Olympic Alumni Getting involved with London 2012 New Media and Revolution Exploring the internet and radical politics
Mary Quant “Goldsmiths was great for causing trouble” Goldlink
SUMMER 2012 NO. 37 Keeping you in touch with Goldsmiths
David Mungall Director, Development & Alumni Relations
Hello! We were delighted with the response to the newlook Goldlink we published last time. The consensus seemed to be that it achieved a balance between a more convenient format, layout and stories. Thank you to everyone who took the time to get in touch and as always feedback from alumni is very helpful. These are very exciting times for Goldsmiths, with the College having announced a number of partnerships and collaborations in the last few months. The collaboration with Santander to offer scholarships, the partnership with LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore, and the launch in June of Goldsmiths’ Confucius Institute for Dance and Performance are all important developments aimed at adding value to the student experience at Goldsmiths both nationally and internationally. The changing landscape of Higher Education means such collaborative relationships are an important part of the continuing success of Goldsmiths, and with so many of our alumni having forged successful careers in a wide range of industries I am sure that the future will hold many new exciting partnerships. GOLDLINK 37 Editor Genevieve Kantoch Design Zoë Bather Photography Fiona Scott-Maxwell (page 10), LOCOG (page 13), Tomas Valenzuela (page 14), Marco Longari (page 16), Boston Globe (page 17) Dagmara Cetkowska (page 22), David Bracher (page 24) If you are interested in advertising in a future issue of Goldlink please contact us for a rate card, discounts are available to alumni. Goldlink
Director of Development David Mungall Senior Development Manager Annette Bullen Alumni Relations Officer Genevieve Kantoch Research & Database Officer Antoinette Carey Administration & Events Officer Angela Elderton
Update your details online at www.gold.ac.uk/alumni/update
Development & Alumni Office Goldsmiths, University of London New Cross, London SE14 6NW alumni@gold.ac.uk +44 (0)20 7078 5015
The opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the writers concerned and not necessarily of Goldsmiths.
Follow Goldsmiths Alumni on Facebook and Linkedin. Contributions to Goldlink are welcomed by email or post. We reserve the right to edit articles in the interests of brevity or clarity.
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On the cover Mary Quant, 1964 by Ronald Dumont
IN THIS ISSUE
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02 Goldsmiths in Singapore New partnership for College 03 On Campus 05 Research News 06 Interview Looking back with fashion icon Mary Quant 10 Olympic Alumni Playing a part in London 2012 14 Showcase Olivia Clemence 16 Essay Evaluating the internet and social change 19 Books 20 3x3 21 Life After 22 First Person Paul McKeever on policing London 23 People News 24 Parting Shot
Summer 2012 No.37
02 News
GOLDSMITHS IN SINGAPORE
Goldsmiths has partnered with LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore to offer new undergraduate programmes
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s part of a new relationship with Goldsmiths, LASALLE College has introduced 14 new arts degrees. The programmes will cover a full range of contemporary arts disciplines – from fine arts, media arts and performing arts to design and arts management. As the first such collaboration for the College in Asia, the courses will be validated by Goldsmiths and will be held to the rigorous standards that the College maintains. There will also be joint research initiatives, staff development and exchanges between the two institutions. Goldlink
These new courses at LASALLE are the latest addition to the arts degree programmes funded by the Ministry of Education in Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong witnessed the official signing of the partnership agreement at LASALLE’s award-winning campus, between LASALLE Chairman Peter Seah and the Chairman of Goldsmiths’ Council, Christopher Jonas. Peter Seah said: “Our Colleges have a mutual passion for nurturing thinking artists who will provide creative solutions to make the world a better place.”
Christopher Jonas said: “We are delighted and honoured to be partnering with an institution as prestigious as LASALLE College of the Arts. At the heart of both institutions is a belief in providing an innovative educational experience through creative and intellectually rigorous thinking and practice. This partnership will build on these shared values and promote the exchange of academic excellence between the two institutions, in turn benefitting the creative economies of both Singapore and the UK.”
03 ON CAMPUS
THREE YEARS OLYMPIC TORCH OF THE ANNUAL BEARERS FUND
INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT LAUNCHED
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arlier this year over £50,000 was disbursed from the Annual Fund to 28 unique projects – a £5,000 increase on last year’s total. As well as supporting students in financial hardship and improvements to the library, funds will enable students to put on exhibitions, performances and work within the local community. Since 2009, the Annual Fund has made a massive difference to a variety of people and projects and is now a part of College life. The Fund has, in total, supported 81 projects and disbursed £132,139. Annette Bullen, Senior Development Manager, said: “We’re grateful to all our donors who enable so much incredible work to go ahead. Without them none of these projects would have taken place. The Fund’s strength, like Goldsmiths’, is its diversity, and every gift helps.”
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oldsmiths was selected by Samsung as one of just 31 UK institutions to participate in the London 2012 Olympic torch relay. Staff and students were asked to nominate peers for the role of torch bearer, voting for those they felt had ‘gone the extra mile’ either at Goldsmiths or in activities outside of the College. The winning nominees were Maria MacDonald from the Department of English and Comparative Literature and current students Mohammed Kellow and Luke Evans. Pete Austin, Press and PR Manager said: “Hearing about people campaigning to get their peers’ vote has really brought home what this opportunity means to people. It’s great we can now look forward to seeing our final three deserved winners carrying the torch as the relay passes through London in July.”
ffering four new MSc programmes, the Institute of Management Studies welcomes its first cohort of students this September. Each course is designed to equip students with the skills, knowledge and creativity to develop potential in management, innovation and leadership. Strong industry links and guidance from leading academics will ensure students graduate with an MSc qualification firmly rooted in theory, research and practice. “The Institute is the result of the unique interdisciplinary collaboration that Goldsmiths is renowned for,” commented Frank Bond, Director of the Institute. “We are drawing on the excellent teaching of our diverse yet complementary subjects to provide students with an influential qualification enabling them to stand out in a competitive economy.”
Summer 2012 No.37
04 News ON CAMPUS
SANTANDER SCHOLARSHIPS
NEW CHAIR OF COUNCIL ANNOUNCED
RECOGNITION FOR WORK WITH CARE LEAVERS
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antander Universities, part of Santander UK plc, have signed an agreement to provide £120,000 in scholarship funding to students over the next three years. They will fund seven scholarship awards of £5,000 for international students applying for postgraduate courses. The scholarships will be offered to students from Latin America, increasing our existing cohort of more than 100 students from the region. Additional funding will be provided in support of activities in entrepreneurship, enterprise and management. The Warden, Patrick Loughrey, said: “Nurturing partnerships with international institutions is a key part of our strategy. It is really inspiring to find a partner organisation from the business world which understands the central and unique role of universities in meeting the challenges of the future.”
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he Right Honourable Estelle Morris (Baroness Morris of Yardley) will succeed Christopher Jonas as Chair of Goldsmiths’ Council from September 2012. Christopher has served as Chair of Council for the last six years and stands down after his term concludes. Estelle has already served as a member of Goldsmiths’ Council since 2006. On her appointment, Estelle says: “I am delighted to have been asked to play a part in shaping Goldsmiths’ future at such an important time in the higher education sector. I look forward to taking up my new role, listening carefully to the views of the College’s students, staff and alumni and doing my best to ensure the continued success of this illustrious institution.”
oldsmiths has been officially recognised by Buttle UK – a charity dedicated to supporting some of the most vulnerable children in the UK – for its services to young people in and leaving care. Goldsmiths received the prestigious Quality Mark for the College’s commitment to widening access to care leavers and providing a good level of service for care leaver students. Laura Cattell, Outreach Manager at Goldsmiths, said: “A more diverse student body benefits all our students, and the Quality Mark will be a great help in our ongoing efforts to ensure disadvantaged, vulnerable and underrepresented groups are given the opportunity to achieve the future success they deserve.”
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Forensic Oceanography: Images courtesy of Forensic Oceanography: Charles Heller, Lorenzo Pezzani, and Situ Studio. Part of the European Research Council Project “Forensic Architecture”, Centre for Research Architecture, Goldsmiths, University of London. Investigating Aristotle’s Theories: Waterscape 56 (2010), by Prof Dr Shuji Okada
RESEARCH NEWS
INVESTIGATING ARISTOTLE’S THEORIES
ONLINE LEARNING IN DIVORCE
FORENSIC OCEANOGRAPHY
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collaborative project between the Department of Music and Seian University of Fine Arts and Design in Japan has been awarded a prestigious research grant. The project has received support from the Daiwa AngloJapanese Foundation, the highest ever amount granted for a single group by the Foundation. Funding is also being provided by Seian University’s International Research Fund. Entitled ‘SHIZENGAKU: Nature, Material and Aspects of Identity and Creation’, the project looks at art arising from Aristotle’s theories. It aims to unlock the connection between art and nature by juxtaposing two types of artefact (visual art and sonic music), two types of critical engagement (the practical and the theoretical), and two types of cultures (British and Japanese). The final outcomes will be exhibited in both London and Japan in the coming months.
rofessor Carrie Paechter (pictured) from the Department of Educational Studies has conducted research into an online divorce support network. Wikivorce, a publicly-accessible social enterprise, provides support and information to people going through divorce. Professor Paechter’s research highlights the ethos of the network as important in providing both immediate and ongoing emotional support. Advice gained through the site supports those representing themselves in court and those using lawyers, saving people time and money. These findings come at a critical time as the Government finalises a bill to change the eligibility for legal aid in England and Wales. This may force more people to represent themselves in divorce cases, making this kind of support network increasingly beneficial.
esearch carried out by Goldsmiths’ Forensic Oceanography team has shed light on the fate of the ‘left-to-die’ boat which saw 63 migrants die while trying to flee the war in Libya last year. The research employed emerging mapping and visualisation technologies, focusing specifically on the spatial analysis of the case. Earlier this year, with support of a coalition of NGOs, several survivors from the boat convened to file a legal case against the French Army for non-assistance to people in distress at sea. The Forensic Oceanography team provided technical expertise in the form of maps and visual material to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, who have released an in-depth report on the issue.
Summer 2012 No.37
06 Feature
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s a sixteen year old girl, keen to escape her suburban existence, Mary persuaded her parents to let her come to Goldsmiths. The people she met, including her husband Alexander, and the experiences she had at the College during that time were to make a great impression on her. Chatting over afternoon tea in a hotel in Chelsea, she laughs, “Goldsmiths was a great place to go – for causing trouble!” Mary came to Goldsmiths in 1950, just a few years after the College officially reopened after the war. She had convinced her reluctant parents to let her embark on an art diploma course with a view to becoming an art teacher. “I had to persuade my parents to let me go to Goldsmiths, it already had quite a reputation. I was living in South East London in Shooters Hill then. This was after the war so I had been living all over the place, being evacuated and reevacuated, which was terrific fun as a child but you didn’t realise the horrors that were going on. When I came to Goldsmiths after the war, the men were only about 20 but they had been through so much and they somehow seemed terribly older. Goldsmiths then seemed like a very civilised club to me. You grabbed a table for yourself and put your things there and just got on with your work really – no nonsense with lectures and stuff!” She also recalls the vibrant social scene at the College. “There were terrific parties. Socialising amongst the other art schools was very intense, Brighton because it was in that direction and also the Royal College of Art – we went to all their events. There wasn’t too much rivalry because everybody wanted to do their own thing and be utterly original. But Goldsmiths was, and still is, the most provocative and exciting art school of the lot. It does attract some very interesting people and will go on to I’m sure and
will therefore stay the most original. It’s a hugely exciting place. It produces so many of the new ideas in all sorts of areas. That is the joy of Goldsmiths.” As a girl, Mary had started to make clothes by cutting up old bedspreads and she continued to make her own designs in the styles that she wanted to wear, but couldn’t find in the shops. While her days were spent at the College, her evenings were dedicated to honing her dressmaking craft. “In the evening I went to pattern cutting classes. I bought Butterick patterns as they gave me a basic sizing. I chopped up what I didn’t like about them and turned them into the designs that I wanted. Then about two years later Butterick gave me a job working for them so it worked the other way round!” It was in 1953 that Mary put these design and dressmaking skills to wider use by opening her very own shop. Selling a new kind of clothing specifically for young people, her boutique was the first of its kind. “When we left Goldsmiths, Alexander and I decided it would be much more fun if we could work together and with a friend of Alexander’s we decided to open a shop, a boutique in Chelsea. It became successful because it was so needed I think. There was nothing for young people.” The shop, called Bazaar, was situated on the trendy King’s Road in Chelsea and soon became the place to be seen. Offering young women a radical way of dressing, everything about the shop signified the new, including the imaginative window displays. “It was so different to what anyone else was doing but it seemed to me the way to do it. I arranged the displays rather like magazines, with a very flat design and then later I had the mannequins made. I had figures hanging upside down from the ceiling – that was supposed to be David Bailey
There are few people that can be credited with defining an era but Mary Quant, synonymous with the swinging sixties, is one exception
Summer 2012 No.37
08 Interview Previous spread: Mary wearing one of her miniskirt designs
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Below: Mary also produced a very successful line of cosmetics
Right: Receiving her OBEÂ in 1966 for services to the fashion industry
09 taking photographs, as he always did photographs from funny angles – and a real lobster was being pulled along by one of the mannequins. The lobster didn’t last long as you can imagine!” Mary is of course best known for popularising the miniskirt. This revolutionary new look allowed women a liberating and daring way of dressing which chimed with the dawning of a new era. What is often overlooked though, is the simultaneous introduction of tights. Until then these were not available to the average woman. As Mary confirms: “They didn’t exist you know! There were only pantomime tights for theatre. I went to theatrical tights manufacturers and got them to make them for me with the colours I wanted.” Prof Angela McRobbie from Goldsmiths’ Department of Media and Communications, explains the significance of this: “Mary Quant produced what has since become
The 60’s was just the most exciting, wonderful period. It was a running party and so much fun
the most ubiquitous and taken-for-granted item in the female wardrobe, otherwise known as tights. Like so many of Quant’s best-known works, this single item permitted a greater freedom of movement on the part of the young women, who from the early 1960s onwards were looking for a different, more colourful and more independent life than their mothers. These opaque tights also completed the stark image comprising homogenous colour blocs which were such a distinctive feature of her designs.” As well as bringing us new garments, Mary was pushing the boundaries with new materials too. “I got terribly excited about any new fabric that came along and suddenly there was this very shiny stuff unlike anything I had ever seen – PVC. There were problems making the garments initially because we made them on the same machines as we were sewing the other clothes and you need special needles and all that kind of thing, so it took a bit of time to sort that out. I went mad about PVC and did a whole collection which I called the ‘Wet Collection’, which is exactly what it was, and that was a huge hit! “I also worked very closely with several fabric manufacturers across Europe who were experimenting with all the new kind of stretch fabrics that were coming
in. We were working in minute quantities and they were really just experiments but such fun to do. My big battle was to get them to mix both the man-made fibres and the natural fibres, in those days that was a hell of a battle. I did a lot of linen as well in Ireland, they were going through the stage of taking the texture out, removing the lumps and bumps, and I had to persuade them to put them back in so you could tell it was real linen. They could have killed me!” As she is now nearing 80, the Quant name is still thriving in the fashion industry in Japan where there are over 200 stores trading under Mary’s name as well as one branch located, of course, on the King’s Road in London. Mary has recently published her second autobiography – her last one was published in 1966 – which charts her rise from suburban school girl to international fashion icon. Looking back on the decade that made her name, she sums up how she feels about that time. “It was just the most exciting, wonderful period. It was a running party and so much fun. I’m sorry you weren’t there! Style-wise and look-wise it was absolutely terrific. And the optimism, as opposed to the rather gloomy depressing feeling that’s around now, the optimism was genuine and terrific. I wouldn’t choose another era to have lived in. I bagged the best.” Summer 2012 No.37
10 Feature
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In a matter of days London will play host to the 2012 Olympic Games. The most important event in the sporting calendar cannot happen without the hard work of a huge network of staff, contributors and volunteers. We caught up with some Goldsmiths alumni who are playing their part in the Olympics. From artist to psychologist, performer to youth worker, we hear their stories and what they are most looking forward to about the Games
OLYMPIC ALUMNI
The Olympian William Fox-Pitt BA French Studies, 1993 As part of the Great Britain Equestrian team, William is a veteran sportsman having competed at three Olympic Games. He won a silver medal in Athens in 2004 and is tipped as a potential gold medal winner at this Games. “It is a very special honour and an exciting experience to compete at any Olympic Games but I can’t imagine what it will be like to compete at London in front of a home crowd. My regime involves training both myself and my horses and I find myself riding for anything up to eight hours a day. I would generally be quite fit from doing all the riding but I do try to do some gym exercises too in order to keep me as fit as possible, particularly as I am no longer a young athlete! I am most looking forward to the atmosphere at the Games and hopefully competing well and winning a medal. It will be very stiff competition and I will need to perform to my very best if I am going to win any medal, especially a gold one!”
The Sports Psychologist Britt Tajet-Foxell BSc Psychology, 1991 For nearly 20 years, alumna and Goldsmiths Honorary Fellow Britt Tajet-Foxell has been has been one of the world’s leading sports psychologists. She told us how she became involved with the Games and what she thinks their impact will be on London: “I took my degree in Psychology at Goldsmiths in the late 80s, and got involved with Olympic athletes in the 90s. I was appointed Consultant Psychologist at The British Olympic Medical Centre; a centre of excellence treating injured Podium Athletes to get them back to peak performance. From 1998 I have also worked at The Norwegian Olympic Centre in Oslo, and worked with their athletes at Salt Lake City, Torino, Beijing and the Vancouver Olympic Games. I’m now preparing athletes for the London Games. I feel with the Games getting closer, there is an excitement in the air. I think it will leave London with a definite ‘feel good’ factor.” Summer 2012 No.37
12 Feature Previous page: William Fox-Pitt, one of the British Equestrian Team
Left: Katy B performs the Olympic song in London
Right: Bob and Roberta Smith with his poster ‘Love’
The Entertainer Katy B BMus Popular Music, 2010 As one of the UK’s top new musical talents, the two years since graduation have been busy for Kathleen Brien, better known as Katy B. As well as clocking up three top ten hits, Katy was selected to sing the Olympics song. In the run up to the Games she is performing along the torch relay route across the UK and will star in a concert in London’s Hyde Park the day before the opening ceremony. “London 2012 is such a huge moment for the UK and I can’t wait to help spread the excitement along the route of the Olympic Torch. I’m especially looking forward to performing ‘Anywhere in the World’, the song for the Coca-Cola Olympic Games campaign that I’ve recorded with Mark Ronson.”
The Interpreter Jana Vitoulova BA Social Work, 2009 Jana will be taking time out from her role as a social worker to volunteer as an interpreter for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. “As a sport enthusiast, I applied to be involved with the Olympics as I thought it would be a once in a lifetime experience to be part of something amazing in the city I have lived for the past 10 years. Before I was approached to get involved with the Czech Republic team at London 2012, I hadn’t really considered the impact the games would have on London, its communities and indeed myself. As a social worker, I deal with lots of families in some of London’s poorest areas and I think the Games could be a great opportunity to raise the aspirations of some of the young people in these areas. If the regeneration is sustainable, these communities could benefit greatly from the Olympics coming to London. The role of interpreter at the Games is a huge honour. Now the Games are getting closer I’m beginning to get more excited that I’m going to have a role in something which the nation has been looking forward to for seven years.” Goldlink
The Performer Remi Fadare MA Art Psychotherapy, 2008 Remi is a musician and a social inclusion worker, using music to support people with mental health issues. She has been selected to perform at both the opening and closing ceremonies at the Olympics. “When I saw they were looking for performers at the Olympics I jumped at the chance. There were around 200 people auditioning at the same time and there was a feeling this would be an unforgettable experience. After the audition process we had to wait two months to see whether we were selected. Fortunately I was! I’m very proud and excited to be performing at the Olympics. When I was younger I wanted to be an athlete and represent my country at the Olympics but found I was more artistic than competitive. Now I am doing something I love much more but still representing Britain. I love being enriched by life experiences and this is truly a rare experience, being able to perform at both the opening and closing ceremonies. As we were told at our auditions, the Olympics is the biggest peace time event in the world, right on my doorstep!”
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The Artist Bob and Roberta Smith MA Fine Art, 1993 Since 1912 each Olympic host city has commissioned one or more posters to celebrate the hosting of the Games. Twelve artists were asked to produce designs for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics. Five of these twelve artists are Goldsmiths alumni – former lecturer Michael Craig-Martin and graduates from across the decades Bridget Riley, Fiona Banner, Gary Hume and Patrick Brill – better known as artist Bob and Roberta Smith. We spoke to Bob and Roberta Smith about the Paralympic poster commission: “At the heart of the Olympic ideal is the idea that human beings share far more than that which divides them. Art is also a universal language which people share so I tried to be upbeat about the whole process. I have reservations like most people about aspects of what the Olympic movement has become but actually it’s much better to spend that money on a big sport party than on a small war. The test of my poster will be if the Paralympics is busy or not. I hope it is. Go! It’s all about courage, sweat and love.”
The Youth Worker Mahbub Anam BA Politics with Economics, 2008 As an Olympic Project Manager in one of the six host boroughs, Tower Hamlets, Mahbub oversees all initiatives to do with young people and the Olympics. “I am genuinely excited about the Games and I really hope Team GB do well. In the context of Tower Hamlets, I hope I’ve played a part in delivering a legacy to the local young people as this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. In Tower Hamlets a quarter of the population are under 20 years old and our projects are crucial in terms of engaging and inspiring young people. Every local school gets an allocation of free Olympic tickets for their pupils. I have set up a project offering free sports and arts events as well live screenings of the Games across eight sites in the area. I’m hoping that because of this, there will be increased sports participation amongst young people. We also have the USA team based in the borough during the Games and young people will get the chance to watch and train with the American team. So who knows but this could be the catalyst for us producing the next world-class runner like Tyson Gay!” Summer 2012 No.37
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15 Olivia Clemence BA Design, 2012 Distilled Nostalgia “When keeping an item of clothing that belonged to a loved one who has passed away, it acts as an instant reminder; it can evoke memories and a sense of nostalgia. By deconstructing the clothing and extracting the essential elements within the garment – such as scent and colour – we might be able to keep the associated memories without having to retain the physical object.” Oliviaaliceclemence.blogspot.co.uk
Summer 2012 No.37
16 Essay
ESSAY: NEW MEDIA, POWER & REVOLUTION Goldlink
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he spectacular rise of the internet and social media has led to speculation that they will profoundly change social and political relations. Too frequently, however, a narrow, decontextualised focus on the technology of communication leads to misperceiving its impact. Recent research in the Department of Media and Communications by James Curran, Natalie Fenton and Des Freedman has sought to unravel the celebratory discourses of new technology to reveal other forces at play. “The internet has not promoted global understanding in the way that had been anticipated because the internet has come to reflect the inequalities, linguistic division, conflicting values and interests of the real world. The internet has not spread and rejuvenated democracy in the way that had been
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promised partly because authoritarian regimes usually find ways of controlling the internet, but also because alienation from the political process limits the internet’s emancipatory potential. The internet does not transform the economy partly because the underlying dynamics of unequal competition that make for corporate concentration remained unchanged. Lastly, the internet does not inaugurate a renaissance of journalism; on the contrary, it has enabled leading news brands to extend their ascendancy across technologies, while inducing a decline of quality not offset so far by new forms of journalism. All four predictions were wrong because they inferred the impact of the internet from its technology and failed to grasp that the internet’s influence is filtered through the structures and processes of society.
Most recently we have seen this narrative of the internet as transformative associated with social revolutions in the Middle East and new social movements such as the Occupy Movement. Technology that gives a means of communication to individuals and social networks, it is reasoned, must be collectively empowering. Positive concepts like autonomy, access, participation, multiplicity, and pluralism are regularly invoked to reinforce this image of a transformative force. The characteristics of multiplicity and interactivity associated with the internet, combine with the development of counter radical politics that requires participation and autonomy in a heady mix of ingredients that is said to lead to a new means of and a new meaning of being political. Summer 2012 No.37
18 Essay What, then, is the connection between the internet and radical politics? Young people who have rejected traditional party politics, who have moved away from class-based concerns to a radical politics of identity, and who express political interests and hopes that are borderless have undoubtedly adopted the internet as an organising and campaigning tool. There is also a natural affinity between the global, interactive technology of the internet and the development of a more internationalist, decentred, and participatory form of politics. But this politics is enabled by the internet rather than being the product of it. Indeed, a look at specific examples underlines the point that internet-assisted protests have underlying causes: among other things, broken promises that were the prelude to the 2010 student protests in Britain, and the allegation of a stolen election that precipitated the 2009 Iran protests. And while the internet has introduced a new degree of creative autonomy and effectiveness in the mobilisation of protests, the radical politics with which it is associated may have limitations. It is also a form of mediated oppositional politics that has been described as easy-come easy-go where you are only ever one click away from a petition; a technological form that encourages issue drift whereby individuals shift focus from one issue to another or one website to another with little commitment or even thought; where collective political identity has a memory that is short lived and easily deleted. Multiple voices of protest may fragment rather than build solidarity: fluid, issuebased and institution-less politics may not add up to a co-ordinated project for transforming society. Claims relating to the revolutionary power of the internet are often built on utopian inspired approaches that focus on passions stirred and protests realised, yet too frequently fail to take account of the prevailing conditions and particular contexts of power and control. This is not to say that such optimistic claims are totally naïve and misplaced. A politics facilitated by the internet and protest mobilised via social media do enhance the felt experience of real and potential political solidarity and reflect a desire for a democracy that is yet to come. This ability to raise the prospect of new social imaginaries should be taken seriously. Nonetheless, while it is true that social media offer a means of building solidarity, provide a pleasurable means of self-expression and social connection, enable people to answer back to citadels of media power, and in certain situations (as in Iran) may support the creation of a radical counterpublic, there is also another perspective that must be considered. In many contexts, social media are more often about individual than collective emancipation, about presenting self (frequently in consumerist or individualising terms) than changing Goldlink
Previous page, left: An Egyptian student wearing a ‘V for Vendetta’ Guy Fawkes mask, the symbolic mask of Occupy protesters, during a protest in February 2012
Previous page, right: A protester at the General Assembly in Boston, December 2011, where the Occupy Boston movement had settled
Multiple voices of protest may fragment rather than build solidarity
society, about entertainment and leisure rather than political communication (still dominated by old media), and about social agendas shaped by elites and corporate power rather than a radical alternative. For example, Twitter is centred more on eavesdropping on the thoughts of celebrities than on political change. Social media, in other words, are shaped by the wider environment in which they are situated rather than functioning as an autonomous force transforming society. Networks are not inherently political and identification and communication of injustice and inequality is only one part of political action. The wider structural contexts in which networks are formed and exist have a political architecture that predates the internet. Publicising the failures of political states whether they are authoritarian or neoliberal and organising protest against them may increase the prospects of change through the mediation of solidarity but transformation of political and economic systems cannot be tackled through communicational means alone.”
‘Misunderstanding the Internet’ by James Curran, Natalie Fenton and Des Freedman is published by Routledge.
19 BOOKS
A LADY CYCLIST’S GUIDE TO KASHGAR Suzanne Joinson This is the debut novel from Suzanne Joinson (MA Creative Writing, 2007). Set in 1923 in Kashgar and present day London, the book follows stories of two women – Evangeline English, a keen lady cyclist, and Frieda, a young woman living in the capital. Through these vivid characters from past and present, she tells a story of the search for belonging in a globalised world.
RISE OF THE NEKRACONS Christian Ainley This is the second book in The Chronicles of Peralucia series for teenage readers by Christian Ainley (PGCE, 2004). The main protagonist Danny Perkins is given an enchanted amulet by his grandfather and discovers it has the ability to transport its wearer to another world. A highadventure fantasy novel, Rise of the Nekracons tells a David-and-Goliath story of courage, friendship and overcoming impossible odds.
THE WORLD CUP Naomi Foyle The second poetry collection from Naomi Foyle (MA Creative Writing, 2005) brings together subjects as varied as football and politics. In a sequence of poems that take the reader on a journey from Mexico to New York, through the conflicts in Ireland and the Middle East, Naomi shares her political views. She also includes her humorous musings on the diverse subjects of love and what it means to be a female football fan.
THE BLOSSOM METHOD Vivien Sabel Brought up by a deaf mother, Vivien Sabel (PGDip Counselling, 2004) learnt from an early age how to communicate without words and developed a heightened sensitivity to body language. When her own daughter Blossom was born, she instinctively used these skills to discover her daughter’s emotions and needs. In this new book Vivien explains this technique and reveals how parents can learn to recognise their baby’s own way of ‘talking’ through their facial expressions and body language.
THE FELLOWSHIP OF WOMEN: TWO HUNDRED SURGICAL LIVES Margaret Ghilchik This book charts the history of the first female surgeons, from the first woman to be appointed Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1911, Eleanor Davies-Colley, to the 200 women that followed her over the next 50 years. Margaret Ghilchik (MA Creative and Life Writing, 2003), herself a surgeon, recounts the fascinating stories of these pioneering women and their important role in social and medical history.
DICTIONARY OF VISUAL DISCOURSE Barry Sandywell Barry Sandywell (PhD Sociology, 1974) has compiled this comprehensive dictionary which explores the cultures of visual studies. It provides a basis for understanding the foundations of current discourse, as well as the different forms of visual culture in everyday life. Designed as an inter-disciplinary introduction to the subject, the dictionary also encourages readers to explore connections between major themes and theories in the field. Summer 2012 No.37
20 Retrospectives
3X3 NISA KHAN (BA Media & Communications, 2005 and MA Radio, 2006) Based in Singapore, Nisa has worked since graduation as a language lecturer
GRAHAM THOMAS (BSc Zoology, 1977) Graham is the founder of the global advertising agency Radical Company and splits his time between his home in the Cotswolds and Japan
VIVIANE WILLIAMS (MA Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship, 2010) Viviane is a creative social entrepreneur and has been voted one of the Top 100 Future Leaders
My abiding memory from my time at Goldsmiths is...
One person at the College who truly inspired me was...
If there is one thing that Goldsmiths taught me...
NK: The diversity I was exposed to right from the beginning. It really made integrating into London life a breeze. Getting to know people from different countries and cultural backgrounds and living with them in Loring Hall definitely made my Goldsmiths experience that much more special.
NK: To pin it down to just one person would be extremely hard as a combination of so many great people inspired me throughout my four years there. Goldsmiths was a place where I made friends for life, from all walks and from all over the world.
NK: There is no ‘wrong way’ to express yourself creatively. As amateur documentary makers in radio, we were given the freedom to express ourselves in whichever way we chose to. We were given the guidelines and advice but I loved the fact that there were no hard and fast rules. No idea was a bad idea.
GT: The ham roll in the coffee bar. Those rolls, smeared thick with industrial grade mustard and served with an accompanying pint of milk, were the best hangover cure I’ve ever found. VW: Being with great class mates, going to lectures and being taught by amazing scholars who had written the books I was reading. This was very inspirational for me, as I was surrounded by a broad range of thinkers and doers.
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GT: A fellow student called Kirsten Hearn who was blind, studying art and the most spirited, up for anything and everything person I’ve met. She went on to the RCA but eventually stopped being an artist and became – and is – a champion and fearless campaigner for disability rights and many other causes. VW: All of my tutors from the Departments of Design and ICCE. They all gave me encouragement, which allowed me to develop and evolve my craft. My vision of creating my own social enterprise was turned into reality and I am extremely thankful.
GT: That diversity of people inevitably leads to greater creativity. The melting pot at Goldsmiths was truly eclectic: teachers, artists, musicians, scientists et al with a healthy radical streak running through student politics. Ever since, I’ve avoided monocultures in organisations; and when I have come across them they are inevitably the dullest of places. VW: Goldsmiths has taught me to embrace learning and challenge the status quo. My passion has allowed me to go for things and take risks. This has been very positive in my case and I have been recognised for my work, so I am extremely grateful for this newly developed confidence.
21
LIFE AFTER GOLDSMITHS Jessica Latowicki & Tim Cowbury, Founders of Made in China www.madeinchinatheatre.com
JESSICA: Every year the students on the MA Writing for Performance and the MA Performance Making course do a project together. Writers generally find performance artists scary and performance artists think writers are controlling... anyway, not us. I think that Tim and I are the only writer/performer duo to continue working together since that project. I asked Tim to help me with my final project and it ended up being much more of an equal collaboration than either of us thought. It was really nice to have the time and space to make something with very little external pressure. We picked the name Made in China over a couple of pints and that was that. Our first show had a London, Edinburgh and New York run. The highlight for me is audiences seeing the work we make and finding it thought-provoking and challenging, entertaining and accessible. TIM: I really enjoyed my seminars in the drama ‘house’ on Laurie Grove. It was like sitting in someone’s living room and having a really stimulating chat. For me it was quite a freeing environment: I felt encouraged to experiment a lot. As part of our course Jess and I were asked to make a five minute performance together. Luckily for us it worked out well and when Jess was working on a project at the end of her course, she asked me to help. That project became the first Made In China show which toured the country and went to New York over the subsequent two years. We have various projects on the go at the moment. They variously involve fireworks, military training exercises, icecream, beer, pop music, bad wigs, medal podiums and dark stories... in no particular order.
Summer 2012 No.37
22 People
First Person: Paul McKeever, (Geography, 1977) Chairman of the Police Federation The most important thing I learnt from my time at Goldsmiths was to respect other people. It was sharing the experience with other people from completely different backgrounds. I had quite a narrow upbringing where you tended to meet the same kind of people. Moving to an area like South East London, an area I had never experienced before, I learnt a huge amount about what was going on in the rest of society. It was a broadening of life for me. During the summer of 1977 we experienced a very volatile political situation with extremism. It wasn’t something you read about in the newspapers or learned of tangentially, this was something that was directly happening to you. There was disorder several times during the summer when the National Front were marching and the Anti-Nazi League were out demonstrating as well and the Goldlink
police were there in large numbers trying to keep order. It culminated with the most serious riot we’d had for about 100 years in Lewisham. Witnessing the disorder in London was the reason I joined the police service. I had no thoughts of being a police officer before this time but I made my decision that I wanted to do something to help. During the course of my final year at Goldsmiths, my mind was made up that I was going to do two or three years as a police officer and then go off and do something else. I joined the police and started working in the borough of Lambeth. Then I realised it was something that was hugely important and something I would stay with for much longer. Thirty five years later I’m still here. Almost by chance I’ve ended up becoming the Chairman of the Police Federation. I’m the chief negotiator for our pay and conditions for the whole of the police service in the
United Kingdom for every rank – from the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police to the newest constable. I always smile inwardly when I listen to people talking about how they have ended up where they are and they actually believe it’s purely down to their own hard work and brilliance but I recognise there is a lot of luck involved in ending up in some positions. You have to keep your feet on the ground. I don’t think London knows what’s about to hit it with the Olympics. The greatest challenge for the police is the sheer scale. It is a massive operation, the number of officers required will be 10,000 a day and we’re there 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The processes have been in place a long time and the planning has been meticulous from the day we got the bid. What I would say is let’s enjoy the Olympics and have a really great time.
23 PEOPLE NEWS
BORJA SAGASTI MA Performance Making, 2008 Borja is one of a group of enterprising artists who have opened a gastronomic and cultural space in their neighbourhood in North London. Trangallan combines a restaurant space serving Spanish food and wine with an eclectic programme of music, live performance and film screenings. Since its opening earlier this year it has gained many plaudits and is now a key fixture of the local area.
SAM BUTTERY BA English and Drama, 2012 Viewers of the BBC show ‘The Voice’ will be familiar with former Annual Fund student caller Sam who appeared on the talent show for aspiring pop stars earlier this year. Sam was mentored by the singing star Tom Jones and made it to the final stages of the show where he performed live to audiences of millions on Saturday night TV. We wish Sam all the best with his future singing career.
ALUMNI SERVICES
The Development and Alumni Office helps you to stay in touch with the College and each other. As your ongoing link to Goldsmiths, we keep you updated with the latest news through the biannual magazine Goldlink and quarterly e-newsletter. Just remember to let us know if you change your postal or email address so that we can keep in touch. You can update your details online at: www.gold.ac.uk/alumni/update Share news and connect with the wider alumni community on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/GoldsmithsAlumni We also have Goldsmiths alumni groups on Linkedin and Friends Reunited. Links are available at: www.gold.ac.uk/alumni BENEFITS
As a former student of Goldsmiths you also have access to the following benefits:
MAXINE HODSDON BA English and History of Art, 2003 Maxine successfully launched a book buying and exchange service earlier this year called ‘The Book Exchange’. Her aim was to create a new online community for booklovers, where customers are offered a friendly way of discovering, reading, buying and recycling their pre-loved books. As well as offering customers a wide range of fiction and biography titles they also promote a ‘recycled reader’ scheme, with members receiving credit for each book they exchange with the site. Find out more at www.thebookexchange.co.uk
CHRISTOPHER GREEN BA English and Theatre Arts, 1990 Live performance artist Christopher Green has become the first ever Artist in Residence at the British Library. Using the Library’s vast collections of rare books, newspapers and archives, Christopher has embarked on a project researching the history of hypnosis. The project will culminate in ‘show and tell’ sessions and a live performance later in the year. Christopher said: “I was delighted to be asked to be the inaugural Artist in Residence and I think it’s great that it’s a live artist. People might feel very different about libraries after this!”
Alumni reunions and events Events are organised throughout the year in the UK and overseas, an opportunity for you to get together with your Goldsmiths friends and network with other alumni. Library access Alumni have free access to Goldsmiths Library as a reference user, charges apply if you would like to borrow books. Careers advice Tailored careers advice and support are available through membership of The Careers Group, part of the University of London careers service. Awards and Transcripts We can provide you with confirmation of your qualifications or a transcript of results. Summer 2012 No.37
24 Parting Shot
PROTEST MARCH 1968 Goldlink
“In 1968 many of us at Goldsmiths did what students everywhere felt they had to do. Get out and show the powers that an era was at an end – students could no longer be taken for granted. We had no idea of course that we were living through such tumultuous times or that we were witnessing social change of such significance, not just politically but in many other monumentally important ways.” Russell Profitt