ISSUE 8
SOUTHAMPTON SOLENT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
WINTER 2012
Showcase opening
Bonding with Bestival Olympic ambitions
CONTENTS
2.
Olympic Hopes
4.
Solent Showcase
6.
Football Science
7.
Cricket Legends
8.
Bestival Bonds
10.
Royal Approval
12.
Winning Faces
14. 17.
Meet Lord West
Sail stars Page 2
Interior Art
Royal visit Page 10
HOW TO CONTACT US: Send your news, views, queries and comments to: The Press and PR Officer, Southampton Solent University, East Park Terrace, Southampton SO14 0RB. Telephone: 023 8031 9040 Email: press.office@solent.ac.uk
Designed and published by: Southampton Solent University’s Marketing and Communications Service Printed by: Indigo Press
Graduation Page 16
WELCOME | ISSUE 8
Working together to win The Olympic Games return to Britain in 2012 for the first time since the post-war ‘Austerity Games’ of 1948, and this edition of ISSUE provides some splendid examples of how Solent University is providing athletes, together with scientific, cultural and broadcast expertise, to contribute to their success. Business student Kate Macgregor, at 20, is the youngest in Great Britain’s sailing squad and joins graduate Paul Goodison and Honorary Doctor Ben Ainslie in a team that will be hoping for many golden moments in Weymouth during August. The Great Wight Attack, a film following charity swimmers in a ‘round-theisland’ swim, will be viewed by millions attending the Olympics and Paralympics after it scooped Best Documentary (20–25 category) at the Film Nation: Shorts Awards, part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Our new gallery, Solent Showcase, also has an Olympic theme to its latest exhibition opening which is entitled ‘100m: The Creative Campus Initiative. Responses in Art to the 2012 Olympic Games’. I am delighted that sport is an area in which the University is creating a national reputation and real distinctiveness in the range and quality of its offering. A measure of this success is illustrated in the following pages through the work of our sports scientists who, amongst many things, are providing fitness and conditioning for two of the South Coast’s professional football teams, Southampton and AFC Bournemouth. Is it any wonder that the Saints are topping the Championship going into the second half of the 2011–12 season?
Following many years of successful partnership working with the Glastonbury Festival, Solent has now also teamed up with the Isle of Wight’s award-winning Bestival event as its sole academic partner, allowing staff and students to take on the full range of festival production roles. This demonstrates the fusion of theory and practice that lies at the heart of our identity as a university. It can easily be overlooked that the sports and cultural industries have multibillion-pound annual turnovers and contribute hugely to both the nation’s economy and its psychological wellbeing – after all, who doesn’t feel better when the team we support wins on a Saturday afternoon? Cities can be winners too when they work closely with their local university. I am currently exploring, with Southampton City Council and other organisations in the city, how the creative industries might add lustre (and jobs) to the local economy and support the exciting development of Southampton’s proposed cultural quarter over the next two years. The opening of Solent Showcase, our innovative new exhibition and performance space, during the Graduation Week celebrations in November 2011 provided the first physical manifestation of this development, which will be followed in April 2012 by the opening of the
Sea City Museum by the City Council. Another important milestone in the development of the University’s estate saw the opening of Warsash Maritime Academy’s new manned model Ship Handling Centre at Timsbury Lake. This world-leading facility for improving safety at sea was later given a royal seal of approval by a well-reported visit from the Duke of Edinburgh. Finally, I am delighted to see the distinguished career of our Chancellor, Lord West, featured in ISSUE 8. As all our graduates will tell you, his immense warmth and presence, and the personal congratulations or word of advice he offers each and every one of them, helps to make our Graduation Week very special indeed!
Professor Van J Gore Vice-Chancellor
Winter 2012 | 1
ISSUE 8 | ??????
Solent’s
Olympic stars Hailed as the university of sailing, it’s hardly surprising that Solent has such a strong representation at the 2012 Olympics. Former student Paul Goodison, present student Kate Macgregor and Honorary Doctor Ben Ainslie will be flying the flag for Solent University when they take to the waters to compete against the best in the world at Weymouth.
training to be useful in our sailing endeavours. I’ve been able to use planning skills for our racing schedule, budgeting and sponsorship skills. I’ve deferred my studies to concentrate on the sailing but am keen to continue after the Olympics.”
At just 20 years old, BA (Hons) Business Management student Kate Macgregor is the youngest in the squad. She joins Annie Lush and her older sister, Lucy, as part of the Match racing team going for gold.
Match racing differs from other sailing events in that it consists of two boat ‘sprints’ over a two-lap course, with winners racing each other until there is an overall victor. It requires quick thinking, tactics and fitness as competitors use boat-handling skills, the winds and currents to gain control of the race.
Kate and Lucy are the first sisters in British sailing history to be picked for Team GB. It’s the culmination of an exciting campaign which saw the team win the Match racing worlds in France. “It’s been an incredible year. I really didn’t think I would be representing Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics,” said Kate. “We were ranked world number one earlier this year, so a gold medal is a real possibility and we are working hard with that in mind.” Kate came to Solent University to study for a career in business and to take advantage of the University’s sailing successes. “I became part of the University sailing team that went on to win the student world championships and I was invited to join the Match racing team with Lucy and Annie. My lecturers were incredibly supportive and I found my business 2 | Winter 2012
“Annie and and Lucy are the experienced ones in the team, whereas I bring freshness and enthusiasm. We’re a great combination,” said Kate. “There’s nothing like winning an event on home waters. With the London 2012 Olympic Games just 40 minutes from my home club in Poole and so close to my family and my university, this campaign is the chance of a lifetime. It would be my dream to win a medal and make my family, friends and the University proud.” Solent alumnus Paul Goodison, the Laser sailor who won gold at Beijing 2008, is also hoping for a top spot on the podium. Since Beijing, Paul has continued to shine in his sailing challenges, and secured victory in the Melges 32 Europeans. He said: “Ever since Beijing I’ve been focusing on 2012 and all the hard work over the past few years has been to make
sure I’m in the best possible shape. I’ve been doing a lot of ‘on the water sailing’, supplemented by four gym sessions a week, mainly on weights, and six to ten hours of aerobic training through cycling. “I’ve also been working on my technique and exploring any changes so that they come automatically before next summer. “It’s going to be a great honour to represent Team GB at the Olympics again and even more special with so many friends and family there to watch.” As a former Solent student, Paul is especially pleased to see Kate in the team. He said: “Kate is in good hands and I’m sure her team will be in a good place to deliver the right result. My advice is: ‘keep doing all the small things right and don’t get carried away by the occasion’.” Solent University Honorary Doctor of Sport, Ben Ainslie, is an inspiration to both Kate and Paul. Ben will compete in the Finn category, having returned to the event last winter after two years away. He has won gold at every Games since Sydney 2000 and is on course to win a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal. He said: “It was a big relief to have my place for 2012 confirmed. It’s now about getting the plans right for my fitness and preparation to peak at the right time.”
SPORT | ISSUE 8
NEWS IN BRIEF Wight wins A documentary produced by two Solent University graduates will be viewed by millions during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The film, made by Jon LovellKnight and Stephen Salesse, was picked for the prestigious screenings after winning Best Documentary (20–25 category) at the Film Nation: Shorts Awards, part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Jon and Stephen produced the three-minute documentary while they were working as interns for the University’s in-house media agency, Solent Productions. The Great Wight Attack follows the efforts of charity swimmers Dave Savage and Martyn Kennaugh as they take to the seas around the Isle of Wight to raise money and awareness for cancer. It records their highs and lows as they tackle the busy waters before completing a 65-mile endurance run around the island. “It was a challenging but ultimately rewarding project,” explained Stephen.
“…we were ranked number one earlier this year… a gold is a real possibility…”
“We had to shoot with both a large shoulder mount camera and an underwater camera from a speed boat, while trying to record good audio of the guys telling us how it was going as they battled through the waves. “The standard of the competition was high, so knowing the judges chose our film out of the hundreds of entries makes us incredibly proud.”
Winter 2012 | 3
ISSUE 8 | ART
Opening up
ART
Solent University celebrated the opening of its brand-new gallery and exhibition space with a stunning display of thought-provoking art from one of the most celebrated artists and cultural commentators of the last few decades. With a prime city centre spot and a footfall that should encompass shoppers and seasoned art lovers alike, Solent Showcase is designed to encourage community engagement, discussion and participation in contemporary art through nationally and internationally acclaimed exhibitors. It coincides with the expansion of the University’s art courses and the development of a new space for the Solent School of Art and Design, close to the city’s Bargate. The new venue – the first major addition to Southampton’s emerging cultural quarter – opened with ‘Nine Artists, Nine Narratives’, an exhibition of works from Professor Richard Demarco’s personal archive, featuring renowned artists Joseph Beuys, Paul Neagu and Ian Hamilton Finlay. 4 | Winter 2012
Octogenarian Demarco CBE also received an Honorary Doctor of Arts from Solent University. He said: “The University has proved that it cares deeply about creativity. Art is the most potent language given to us. It makes us human; it enables us to make contact with our fellow human beings and to make sense of the mysteries of life. The language of art gives hope for the future.” Solent Showcase will also be a centre for performance art and its opening night performance by Budapest’s Yvette Bozsik Dance Company was a taste of things to come. Miss Julie, directed by Marcell Ivanyi, demonstrated how the space will be used for live events, which the University hopes will cover a variety of disciplines, ranging
from contemporary dance to theatre, poetry reading and acoustic sets. The Chancellor, Admiral The Right Honourable Lord West of Spithead, said: “The University has the largest arts and creative industries faculties outside London and Solent Showcase is a truly wonderful thing that will open up art to more people.” Gallery curator Les Buckingham added: “Our new gallery space will facilitate more exhibitions and performances in the city centre and will work in harmony with the city’s cultural quarter activities. “It’s fabulous that the University was able to display works from Professor Demarco’s personal archive at the opening and that he was honoured with a doctorate for his commitment to the arts over many years.”
DEVELOPMENT | ISSUE 8
NEWS IN BRIEF Psychology project to aid IT industry Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Dr Carolyn Mair, has been awarded a £91,000 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council grant to lead an 18-month project investigating IT business decisions. ‘Metacognitive Instruction, Confidence and Prediction Accuracy in Software Engineering’ (MICaPASE) will address poor software cost prediction in the IT industry. Using field studies, surveys and experiments, it should help senior software engineers understand and improve judgement, decision making and prediction processes under uncertain conditions. Improved prediction will enable the IT industry to reach better business decisions, including tendering, cost-benefit analyses, project management and tracking. Industrial collaborators Hewlett Packard and Lloyds TSB have committed their time and resources to the project with the expectation that principles derived from the research can be fed directly back to the IT industry. “With total UK state spending on IT estimated at more than £7.6 billion, this project is important and timely,” said Dr Mair. “Making the right decisions in IT has an impact on public sector spending and recent cuts have highlighted the need for better management of government IT projects. This need for improved project management is a major feature of the Cabinet Office Business Plan 2011–2015.”
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ISSUE 8 | SPORT
Solent tests South’s football teams Two of the South Coast’s top football teams have turned to Solent University for the ‘science bit’ in a bid to be even better on the pitch. The University’s Sport Science Department has become a regular fixture for the region’s football clubs, with both Championship league Southampton Football Club and League One AFC Bournemouth working with sport scientists to analyse, assess and act on player fitness and performance. Southampton FC put the squad through its paces at the University’s £1.3 million centre for Health, Exercise and Sport Science (CHESS) in the run-up to the season, with regular follow-up sessions. The club’s Senior Strength and Conditioning Coach, Nick Harvey, worked with Senior Lecturer in Sport Science, Dr Stewart Bruce-Low, and his team of CHESS staff and students on a series of physiological tests to establish individual fitness profiles. Players were pushed to the limit on the VO2 max test, involving running on a treadmill wearing oxygen masks and having blood measured for levels, intensity and movement of oxygen to 6 | Winter 2012
muscles around the body. The results provided data that directly impacted the training undertaken at the club’s ground. “It’s been fantastic to be able to use Solent University’s facilities and to access the expertise of Dr Stewart Bruce-Low and his team,” said Nick. “It’s important to get accurate physiological measurements of the players and at Solent University we’ve been able to analyse the gas that players are breathing through measuring VO2 max in a laboratory situation. “The results are critical in working out exercise and fitness regimes for individual players at different stages in the season.” The University has also become AFC Bournemouth’s official sport science partner after three years of putting the players through a series of tests that have helped them to obtain and retain top performances.
AFC Bournemouth manager Lee Bradbury said: “We’re very happy to have access to such great facilities and a fantastic team of scientists who can monitor our playing staff.” Dr Stewart Bruce-Low added: “Our partnership with AFC Bournemouth has been benefitting the players and coaching staff as well as our own sport science students. They’ve gained valuable experience with professional footballers and some students have been offered internship positions with the club, giving them the edge in a highly competitive job market. “More and more managers and coaches are seeing the benefit of using sport science to enhance performance and to prevent injuries. Our students have been delighted to see their skills and the laboratory equipment being used to help analyse and assess high-calibre professional athletes.” Above: Solent sport scientists put Saints through their paces.
COMMUNITY | ISSUE 8
City’s Black History Solent University is a proud supporter of Southampton’s annual Black History Month, which highlights the positive impact of the city’s black community through cultural events and historical exhibitions. Latest offerings focussed on seminal moments in sport and music... players, including Malcolm Marshall, Gordon Greenidge and Andy Roberts. Former Hampshire and England fast bowler Norman Cowan – aka ‘Flash’ because of his 100mph bowling – was a guest at the opening. His greatest moment came in 1983 when he took a match-winning six-77 against Australia.
Bat to black The University’s photographic exhibition of Caribbean cricket legends was opened by the Jamaican High Commissioner, His Excellency Anthony Smith Johnson. ‘Caribbean Cricket Legends‘ was commissioned by Black History Month as an exploration of the relationship between white and black cricket players since the first Hampshire v West Indies game in 1900. It included nostalgic images of former Hampshire and international
He said: “As a child, I idolised the earlier West Indian cricketers. They inspired kids like me to excel in an area where we really felt we could make our mark.” His Excellency Anthony Smith Johnson was delighted with the exhibition and the Black History Month project. He said: “We’re all united in one idea, that of celebrating the history and legacy of our forefathers.” Vice-Chancellor Professor Van Gore added: “We were honoured to have the Jamaican High Commissioner open this fantastic exhibition. Solent University
“…As a child I idolised the West Indian cricketers…” is privileged to be among the main supporters of Black History Month in Southampton. We are a university that prides itself on being inclusive.”
Reggae source The University also paid homage to the impact of black music on the cultural history of Southampton. Vice-Chancellor Professor Van Gore unveiled a plaque at the Fleming Arms – formerly the Coach House Club – to celebrate its little-known link with iconic singer/ songwriter and political activist, Bob Marley, who played at the Coach House in 1973. Above: Tribute to Bob Marley Inset: Gordon Greenidge Winter 2012 | 7
ISSUE 8 | ??????
Bonding with
Bestival Britain’s multi-million-pound festivals industry provides employment opportunities in areas ranging from performance to sound engineering and broadcast. Solent University continues to lead the way in its involvement. The University has teamed up with the Isle of Wight’s award-wining Bestival in a formal agreement that places Solent as its sole academic partner. It means students and staff will be taking on a full range of festival production roles for both Bestival and sister event Camp Bestival, as well as curating Bestival’s Science Tent. Bestival founder Rob da Bank has been supporting the University’s groundbreaking work in festivals since his involvement with the University’s annual music industry event, SMILE. He said: “Everything Solent University has done for us has been great. I’m chuffed with the academic partnership, which is a natural fit for us and will be the start of even more things to come. “The students have been exceptional. The graphics, VJs, artist liaison, The Bugle daily paper – it’s all been really good.” Course Leader – BA (Hons) Popular Music Journalism – and Solent University Festivals Coordinator, Dr Martin James, added: “We’ve developed some very exciting links with music festivals over recent years, but our partnership with Bestival is the best yet. It allows us to support students who have real drive for future employment within the music festival industry. They will have unrivalled opportunities to focus their skills.”
During the 2011 Bestival event, students worked in stage management and production, sound and lighting, and artist liaison. They also filmed two stages for a live multi-camera feed which was projected onto the festival’s LED screens. Popular Music Journalism students worked on Bestival’s daily newspaper, and Solent University bands The Widowmaker and Fly, Frankie Fly! performed at Camp Bestival. Popular Music Journalism student Carl Gwynne was a production assistant at the festival. He said: “It was really rewarding. I was able to put a lot of transferable skills into practice.” Students also continued their work at the other festivals including Glastonbury and Blissfields, where Music Journalism students created the programme and a documentary, while others worked in artist liaison, box office, stage crew and backline technical support. Three Popular Music and Production students ran the mobile stage at the award-winning Wilderness event and one Music Journalism student was the official journalist for the Sonisphere festival. Head of Blissfields, Paul Bliss, said: “The Solent students were indispensable. They were of good calibre and we would certainly like to work alongside Solent again.” Picture by Jamie Baker
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INDUSTRY | ISSUE 8
NEWS IN BRIEF Solent to stage international ICT conference Solent University is to manage a world-leading conference on ICT in Education.
“ We’ve developed some very exciting links with festivals…”
The School of Technology is to partner the University of the Aegean for the peer-reviewed 2012 International Conference on Information Communication Technologies in Education in Rhodes. The conference, which has been running for 12 years, addresses the challenges and directions presented by technological innovations in educational settings, providing a forum for intensive interdisciplinary interaction and debate.
Science fires up festival Pole-dancing robots and energy-saving ecology were part of an eclectic science show put on by Solent University lecturer Anthony Gallagher at Bestival. Coastal sustainability expert Anthony is now rolling out the tent – designed to promote science in a positive and engaging light – to more festivals and events across the UK. The tent featured contributors from across the UK, including Solent University projects. Visitors to a TARDIS-like video booth were filmed by Solent University Outside Broadcast students for a science vox pop. A science timeline, which ran around the inside of the tent, was designed by the University’s Design team. University of Southampton research fellow, Dr Helen Czerski, demonstrated the importance of bubbles and
sound in ocean and atmospheric interactions, while Newcastle University demonstrated audio–visual interfaces, and Minty Geeks, an electronics and circuit-building group, allowed festival goers to make small-scale circuits. Representatives from Vestas R&D showed their work on wind turbine blades in relation to wind energy. Keele University’s outreach group ‘Science for Sustainability’ demonstrated the use of solar ovens and the building of solar-powered fans. Solent Forum displayed its EU-funded ‘Coastal communities adapting to change’ (CCATCH) interactive model of climate change in the Solent. Anthony is now setting up an umbrella group, the Future Science Collective, which will encompass various science projects and organisations, including contributors to the Bestival science tent.
Thematic streams of alternative processes, procedures, techniques and tools for creating learning environments will include: pedagogy in the evolving technological environment; informal and formal adult education; multi-grade education; intellectual property; and ethical considerations in the use of information technology in teaching and learning. Reader in the School of Technology, Dr Chris Barlow, will chair the conference, while administration will be undertaken by the Maritime and Technology Faculty’s Enterprise Centre. Previously run by the University of the Fraser Valley, Canada, the conference, to be held in July, attracts delegates from more than 40 countries and acts as a forum to promote research and scholarly activity in technology-led learning.
Winter 2012 | 9
ISSUE 8 | DEVELOPMENT
NEWS IN BRIEF Veterans land at lake A D-Day veteran, who helped convert the Warsash campus from its wartime role into the School of Navigation, was among a group invited to the Maritime Academy’s new Ship Handling Centre in Timsbury. Reginald Neile helped create the School of Navigation – which later evolved into the Warsash Maritime Academy – in the late 1940s. He was part of a group of veterans visiting the Ship Handling Centre to see how today’s marine pilots and ships’ officers are trained. The visit – arranged through the Normandy Veterans’ Association – included a tour of the facilities and first-hand experience of the manned models’ navigational challenges on the lake. Bill Wakefield, of the Normandy Veterans’ Association, said: “The Warsash Maritime Academy Ship Handling Centre is a wonderful training centre and the visit was especially interesting for D-Day Veterans.” The veterans gave University staff a fascinating insight into the heroic missions of the 1944 D-Day landings. Reginald Neile’s ship, HMS Gazelle, a mine sweeper with the 40th Mine Sweeping Flotilla, led the way for a battleship bombardment group to approach Sword and Juno beaches. Veteran Vernon House was a deck boy on the SS Coalville, which was deliberately run up on to Gold beach filled with jerry cans of petrol for the thousands of vehicles pouring ashore.
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Royal visit for Ship Handling Centre Warsash Maritime Academy’s new manned model Ship Handling Centre was given a royal seal of approval when the Duke of Edinburgh paid a visit. The University last played host to the Duke 15 years ago at its former ship handling site in Marchwood. Impressed with the newly opened £2.7 million centre at Timsbury, near Romsey, the Duke of Edinburgh once again boarded ‘Challenger’ and navigated the lake under the expert tuition of Senior Lecturer Gordon Maxwell. The Duke, who spent more than 20 years in the Royal Navy, was keen to learn how the facilities emulate challenges in maritime navigation, increase pilot skill levels and ultimately improve safety at sea. He was especially interested in how the lake and its training features were constructed and the type of training the centre provides. “With his Royal Navy background, the Duke had a particular interest in the purpose of our training and its environmental benefits through prevention of catastrophes like the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill,” said Gordon.
“I showed the Duke where we had excavated the canal and demonstrated how well the canal replicates the effect of interaction with ships, which he is very familiar with. “We also discussed the lengths the University went to in protecting and preserving the flora and fauna during the development of the lake and I was able to point out the water vole protection features.” Back on shore, the Duke watched delegates in the manned models undertake a range of ship handling scenarios, before meeting staff and students during a tour of the new classroom and workshop facilities. Solent University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Van Gore, said: “The University was honoured that the Duke of Edinburgh visited our new world-class ship handling facility.” The centre – one of only five in the world – was officially opened in June 2011.
LINKS | ISSUE 8
Caryn makes a case for models British fashion guru Caryn Franklin brought her campaign on to campus in a bid to ensure that tomorrow’s style leaders create a mix of models on the catwalks. The former i-D magazine co-editor and Clothes Show presenter spoke to Solent University fashion students as part of the ‘All Walks Beyond the Catwalk’ campaign for diversity in the industry. Caryn set up ‘All Walks’ with supermodel Erin O’Connor and fashion PR professional Debra Bourne amid fears that women were developing self-esteem problems because of restrictive representations of weight, age and ethnicity. Caryn said that she hoped Solent students would consider their responsibility as designers, manufacturers and promoters to provide a wider representation of women in the future. She said: “I regularly see thin, young, pale models and wonder if there is room for us to think about broadening the message. Fashion isn’t just clothes or style; it’s a huge cultural mindset. “It’s important that we look at more diverse ideals of beauty and include emotionally
considerate design in the curriculum.” Caryn, an external assessor for the Royal College of Art, Central St Martins and the London College of Fashion, has worked with Solent University students on several projects around diversity. Students have been keen to hear Caryn’s views on brands, the corporatisation of fashion and her own experience of the industry. “All Walks Beyond the Catwalk’ celebrates individuality amongst professional models. Our campaign ‘Size Me Up’ featured models ranging between sizes 8 and 16 and ages 18 to 65 wearing designs from eight of Britain’s hottest designers,” said Caryn. ‘All Walks Beyond the Catwalk’ cofounder, Debra Bourne – who has a background in body psychotherapy – is also keen that fashion students engage in ideas about body image. She said: “The students are genuinely interested in the campaign. Often, it’s an issue that’s close to home and they are
…students are genuinely interested in the campaign… keen to know how their work in the future could influence the way women feel about their bodies. It’s important to challenge the parameters of beauty and we are encouraged by the questions young people are asking.” Solent University Fashion, Design and Communication Lecturer, Philip Clarke, added: “Caryn has already successfully worked with our students on projects based on the ‘All Walks’ ethos. We’re keen to sustain our partnership with ‘All Walks’ and to continue to inspire students to consider diversity issues. It’s important that prejudices within the fashion industry are continually addressed and that this campaign is taken seriously.” Above l-r: Debra Bourne, Erin O’Connor and Caryn Franklin Winter 2012 | 11
ISSUE 8 | ACHIEVEMENTS
“The fantasy look should not be confined to the stage…”
Make-up
maestros Two Solent University students beat competitors from all over the globe to scoop top prizes in an international make-up competition. BA (Hons) Make-up and Hair Design students Kat Vogart and Sasha Wren confirmed their credentials when they were named winners of the Distinction in Make-up Artistry Awards, run by the luxury brand Illamasqua. The students clinched the award after their stunning designs were put forward for a public vote by a panel of industry experts, including Dazed and Confused’s Senior Fashion Editor, Katie Shillingford, Academy and BAFTA Award-winning make-up artist and hair designer, Christine Blundell and Illamasqua Creative Director, Alex Box. Images of the students’ made-up models were uploaded on to Illamasqua’s facebook page for the public vote. Kat was voted best in the Foundation and Second-Year Student category for her harpy-inspired face modelled by her boyfriend, Southampton waiter Matt Wegner (featured on cover). 12 | Winter 2012
She said: “I wanted to recreate the mythological harpy – half-bird, halfwoman – and my boyfriend was happy to be my model. “The whole effect took just under an hour and a half, but I did do a lot of thinking around it. It required very careful brushwork.” Kat’s ambition is to work in the film industry – but she says the fantasy look should not be confined to the stage. “I’m always looking for new ideas and doing something a little different and exciting.” BA (Hons) Make-up and Hair Design for Music, Film and Photography graduate Sasha Wren won the Final-Year Student category (pictured opposite). She said: “I’ve always seen make-up as an art form and have pushed the boundaries with texture and colour. The look I created for the competition evolved from an accident. I had to use some tissue on my
face after some paint I used started to sting. I realised that leaving the tissue on and painting over it created an edgy look. “The face is an interesting canvas and the impermanence of cosmetics provides an intriguing creative platform.” As a make-up artist with the leading brand Bobbi Brown, Kat has demonstrated her versatility since graduation. “I’ve landed an amazing job which I thoroughly enjoy. My job with Bobbi Brown clients is to create an understated look, so it was good fun to go for something completely different.” Solent University course leader, Clementine O’Hara, said: “The team was thrilled at the strong presence of Solent students in the Illamasqua competition. They are challenging the contemporary role of the make-up artist.”
FASHION | ISSUE 8
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ISSUE 8 | SOLENT PEOPLE
Meet the Chancellor Solent University Chancellor, Admiral the Lord West of Spithead, was Minister for Security and Counter-terrorism from 2007 to 2010, under Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Before his ministerial appointment, he was First Sea Lord, the professional head of the Royal Navy. He left office following the 2010 general election but continues to sit as a Labour peer in the House of Lords. What does Solent University mean to you and what made you say ‘yes’ to being Chancellor? The Southampton location resonated with my naval connections, while Warsash is probably the best maritime training centre in the world. I’m also very interested in the arts – my wife, Rosie, is a contemporary artist – and I liked Solent’s focus on media and the creative arts. I liked the fact that Solent University wasn’t stuffy or snobbish; it was offering people of all backgrounds the opportunity to fulfil their potential and to make a real contribution.
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Social inclusion is central to Solent University. I went to a state grammar school and joined the navy largely because it is the most meritocratic of the military services. I think that academic excellence, vocational skills and creativity are equally important, and everyone should have the opportunity to excel in either of these areas. Solent University gives people a fair chance, whether they are from a poor or wealthy background. You must hold the record for the length of time you talk to students as you award them their degrees. What do you say? Do you ever get tired of it? I absolutely love graduation. It’s such a
big day for students and I’m genuinely delighted for them and interested in the experiences they’ve had at university and what they’re going to do with their lives. I might ask them what they’re doing next – and I have had answers that include ‘going for a beer’. You have had a distinguished navy career, which led to you becoming a full Admiral in 2000, as Commander-inChief Fleet, NATO, and heading up the British Navy. How and why was that such a successful career for you? I decided, aged seven, that I wanted to be in the navy. My father was a civil servant in the dockyards and I was just eight months old when I sailed with my mother on a troopship to join him in Singapore.
SOLENT PEOPLE | ISSUE 8
I just had to work out whether to go in the Royal or Merchant Navy – a decision I made at 14 years old. I joined Britannia Royal Naval College in 1965 when I was 17, which was comparatively young. The navy is very egalitarian, with huge numbers of officers coming up through the ranks. If you are good, you can progress. That appealed to me. I was lucky enough to have an extremely successful career, going on to serve on 14 different ships, and commanding three. The navy was something that agreed with me. In those days travel was not so freely accessible, so it gave me the opportunity to travel all over the world. It was an adventure and there was great loyalty between the chaps.
on the ship right up until the end and were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for your leadership. How did you cope with that event? As commander, you have so many things to think about. But it would be wrong to say that when one sees aircraft coming, you don’t get a bit of a wobble in your tummy. It was wonderful how some of the youngsters, in very difficult circumstances, were able to get on with the job in that situation.
People are people, whoever they are. It’s important that you treat people right; show them respect.
Training and tradition helps you through – but it is terrible to lose people. I’m President of the HMS Ardent Association and keep in regular contact. I remember being at a 20th anniversary event commemorating the sinking of the Ardent and meeting the son of one of the men who was killed. His girlfriend, who had not been registered as a next of kin, had been pregnant at the time. His son wanted to meet us, to make a connection. It was incredibly moving.
I worked on security for the Olympics, security in the water supply, crowded places, hazardous sites and nuclear substances, as well as cyber security, science and innovation, the counter terrorist policy, national security forum and strategy and the nuclear, biological, defence strategy.
What makes a good leader? Having a very clear view of where your organisation is going and articulating the key messages to the people on the ‘factory floor’. If your company is making submarines and you ask the cleaner what he does, he should be able to say: “I make submarines.”
Higher education funding has changed recently. How do you see Solent weathering the choppy waters? Bearing in mind the pressures on higher education, Solent University is in a good place. It is offering more opportunities to youngsters in academic, creative and vocational areas – giving them a chance to contribute to the wealth and prosperity of the country – and it has continued to invest. I’m very optimistic. I like to be involved in the University and how it is developed.
Loyalty works both ways. The ultimate in good leadership is having people that that would rather do anything but let you down. I get that feeling from the lecturers at Solent University. There seems to be real respect between students and lecturers.
There were downsides – being separated for long periods from my family, for instance.
You move among a variety of people – from royalty and politicians to celebrities and artists. What’s the secret behind the ‘Lord West charm’ and how important is it to get on with people? You need to care about people and to be genuinely interested in them. Some people find this difficult, but I find it easy.
In 1982, during the Falklands War, the ship you commanded, HMS Ardent, was sunk and 22 lives were lost. You stayed
My family motto is ‘Be just and kind’. Kindness is underrated. If you can be kind in your relationships you’ll go a long way.
You’ve been Under Secretary of State for Security under Gordon Brown. What was it like? It was a great honour to receive the peerage, because the Prime Minister wanted me to be the nation’s Security Minister, a newly created role. I had to be an MP or a peer to do that.
Because of the work that I did with various people at that time, the nation is much safer now and that’s a good feeling.
You sit in the House of Lords and you seem very busy. What’s the future bringing for you? I have three grown-up children, four grandchildren and one on the way, so I have lots going on in the family. I’m also patron of the Docklands Sinfonia Orchestra, War Museum and 14 charities and I’m looking forward to continuing my work with Solent University. Images clockwise l-r: Lord West, in naval attire; with Rosie at his House of Lords investiture; presenting Dannii Minogue with her honorary degree; with student at graduation; Lord West family, man. Winter 2012 | 15
ISSUE 8 | GRADUATION
Graduation 2011 Ten ceremonies, 2,500 students and ten stars of business, media, art and education made an inspiring spectacle during Solent’s graduation week. The Chancellor, Admiral The Right Honourable Lord West of Spithead, and the Chair of the Board of Governors, Grahame Sewell, presided over the ceremonies, which were beamed all over the world by live webcast. Vice-Chancellor Professor Van Gore spoke of the University’s commitment to providing quality higher education to all those who deserved it, adding that the ‘real-world’ skills gained at Solent University are crucial to the British economy.
last year re-invested £18 million. Highlights included: the purchase of a prime site for development to the side of the main University campus; the opening of the Timsbury Lake Ship Handling Centre near Romsey; the new Wessex League-standard football facilities at Test Park; and a new home for the School of Art and Design. But it is the diversity and quality of the courses that is a key feature of the University’s continuing success.
He said: “We are an engine for social mobility, seeking to erase lines of inequality.
“There is a distinctiveness that combines innovation, academic excellence and contemporary relevance,” said Professor Gore.
“Our prime focus is on our students, their intellectual and personal development and their future success.”
The University awarded honorary doctorates to inspirational people in areas ranging from fine art to media and business, including:
Despite tough economic times and changes in higher education funding, the University remains financially robust and
Screen, music and fashion personality, Dannii Minogue (Doctor of Media); Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust, Rear
16 | Winter 2012
Admiral John Lippiett CB MBE (Doctor of Maritime Studies); internationally renowned make-up artist and Creative Director of cutting-edge cosmetic range Illamasqua, Alex Box (Doctor of Design); Brad Roynan, former Chief Executive of Southampton City Council (Doctor of Business); Managing Director of P&O Cruises, Carol Marlow (Doctor of Business); former Principal of Totton College, Mark Bramwell (Doctor of Education); internationally renowned musician, composer and conductor, Mike Moran (Doctor of Music); Southampton Solent graduate Stephen Bolton, Group Controller of Diageo and former Finance Director of Unilever (Doctor of Business); Richard Demarco CBE OBE, internationally renowned artist and promoter of the visual arts and performing arts (Doctor of Arts); Managing Director of Newsquest Hampshire, Stewart Dunn (Doctor of Media).
MARITIME | ISSUE 8
Putting the art in architecture Interior Design Lecturer and Society of Architectural Illustration Education Officer, Peter Jarvis, has been using architectural representation in his fine art watercolours and illustrations for more than 25 years.
the early 1970s, I practised as an illustrator in advertising and publishing. I gained an MPhil from the Royal College of Art in Information Illustration and began practising as a freelance architectural illustrator in 1984.
Peter runs workshops in architectural drawing and rendering in the corporate environment, as well as for the Campaign for Drawing’s Big Draw events. He has exhibited his watercolours at venues throughout the UK, including the Mall Galleries and Bankside Gallery in London, as well as Liverpool, Birmingham, Cambridge and Southampton.
What sort of interior design projects have you worked on? I’ve worked with several interior designers to visualise future projects. But my commercial work is mainly exterior architecture. I really enjoyed doing a series of watercolour illustrations of a Grade II listed, six-bedroom Georgian townhouse in Chichester to show the building’s potential for development.
Although he is inspired by decaying and weathered structures, Peter’s work is remarkably fresh and vibrant.
I also produced work for the development and refurbishment of a house following an Arts and Crafts theme, built in 1925.
How did you start?
Can art influence interior design? Painting and sculpture has a way of influencing how we decorate our homes and the workplace, and the corporate world is an immense sponsor of art and design in public spaces. Periods in art and design come and go in terms of fashion and trends, but my favourite is 1930s Art Deco with artists like Tamara
I began to draw as a way of interpreting the world around me and it became a habit. As a schoolboy it was limited to technical drawing, but in my teens it developed into sketching. After gaining a Diploma in Technical Illustration at Ravensbourne College of Art in
de Lempicka, a popular inspiration for interior decoration for over 20 years. What is your relationship between design and art? My commercial projects sometimes offer me the freedom to be creative in visualising a client’s vision, but I have a different approach to my personal work, which I think of as illustration. It can be more rewarding, but is often the result of struggle and torment. How do you inspire your students? I teach by example, running workshops in a range of methods and media and using online resources to show professionals’ work and working processes. By dispelling the mysteries surrounding the design process, students are more able to practise and experiment in a step-by-step approach. The design process can be taught, but the solution depends on many factors. Good research, problem solving and competence in handling media are all important. I’m often found with a sketchbook around Southampton. I find the mix of industry and nature around the docks fascinating. Winter 2012 | 17
ISSUE 8 | ??????
Want to further your career prospects? Postgraduate courses We offer a wide range of postgraduate courses in the following areas: • Advertising/Communications • Journalism • Art and Design • Law • Business • Management • Computing • Maritime • Criminology • Marketing • Fashion • Media • Film and Television • Media Writing • Human Resource Management • Sport
Professional courses Upskill your workforce, gain a competitive edge in the jobs market or progress in your career by enrolling on one of our professional courses. We offer the following accredited qualifications: • ACCA (Association of Chartered Accountants) • CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) • CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) • Cisco Certified Network • ILEX (Institute of Legal Executives)
Short courses Our professional development units (PDUs) and short courses offer continuing professional development to meet your specific business needs. We can also offer employer-driven courses tailored to your organisation. For a list of courses, visit our website.
Want to know more? www.solent.ac.uk/courses Give us a call on +44 (0)23 8031 9000 Email ask@solent.ac.uk
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