of a designer combining empathy for the problem with creativity in coming up with a solution, and detailed testing of that solution as it’s developed. At the moment courses in design thinking are mostly based in the US, at universities including Stanford, MIT and Babson. “Our aim is that the School of Business and Entrepreneurship will encourage future entrepreneurs from around the world to make Bath their home – driving the local economy and helping the world to know about the enterprise that lies within this beautiful city,” she said.
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Library improvement works The main book hall in the Library at Newton Park will be closed from 21 June to 31 July 2014 to
allow for refurbishment works. There will be no access during this period to the book stock, quiet and silent study areas, schools resources, journals room, music resources and DVD room. The improvement works include laying new carpet throughout the book hall to provide better insulation and reduce noise. The toilets on the ground floor will also be refurbished. The Library reception, foyer and Open Access IT Suite will remain open throughout the refurbishment works for returns and enquiries, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. A number of alternative arrangements have been made for students and staff who will require access to the Library and resources during this period:
• From 1 June to 20 June loan allocations will be extended to allow users to borrow extra items over the summer vacation. Staff and researchers will be entitled to borrow 35 items and students and other users will be entitled to borrow 25 items. This is 10 extra items than usually permitted.
• Over 80 per cent of the University’s resources including ebooks and ejournals are available online and are accessible both on and off campus.
• Alternative study space for group and quiet working, copy and print facilities will be available on the ground floor of Commons.
• The libraries at Sion Hill and Corsham Court will be open as normal and the summer opening hours for these libraries are available at: www.bathspa.ac.uk/library
• Staff and students can access other university libraries around the UK under the SCONUL Access scheme. More information about the scheme, including how to join and participating libraries is available at: www.sconul.ac.uk
• The Library Team has negotiated with the University of Bath, University of Bristol and the University of the West of England (UWE) to allow Bath Spa users to access books, journals and other resources during this period. Details of these arrangements are available here
More information and FAQs about the Newton Park Library improvement works is available at www.bathspa.ac.uk/libraryimprovementworks but if you have any further questions please email library@bathspa.ac.uk
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Equality Forum 2014
Feedback from the afternoon workshops.
The annual joint Equality Forum organised by Bath Spa
and the University of Bath took place on 8 May in Commons at Newton Park. The event was well-attended by staff and student representatives from both universities, as well as local agencies including Sirona, Bath and North East Somerset Council, Diversity Trust and Support Against Racist Incidents (SARI). The event started with a review of the equalities work of the two universities given by Professor Christina Slade of Bath Spa and Mark Humphriss of the University of Bath. This was followed by a lively question and answer session on topics such as gender representation in senior roles in HE, access and Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic (BAME) student attainment. This was followed by a screening of a new short film My University, Equality and Me, made by and featuring students from both universities specifically for the Forum. The purpose of the film was to give a brief insight into the students’ perspectives and experience of equality at their university. 12
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Keynote speaker, Professor Terry Threadgold.
Keynote speaker, Professor Terry Threadgold, formerly Professor of Communication and Cultural Studies and Pro Vice-Chancellor Staff and Diversity, Cardiff University, gave a fascinating talk entitled A Journey From Artful Feminist Politics to Senior Administration: Different Strategies for Dealing with the Intolerable, Different Ways of Transforming Cultures and gave an insight into her challenging and at times difficult journey through the academy as a woman. Lunch provided opportunities for networking and delegates were also invited to meet and sample food from local eateries YO!Sushi, the Riverside Café Bath and Papa John’s. Delegates threw themselves enthusiastically into sushi making and tasting, and were entertained by a new interactive artwork on the media wall designed by third year Graphic Design students Max Pederson and Juda Kuma. In the afternoon the Forum broke into four workshops to discuss some specific topics including mental health, hate crime, the students’ film and national/international student engagement. The groups reconvened to share the key points of their discussions and make suggestions about how the two universities might create opportunities for working more closely together on specific issues moving forward. The Equality Forum 2015 will be hosted by the University of Bath.
Lunch! SPACE MAY 2014 2013 SPACE NOVEMBER
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spotlight ON...
Dr Janet Rose, Programme Leader Education Studies and Early Years Award Leader, School of Education The University’s School of Education has recently been recognised for its significant contributions
to Attachment Awareness in schools and Dr Janet Rose alongside Dr Richard Parker and doctoral student Louise Gilbert has been responsible for leading that project.
spotlight on...
The project has involved a programme of research about attachment awareness and training materials have been designed to help teachers and governors across the UK understand how failure to form secure attachments with adults at an early age can affect children throughout their education. Janet recently represented Bath Spa during a visit to the House of Lords where she delivered a keynote address on attachment and emotion coaching at the launch of the Institute for Recovery from Childhood Trauma. She said: “I had never been to the House of Lords before to conduct a talk so it was quite exciting for me. It was important to be given the opportunity to talk about the University’s work at such a significant event. “My keynote address discussed our Attachment Awareness Schools project which is a pilot in collaboration with Bath and 14 14
Dr Janet Rose SPACE 2014 2013 SPACE MAY NOVEMBER
North East Somerset Council , particularly Mike Gorman and Julia McDonald. We have been working with nine primary schools to deliver what is effectively a training programme to help support vulnerable children. “The objective of this pilot scheme is to up-skill the workforce, particularly those in schools as that is where children spend a lot of their time.” The ability of school teachers and professionals to identify and support children with attachment needs is of great importance, especially in helping improve their resilience and academic achievement. This work is being recognised by the National College of Teaching and Leadership. Janet explained: “What we also focussed on was helping practitioners to have a clearer insight into what might be the cause of a child’s disengagement with learning. Effectively, a teacher may be excellent at their job and passionate about what they do, but without an understanding of the often hidden and underlying issues affecting children in their classroom, they will not be able to successfully engage children with attachment issues.” Janet has been working at Bath Spa for four years and is enjoying the environment, both as a researcher and as a teacher. She said: “I really enjoy the collegial atmosphere here at Bath Spa. Compared to other universities I have worked at previously, the working environment here makes it a great place to come and work. I also greatly appreciate that the University has given me the opportunity and scope to develop my work in Attachment Awareness and work with colleagues such as Richard Parker. “When I am teaching my education students, I try to incorporate my research into my teaching methods. The biggest factor facing education students is the pace of change. I believe it is important for students to succeed in understanding education, they must appreciate the context of
what developments have occurred in the past and how this may affect trends and approaches to education in the future. “The research I have been doing with Attachment Awareness is directly feeding into the undergraduate and postgraduate teaching I do. The interest of students in my research has been fantastic and I have an increasing number of students doing dissertations on different aspects of Attachment Awareness.” Janet senses there is a heightened creative buzz amongst staff and students alike at Bath Spa since Professor Slade became Vice-Chancellor. She said: “It is evident the Vice-Chancellor has taken great strides in moving this University forwards. Investment in the research being conducted at Bath Spa as well as the impressive number of staff appointments has created a real buzz on our different campuses.” Janet has been named in the shortlist for the Students’ Union Student Teaching Awards for the last two years, something she is very proud of. She said: “Despite the amount of research I do, I still really enjoy the teaching aspect of my work. To know that my students feel they are getting something out of my teaching is a great feeling and I am grateful to those who nominated me.” With the summer just around the corner many people look to get away on holiday, but Janet plans to write a book. She explained: “This summer I will be writing my second book Health and Wellbeing in Early Years. I am writing it with Val Richards, Senior Lecturer in Education Studies and PhD student and former lecturer Louise Gilbert. Additionally I will be working on a research bid in collaboration with the University of Melbourne, Australia and the Gottman Institute in Seattle, America which is very exciting!”
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talking point Born to troll: Is risky online behaviour in our DNA? By Gordon Ingram, Lecturer in Psychology
The ‘Better Together’ campaign to keep Scotland in the UK is one of the latest victims of cyber
talking point
bullying, after so-called ‘cybernats’ (online campaigners for Scottish independence) launched a torrent of tweeted abuse at a businessman who supported the unionist cause. In Co. Durham, a nine-year-old girl had to have her stomach pumped after drinking a cocktail of vodka, wine and orange juice, in a dare reportedly filmed on a mobile phone and inspired by videos of similar ‘NekNominations’ that she had seen on Facebook. Meanwhile police in Virginia have broken up a ring of teenagers who were sharing sexually explicit ‘selfies’ on Instagram. What do these three episodes have in common? They all involve outrageous social behaviour. They were all facilitated – perhaps even encouraged – by new electronic technology. But I believe they are also driven by ancient evolutionary imperatives that have been with us since the dawn of humanity. Of course, the Internet is changing society in far-reaching ways. The Oxford psychologist Robin Dunbar famously came up with ‘Dunbar’s number’ (the limit on how many genuine social connections our human brains can effectively maintain), thought to be around 150. Fewer than that, and we may sink into loneliness and depression. Yet if we try to have many more than that, we will have little time left for the daily grind, or for maintaining truly intimate contact with our family and closest friends. Dunbar and his team recently investigated whether social media such as Facebook and Twitter allow us to expand our social networks without sacrificing so much time. Unfortunately for our increasingly time-pressed existence, he concludes that “it seems unlikely that the digital media will significantly change our social lives, at least in terms of the number and intensity of different kinds of relationships.” This is because electronic communication doesn’t have the same kind of emotional intensity and immediacy that we get from face-to-face interactions. Several studies have shown that rather than using social media to recruit and maintain new contacts, people use it more to maintain contact with family and old friends with whom they already have an emotional connection, but from whom they are geographically separated. This is one example of how our use of social media is limited by biology. We are adapted by evolution to interact with each other face-to-face, not via a computer or mobile phone. Another example is the differences in how men and women spend their time online. Jared Piazza of the University of Pennsylvania, a pioneer of the evolutionary approach to online behaviour, says that, “women are generally better than men at refraining from risky online behavior, such as posting compromising images of themselves on Facebook.” This is in line with findings that men are more likely to indulge in risky offline behaviour, such as drinking, fighting and gambling.
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The explanation comes from a branch of biology called parental investment theory. Essentially, this argues that females have more to lose from any risky behaviour (whether involving sex, violence or dangerous substances) because they make a heavy investment in nurturing their offspring, and have to keep themselves secure in order to do so effectively. This also makes them quite choosy about picking a mate. On the other hand, male investment in reproduction is cheap: sperm are literally produced by the million. Individual males are thus expendable, and are forced to compete for the attention of the choosy females – often via risky, attention-grabbing behaviour. This effect is also manifested in differing levels of male and female anxiety over how pictures of them online will be perceived by various audiences (such as parents, or prospective employers). A multi-university collaborative research project led by Ben Marder, of Edinburgh University, found that women were more worried than men about people seeing sexually suggestive pictures of them online. They were also more worried about being caught swearing – perhaps because this often involves sexually suggestive language. In science there are always exceptions. A nine-year-old girl may make headlines for doing something a bit like a NekNomination, but most of those indulging in this risky, attention-grabbing behaviour have been, and will continue to be, young males. Some cybernats are female – as, surprisingly, was one of the ‘trolls’ convicted of sending an abusive tweet to feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez. But most trolls are male, just as most sexting sessions are initiated by men – perhaps hoping for reciprocation, or in the deluded belief that because they would like to see a naked picture of a woman, she might like to see a naked picture of them. On the Internet, it seems that we can run, but we can’t hide from our evolved human nature. We may have to learn to come to terms with it instead.
Article originally published in The Daily Telegraph 20.04.14
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my student experience... Amy Lamborn, BA (Hons) Education Studies with Media Communications Coming to Bath Spa University was the best decision I ever made. Having said that, I didn’t have
my student experience
the best start! I started out student life in independent housing, but had to leave in November as I was feeling ill and couldn’t recover. In early December, the day before my 20th birthday, I was diagnosed with depression and was given medication. After mitigating circumstances and support from Bath Spa University, I was able to get back on track with my studies. The New Year saw a fresh start and in March I started working as a Student Ambassador which I really enjoyed. I met other students and was happy to promote Bath Spa as a good university and hope I helped prospective students make their decision. I also started doing administrative work in the School of Education and eventually when the summer holidays came, I moved to Student Services. At this point, after a few ups and downs I was a very happy person. I mainly worked full time throughout the summer and it was one of the best summers of my life. I met some amazing people, made friends and gained so much experience in the higher education sector; I knew from this experience I wanted to stay at Bath Spa University. I had never felt as passionate about working somewhere until I worked at Bath Spa and I still feel the same way now! My second year started year very smoothly and I am working hard at my degree. I am aiming for an upper 2:1 classification and have been gaining some extracurricular experience as well as studying. Over the last few months I have been very busy! I’ve worked at a number of Open Days, attended education meetings as course rep and successfully applied to be a student ambassador for the Widening Participation Team. I attended a number of workshops, became a team member for a research collaboration project to visit America during the Easter break, attended student experience advisory meetings, represented students as part of the Quality Assurance Agency visit and, finally have been elected as School Rep for Education, a post which starts in the new academic year.
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I have worked very hard at Bath Spa University and I can’t imagine doing anything else in the future. This summer I will be working on a project in Student Support with regard to improving the student experience in the lead up to and during induction week which I am really looking forward to. I have a number of friends at university; I don’t know what I would do without them! We help each other out with work and life in general and are always there for support and a laugh. My future plans will hopefully involve staying at Bath Spa University or the surrounding area and take up a graduate role at the University while undertaking a Masters’ degree in either education or higher education.
Amy Lamborn.
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Illustrations by Chloe Gregory
IN THE news
School of Art and Design in Selvedge Magazine Chloe Gregory, a second year Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors student, has illustrated
an article in the latest issue of Selvedge Magazine. Her work was personally selected by Polly Leonard, founder of Selvedge to accompany an article about the importance of drawing as a design foundation written by Diana Springhall. The magazine contacted all textile courses across the UK asking for illustrations and Chloe’s stood out from the crowd. Selvedge magazine is a design-led bi-monthly magazine with a readership of 75,000 that covers every facet of textiles, including interiors, fashion, art, craft, travel and shopping. It was founded in 2003 and quickly became the world’s leading textile publication. Polly Leonard and editor, Beth Smith recently visited the School of Art and Design to give a talk to textile students about how Selvedge magazine was set up. Students and staff attending the talk found it illuminating and interesting! Second year student Annie James said: “It was really interesting getting to understand how they work together as a team – full of useful advice.” 20 20
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Course Leader Amanda Goode was also pleased: “We were thrilled to welcome Polly and Beth and hear their expert advice and extensive knowledge about textiles.” The School of Art and Design’s association with Selvedge magazine is well-established. Tim Parry-Williams, Course Leader for the MA Design: Fashion and Textiles has written a number of articles for the magazine including one published in the latest issue about Japanese textile culture. The article A Martial Art: Indigo-dyed textiles from Saitama, Japan, describes the work of Kojima Senshoku, a traditional indigo dying company, located in Saitama Prefecture, West of Tokyo. Tim drew on interviews and observations he made during a visit to Japan in March this year, as well as his own extended research into Japanese vernacular textile traditions.
Illustrations by Chloe Gregory
Chloe Gregory agreed and said: “It was great to meet Polly and have my work chosen to appear in Selvedge magazine.”
Tim has also been commissioned to write another feature article about Japan, focusing on an award-winning traditional silk weaving company, who are pioneering new traditions in coated yarns and fabrics for the high-end apparel fabrics industry. Rachael Howard, Senior Lecturer Textiles and professional Designer-Maker has also previously illustrated articles for Selvedge and has an Arts Council funded solo exhibition coming up in October for which Polly Leonard has written the introductory essay for the catalogue. Rachel will also be appearing as the subject of a special feature article later this year to celebrate her rich and engaging textile practice and some of the projects she has undertaken in recent years. More information about Selvedge magazine is available here
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Three writers on Author’s Club Award shortlist Three Bath Spa writers have been shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award 2014.
Alumni Anthea Nicholson’s novel The Banner of the Passing Clouds and Lucy Cruickshanks’ novel The Trader of Saigon, along with current Creative Writing PhD student Jack Wolf’s novel The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones are all included in the six strong shortlist. The three authors were selected from 12 longlisted authors drawn from a record number of more than 60 submissions. Both Anthea and Lucy previously graduated from Bath Spa’s MA Creative Writing, demonstrating the high calibre of work being produced and the large number of successful students graduating from the course. I.J. Kay, another graduate of the course, won the Award last year. The Bath Spa trio are joined in the shortlist by Gavin Extence (The Universe Versus Alex Woods), Kevin Maher (The Fields) and Eimear McBride (A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing). Commenting on the continued and growing success of the University’s Creative Writing courses, Dean of the School of Humanities and Cultural Industries, Professor Steve May said: “This strong representation in such a prestigious competition shows that we are not just producing quality, but quality in depth. Since January 2013, graduates of our Creative Writing courses have published no less than 44 new titles - an astonishing and probably unprecedented achievement.” The winner will be announced and presented with the £2,500 prize on Tuesday 3 June at the National Liberal Club in London by this year’s guest adjudicator and novelist, Isabel Wolff.
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Increasing students from Armed Forces on Access to HE courses A grant totalling £114,729 has been awarded to the University to research and explore why students from an Armed Forces background are under-represented on Access to Higher Education courses.
The Forces in Mind Trust, an organisation established to help ex-Service men and women make a successful transition back to civilian life, has awarded £97,209 of this grant. An additional £9,600 has been awarded by Help for Heroes and a further £7,920 from apt awards, the Access course validating agency for the South West region. apt awards will also provide an Access to HE Consultant for the duration of the project. The Access to Higher Education Diploma is a well-established qualification, widely accepted throughout the higher education (HE) sector to prepare students who, for many reasons have few if any, qualifications suitable to gain entry to HE. In recent years the overall size of the regular Armed Forces has been reduced as increasing numbers of military personnel are made redundant. This project will develop a set of recommendations about how best to encourage students with an Armed Forces background to undertake an Access course. The research project is led by Dr Mel Macer, Research Fellow in the School of Education and is taking place in the South West because approximately 25 per cent of Britain’s Service and ex-Service personnel and their families live in the region. The researchers will work with ex-Service personnel from all three Services. The project aims to increase the number of students with an Armed Forces background in HE, to develop a shared understanding between military and civilian organisations which exist to deliver Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) on HE courses and to identify barriers that adults can experience in their knowledge of, or engagement with, Access to HE diplomas. The project’s recommendations will ensure that Access Course students in the UK are not disadvantaged by their military background. Dr Mel Macer said: “It is great to secure this support from these key organisations to deliver this important piece of work. This project further demonstrates Bath Spa University’s commitment to supporting educational outcomes for members of the wider Armed Forces community.”
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Geography field trip to India
In the mountains.
Dr Rich Johnson and Dr Esther Edwards recently took 30 Geography students on a trip to the states
of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh in Northern India as part of a Level 5 fieldwork module. While there, students had the opportunity to study urban development in the Punjab, and colonial heritage and its impact on present day livelihoods in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh (the summer capital of the British Raj). In the Kullu Valley the students also enjoyed a river reconnaissance and mapping activity as well as a visit to the mountain communities. Commenting on the trip, one of the students said: “I found the physical geography project the most rewarding in terms of learning, developing and extending my skills while still having lots of fun. I would have greatly enjoyed carrying on with this project and acquiring more valuable data.” The students also spent two days working in collaboration with students and staff at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) Shimla. One Bath Spa student remarked: “The HPU students were so smart and inspirational. They taught me so much about culture and religion. They were also very interested in our lives, so we are now friends on Facebook and they are e-mailing us some research papers.” This feeling was echoed by students at HPU who said: “It has been great working 24
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All aboard!
together!” and “We came to know about the different methodologies and working styles of our universities.” Esther Edwards and Rich Johnson also gave two lectures at HPU, one entitled Geotechnologies for Geographical Research to staff and students and another to HPU staff and visiting academics from across India entitled Natural Hazards, Vulnerability and Risk in Northern India. Both lectures were very well received with Dr B R Thakur of the Geography Department at HPU saying: “The research effort and approach (of Dr Johnson and Dr Edwards) has been widely appreciated by the attendees.” This is the fourth time that the Geography Team at Bath Spa has visited HPU and the relationship between the two institutions is growing. During the trip Rich and Esther undertook research activities in the State Archives at Shimla and convened a partnership meeting with Professor A N D Bajpayee, Vice-Chancellor HPU; other colleagues in the HPU Senior Management Team; as well as Professor D D Sharma and Dr B R Thakur, Department of Geography to discuss further international collaboration in both research and teaching, between the respective institutions.
Rich Johnson and Esther Edwards with staff from Himanchal Pradesh University.
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Bath Spa Says Relax!
Stamp Out Stress week took place from Monday 12 to Friday 16 May and was jointly organised by the University and the Students’ Union. It was sponsored by the Vice-Chancellor’s Helping Hand Fund and was held the week prior to the final assessment period. A number of events took place at Newton Park and Sion Hill campuses including: • Free professional 15 minute neck and head massages, • Stress to Success! workshops, • Financial health checks with resident money advisors,
• A top tips wall containing post-it notes written by students advising how they best deal with stress,
• Mini health MOTs with a nurse practitioner about BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol and general health and wellbeing, • A mini petting farm with a pony, calf, ducklings, chicks, goats, sheep and a dog.
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Sara Gallagher, Student Support Manger said: “The idea of Stamp Out Stress came from the ViceChancellor’s Office which had an amount of money they wanted to use in a creative way to support students through what can be quite a stressful time as they prepare for their exams and final assignments.” Emma Weskin, Students’ Union Welfare Officer added: “We were keen to be able to provide opportunities for students to take some time away from their revision and the library and spend some time de-stressing and enjoying themselves. “There have been a number of different events throughout the week and one of the most popular events has been the mini petting farm which came to Newton Park campus on Thursday (15 May). It was fantastic to see so many students come along and experience the petting farm. It definitely helped them de-stress and put a smile on their faces.”
Emma Weskin, Students’ Union Welfare Officer with a kid goat.
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Bath International Music Festival 2014
The Bath International Music Festival took place from 16 to 26 May and brought the city to life. Bath
has an illustrious artistic history and this is a long and well-established event of national significance and international reputation. Almost 2,000 performers took part in Party in the City on the opening night of the Festival, including many Bath Spa students and staff. Party in the City celebrated the local music scene and vibrant cultural life of Bath and the surrounding areas. It was an exciting programme of free events that took place in approximately 30 venues across the city, culminating in a fantastic street performance and procession which brought the city centre alive with music and dancing. Other Bath Spa events during the Festival were a performance by the Chamber Choir on 17 May at Victoria Hall in Radstock and East Meets West, an evening with the University’s Indonesian Gamelan Orchestra, featuring tuned gongs, metallophones and other percussion instruments.The Gamelan group play a variety of traditional and new music for chamber ensemble and solo western instruments composed by students from the University’s undergraduate and Masters’ Composition courses. 28
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Gamelan Orchestra.
This year’s Bath in Fashion event ran for a week from Iconic BIBA gingham dress.
Catwalk show. Credit: Artur Lesniak.
3 to 10 May and celebrated the creative designers, makers, galleries and businesses in Bath. A focus of this celebration was a look back in fashion time to the origins of one of the UK’s most iconic brands, BIBA, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year. Staff and students from the Fashion Department were heavily involved in the week. Head of Fashion, Louise Pickles hosted ‘Fashion Your Future’, an event for anyone who wants to work in fashion. A panel of experts talked about the many different careers within the fashion industry and the routes to becoming a designer, fabric or product developer, assistant buyer or fashion journalist. The panel included three Bath Spa graduates: Chloe Jones now Design Assistant at Matthew Williamson; Alanna Kaye, an Intern at Tom Ford; and Rebecca Head, Apparel Design timfishdesign, outdoor and sports design consultancy.
A special catwalk show of original vintage BIBA designs was a highlight of the week and quickly sold out. The show was presented by Hilary Alexander, former fashion director of The Daily Telegraph, with guest of honour Barbara Hulanicki who created the BIBA brand 50 years ago. Fashion students from Bath Spa, taking inspiration from Barbara’s famous gingham dress of 1964, designed a fabulous selection of dresses which were showcased as part of the catwalk show.
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Porthleven Prize 2014
Five students recently returned from a very successful ten-day residency in Porthleven, Cornwall having successfully applied to the Bath Spa Porthleven Prize 2014. During their time there, the students worked incredibly hard, producing some very thoughtful work. Their time together resulted in very professional presentations to external curators who commented on the excellent standard. The five winners of the Bath Spa Porthleven Prize 2014 were: • Jenny Newbury (Creative Writing) • Emily Furnell (Fine Art) • Sae Murai (Dance and Textile Design Studies) • Fiona Haines (Fine Art) • Lucinda Burgess (Fine Art) Despite the storm damage this winter the students were able to fully engage with Porthleven and worked on beaches, interviewed local people and went out to sea with fishermen to collect flotsam and jetsam, and other found objects.
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Working on the beach.
Hook by Fiona Haines.
Commenting on the experience, Fiona Haines said: “Four main areas of interest occurred within my residency: place, object, people and sound. Within place, fall specific sites, such as Goonhilly, Loe Bar, and the disused Bathhouse, and places encountered by chance during walks - including coastal paths and disused mines. It was on such walks that I came across objects that proved inspirational within my work, such as flotsam and jetsam, or a burnt tree found to the side of Loe Bar. I also found myself influenced by the conversations with people that I met, and the different sounds experienced around me, recording and listening live via head set. It is now an exciting stage where I start to use these combined experiences and make work for the forthcoming touring exhibition.” Teresa Gleadowe kindly facilitated the studio space at Cast Studios and was very generous with her time with the students. She said: “I enjoyed talking to the students, as did my friends. I was impressed by the ways in which they had responded to the terrain when making work - and used the specificities of the space when making their exhibition - and by how articulate and engaged they all are when talking about their work.” The residency also coincided with two local annual events. The students were involved with documenting the ‘Porthleven Masked Ball’ - a very popular local festival, and the ancient festival ‘Flora Day’ a tradition of another time when the whole town is adorned with wonderful foliage and traditional floral arrangements gathered from hedgerows. Some wonderful work including images and texts are well underway and one MFA student is currently making work with the chains from Porthleven harbour, which had to be replaced due to storm damage. All the students are now working on developing pieces and some of these will be selected for the official opening of Commons at Newton Park on 5 June. An exhibition of all the work developed during the Porthleven residency will be exhibited at the O3 Gallery in Oxford on 10 October and later in the autumn at the gallery at Sion Hill. SPACE MAY 2014
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How I became an author after moving to Bath, by Clare Furniss Author Clare Furniss admits she would have laughed off suggestions that she would become an author just eight years after moving to Bath.
Clare Furniss.
“And if they’d told me my first novel was going to be the subject of an eight-way bidding war I would have suggested in the politest possible way that perhaps they were a few books short of a library, if you know what I mean. I’d always loved writing, but at the time I had no serious thoughts of even doing it as a hobby, let alone a career. I was looking after my three-year-old daughter and 15-month-old son, so my hands were pretty full. I’d given up my previous job in media relations when I had my children as the unpredictable hours meant it was not very family-friendly. We’d moved to Bath because it seemed the perfect place to bring up a family – beautiful, plenty going on, the rolling hills of the West Country on the doorstep. I didn’t realise then that it was also the perfect place to live if you wanted to be a writer.
ALUMNI NEWS
I wasn’t doing any writing at all at the time. I’d signed up for a creative writing evening class in London before we moved, but was always too busy to go along. And the truth was that I was scared too. I’d loved writing stories and poems at school, and I’d been good at it, but could I still do it? It didn’t seem very likely. A couple of months after we’d moved I was looking through the programme for the Bath Children’s Literature Festival when I noticed an event run by Bath Spa University. Graduates of the MA Writing for Young People talked about how fantastic the course was and how it had led to publishing contracts for many of them. I had a chat with the wonderful course leader Julia Green and discovered that it was possible to do the course part-time. The idea was planted in my mind. The following year, I plucked up the courage to go on a five-day residential writing course. I was expecting my third child by then, and was determined to start writing before the demands of a newborn meant I had no time or energy to do it.
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While on the course I started to write one of the ideas that had been floating around in my head for a while, about a teenage girl whose mother dies in childbirth, leaving a baby sister for the teenager to cope with, while also coming to terms with her loss. I didn’t know whether it was an idea that would work as a novel, but the tutors liked the idea and encouraged me to give it a go. I only wrote a couple of pages, but as soon as I started to write, things began to fall into place. There would be a nickname for the baby: The Rat. It would take place over the course of a year, divided into months to move the story along. And suddenly I realised I had a name for the story: The Year of The Rat. I had some great feedback and I came home knowing that eventually I would write the whole book. But it was a while before I had the chance to put my plans into practice. The reality of having three children under five meant that writing took a back seat. I’d get up early or stay up late to try and get some done, but it felt impossible to get any momentum going. I decided to take the plunge and sent off my application for the Bath Spa MA. It was the best decision I ever made. The MA courses in Creative Writing and Writing for Young People at Bath Spa have an extraordinary success rate of producing published and prize-winning authors. Our weekly workshops were held at the imposing Corsham Court – who could fail to be inspired by such beautiful surroundings? I soon got to know a network of local writers which made the solitary business of writing less lonely. I could meet up with other people, some published authors, others unpublished like me, and talk through problems and difficulties with them. It made it feel more manageable, less daunting. I began to believe that just maybe, if I kept working at it, and if I was very, very lucky, I might just be published one day. I finished The Year of The Rat by working late into the night and getting up before my children. It was exhausting, but exhilarating too. It involved endless rewriting, and there were days when I thought I’d never get it done. I remember clearly the morning I sent it off to literary agent Catherine Clarke. I felt dazed, exhausted and proud. Just writing a book felt like a great achievement at that point. It was half-term and my parents were staying with us. We all went out to a café for lunch to celebrate and I thought that whatever happened next, I was proud of what I’d achieved. A few days later Catherine emailed to say she loved the book. I could hardly believe it. We met up in a café in Bath and she offered to represent me. Within a couple of weeks she had sent the manuscript to publishers and two weeks after that we went to London for a two-day marathon of meetings with publishers. It was a whirlwind – looking back on it I can still hardly believe it happened. Within a month I’d gone from sitting at my own at the computer, wondering if I’d ever finish my book, to an eight-way auction. It’s what you dream of as an aspiring writer, but never believe will really happen. A year later I feel incredibly lucky to be where I am. My book is about to be published and has already had some great reviews. It really is a dream come true!”
Article originally published in The Bath Chronicle 26.04.14 If you have a story to share, contact Ruth Russell at alumni@bathspa.ac.uk.
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What’s on School of Art and Design Degree Show 2014 Sat 7 – Sun 15 Jun, 10:00am – 5:00pm daily, Sion Hill and Dartmouth Avenue campuses, Bath Art and Design students achieve their degree in the public eye and this final degree exhibition is the result of a long period of intense study. The work displayed is a statement of the skills, insights and ideas that each graduating student will take with them in the next stages of their careers.
Graduate Fashion Show 2014 Tues 17 Jun, 3:00pm and 7:00pm, Assembly Rooms, Bath The Fashion Department students have been raising money all year to fund a professional end of year show. First and second year work will be showcased on the catwalk, alongside the final year students’ collections fresh from the catwalk at Graduate Fashion Week in London.
Thought, Action and Passion: the Power and Obligations of Liberal Education Professor Liz Coleman, Fri 6 Jun, 10:00am, Commons CM107/08, Newton Park. FREE
Mortality and Memoir: Recalling what matters. Professor Gavin Cologne-Brookes, Wed 24 Jun, 5:00pm, Commons CM107/8, Newton Park. FREE
More information about the Professorial Lecture Series is available here
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Bath Spa Live The Best of Drama Studies Wed 11 Jun, 6:00pm, University Theatre Three provocative, stimulating and exciting productions directed, performed and presented by Bath Spa University Drama Studies and Theatre Production students. Showcasing the most outstanding work produced by the Drama Studies course. Tickets: Full price: £8.00, Concessions: £6.00, BSU Students and U16s: £5.00. Free for Bath Spa Live members.
Gala Concert Fri 13 Jun, 7:30pm, The Assembly Rooms, Bath Students from Bath Spa University’s Department of Music celebrate the end of the academic year with their popular, annual Gala Concert, featuring the University’s Symphony Orchestra, Choir, Wind Band and Georgian band. The programme will include highlights from Bizet’s Carmen as well as concerto performances by graduating students.
Tickets: Full price: £8.00, Concessions: £6.00, BSU Students and U16s: £5.00. Free for Bath Spa Live members.
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Archive update
A students’ perspective of working in the Archive by Hayley Crymble, third year History; Alice Meigh, second year History and Dance; and Carol Forrester, second year History.
Here at the Archive the Team is
extremely excited at the prospect of the collection moving back to Newton Park to be rehoused in the Castle. Growing from a bundle of documents tucked away in a filing cabinet to the ever expanding collection bursting out of our office at Corsham Court, it seems fitting that after three years the Bath Spa University Archive can call what used to be the original reference library at the Teacher Training College, home.
All our hard work! Some of the completed and catalogued boxes, in the current office at Corsham Court.
Hayley has completed three modules at the Archive and is as sad to be leaving as the Archive Team are to see her go. Hopefully she will take many treasured memories with her! Carol and Alice will be coming back next year to take on Hayley’s role of mentoring new students and continuing to catalogue the greatly expanding collection. Carol is also going on to do a summer module at the National Trust property Attingham Park, near her home, using the skills she has gained from the Archive. The Archive has certainly grown since its humble beginnings, and an influx of new material from Newton Park Library has the office practically splitting at the seams. While sifting through box after box of documents, sometimes something truly special turns up. So far we’ve had sewing samplers a hundred years old, medieval tiles, a mysterious plaque (dated 1673) and masses of photos cataloguing students of the past and their changing dress sense. With each new box the past becomes clear and brighter, who knows what will come to light next! In conclusion, as Dr Kate James, our mentor has said: “the more we find out, the more we know and the more we can tell other people” which seems self-explanatory, but reflects the ever-expanding depth of knowledge being acquired. The research and discoveries of Kate and the Archive have already been put into an institutional history, (due out next year) marketing materials, publicity for the University, conference papers and her own PhD research. Our ever increasing knowledge and the growing profile of the Archive are elements that as a Team we take great pride in and always strive to further. Follow the BSU Archive blog at http://bsuarchive.blogspot.co.uk/ Or on Twitter @BSUArchive
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STAFF NEWS Starters and Leavers
In May we welcomed‌ Owain Jones, Professor of Environmental Humanities, School of Humanities and Cultural Industries Georgie Eggar, Student Support Coordinator, Student Services Wendy Bennett, Cleaner/Porter/Driver, Domestic and Portering Services John Evered, Early Shift Team Leader, Domestic and Portering Services Liam Tarvit, Student Information Coordinator, Student Services Simon Brooks, Head Gardener, Estates
We also said farewell to‌ Joelle Adams, Deputy Director (Learning Development), Library and Learning Services Elspeth Walker, PGCE and Enhancement Courses Administrator, School of Education Katie Neville, Nursery Officer, Day Nursery Charlotte Bain, Music Admin Manager, School of Music and Performing Arts Robert Barratt, Director of Education, School of Education Kate Coe, Research Publications Librarian (Institutional Repository), Library and Learning Services Lucy Plant, Administrative Assistant, Student Services Patricia Lynn, Research and Graduate Studies Administrator, Research and Graduate Affairs
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