Staff News - 4 April 2012

News Celebrating Feminist Review \| Goldsmiths to host UCAS Extra day \| Head of Department appointments	Research £13,000 award for '"SHIZENGAKU": Nature, Material and Aspects of Identity and Creation'	Spotlight on... Paul Halliday tells us about an exciting exhibition at the Horniman Museum, entitled: 'The Body Adorned'
4 April 2012
News Exploring black British writing, drama and performance (l-r: Deirdre Osborne and Joan Anim-Addo) The Department of Theatre and Perfomance is offering a new MA in Black British Writing, Drama and Performance to launch in 2013. The programme, convened by Dr Deirdre Osborne and delivered in association with Professor Joan Anim-Addo from the Department of English and Comparative Literature will aim to “sharply hone” students’ critical thinking and furnish all students with greater knowledge about their own culture – irrespective of ethnic identities. From vision to reality Joan and Deirdre first came together in 2008 at an international conference held at Goldsmiths: ‘On Whose Terms: Black British Literature and the Arts’. Their collaboration here led to them to conceive and design this new MA. Deirdre explains that the vision was, and is, to offer an MA that can satisfy an international interest in further studies in black British writing across performance and literary genres, and meet a need to expand knowledge and create more models of black visibility in academia. She hopes to build upon the goodwill and interest of other departments in this venture, including Sociology as well as the Library as the programme develops. “Students on the course will be exposed to a wide range of literary texts,” says Joan. “Most importantly though, they will be helped to understand how these texts are affiliated to our culture, the nation’s culture, how they are linked, and how they help us to read afresh other, perhaps more established texts, that are usually considered to be mainstream.” The pair believe learning outcomes will also have plenty to offer the job market. “The cultural sector desperately needs the graduates that we’ll produce,” suggests Joan. “That is, informed young people who can contribute fresh and stimulating ideas towards a more inclusive cultural experience at all levels: locally, nationally and internationally.” A strong academic foundation Deirdre and Joan bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience, not just in teaching but also research. Deirdre’s research has seen her receive an AHRC award as part of a five-year programme ‘Diaspora, Migration, Identities’ (2006) and an AHRC Research Fellowship to work on her monograph ‘Critically Black: Black British Dramatists and Theatre in the New Millennium’ (2011). Joan is a Professor of Caribbean Literature and Culture and Director of the Centre for Caribbean Studies , in addition to leading an AHRC international research Network on ‘Translating Cultures’. The programme reflects the Department of Theatre and Performance’s ethos in interdisciplinary and intercultural theory and practice and its interest in working synergistically with other departments. Find out more about the MA Black British Writing, Drama and Performance on the website at: http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-black-british-writing/ Celebrating the 100th issue of Feminist Review To mark the 100th issue of Feminist Review – a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary, international journal with an interventionist agenda – a special celebration edition has been co-edited by Goldsmiths’ Nirmal Puwar (below) and London Metropolitan University’s Irene Gedalof. The issue is available to view online. The celebratory issue is in honour of Avtar Brah, the longest-serving member of Feminist Review’s editorial collective. It includes an interview with Avtar conducted by Les Back (Graduate School), a poetic piece by Joan Anim-Addo (ECL) and an article by Nirmal Puwar (Sociology) on film, politics and pedagogy in relation to ‘Mediations on the Making of Aaj Kaal’, a little-known film made by Asian Elders in a project directed by Brah more than twenty years ago. “It has become commonplace to film elders. But it is not so usual for elders to make a film themselves.The film is a powerful historical register and methodological tool in the development of dialogic and participative methods and modes of engagement using media practices,” said Nirmal. About Feminist Review, she remarks: “I have been on the Feminist Review editorial board for ten years, and have now left after co-editing ten issues, culminating in this special No.100 Issue in honour of Avtar Brah who encouraged me to join the editorial collective all those years ago. “The journal has been the home of feminist writing and lively contentious debate for more than 30 years, and it’s great to see three Goldsmiths academics involved in this celebratory edition.” To celebrate this issue, and the work of Avtar Brah, there will be an evening of live music, performance and spoken work on Friday 27 April 2012. For more details, visit: www.palgrave-journals.com/fr/100event/index.html Goldsmiths to host UCAS Extra day (l-r: Claire Chalmers, Becca Voelcker, Sally Grimley) In March, the Marketing, Outreach and Recruitment team began travelling across the UK to attend 42 days of the UCAS higher education conventions. These events play a vital part in helping applicants decide what and where to study within higher education. To further support applications and conversion for 2012 entry, the team will host a UCAS Extra day on Wednesday 23 May to cater for approximately 5,000 students who remain in the UCAS Extra pool. “UCAS Extra is a way of applying to additional universities for late applicants and for students who have either changed their mind about their original choices, not used up all of their original five choices, or been rejected by all of their original choices,” explains Sally Grimley, UK/EU Student Recruitment Manager. “In Extra, applicants can apply for any course with vacancies until 30 June. Our event aims to offer practical information, advice and guidance to help prospective students secure a place for 2012.” Newly appointed Heads of Department Dr Elisabeth Hill and Dr Richard Noble have been confirmed as Heads of Department for Psychology and Art repectively. Richard continues as Head of Art until 2015, and Elisabeth takes up position as Head of Psychology on 23 April 2012.
Research Prestigious grants awarded for research into art arising from Aristotle's theories An international/interdisciplinary research project based in the Department of Music has won two major competitive grants The project entitled '"SHIZENGAKU": Nature, Material and Aspects of Identity and Creation' won a £13,000 Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Award (the highest ever amount granted for a single group by the Foundation) and £11,500 from Seian University's International Research Fund. Instigated and coordinated by Dr Naomi Matsumoto, associate lecturer in the Department of Music, the project is designed as a collaboration between Goldsmiths and Seian University of Fine Arts and Design; Goldsmiths' institutional partner. In this project, two artists - Professor Dr Shuji Okada, the oil painter and Pro-Warden of Seian, and Dr John Drever, the sound artist and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Music at Goldsmiths - will collaborate to create a site-specific artwork which incorporates visual and sonic materials. Their practice will then be illuminated through a public symposium by theorists from the two institutions: Anthony Pryer (who wrote the theoretical justifications for the project) and Dr Matsumoto from Goldsmiths; and Mr Kazuto Yamamoto and Dr Mariko Kaname from Seian. Read more
Community & Notices
Important notice to all USS Pension Scheme members regarding Prudential AVCs Prudential has given formal notice to the USS of its intention to introduce with effect from 19 August 2012 an early exit charge when Money Purchase AVCs funds are withdrawn within five years of commencement. Further information can be found via the link below or on the USS website: http://www.pru.co.uk/uss. Should you wish to discuss the option of increasing your pension by way of AVCs please contact Sheila Anderson - Payroll and Pensions Manager (s.anderson@gold.ac.uk). More information [pdf] 'EXPORTABULL' - Goldsmiths RAG week 1950 Footage has appeared online showing Goldsmiths students partaking in activities for a 'Raise and Give' (RAG) event on the College Green. From 1950, the footage sees students dressing up and enacting a pretend bullfight, all in the name of charity. You can view the footage here, or by clicking the image below. Performers wanted - Goldsmiths RELAY Goldsmiths' RELAY is a 12-hour performance event in partnership with Artmongers, a local collective specialising in public art, and Lewisham Borough Council as part of London’s Cultural Olympiad. RELAY will take place on a purpose-built stage outside Goldsmiths Library on Friday 27 April, from midday until midnight. The project aims to improve and build upon the links between Goldsmiths, its many departments, and the local community while helping to enhance the cultural reputation of New Cross. Current student Hannah Catherine Jones is producing, directing and curating the event as the winner of Goldsmiths Podium competition. Currently completing her MA in Fine Art, Hannah is a performer and particularly interested in the gap between the institution and the public sphere. If you know of any students or colleagues who would be interested in being involved with RELAY, please contact Hannah. Find out more about the project by watching the video linked below:
Events
CAST gets ready to launch On Thursday 26 April, the Department of Computing will officially launch the Centre for Creative and Social Technologies (CAST). Robert Zimmer and Chris Brauer, Co-directors of CAST, would like to invite you to the launch event which boasts wine, sushi and Pecha Kucha – a presentation methodology that will challenge Goldsmiths academics to showcase innovation in their field in 20 slides, with just 20 seconds for each. Speakers from across departments will bring together a diverse range of disciplines under the CAST theme for 2012-13: Innovation. Chris Brauer comments: “It has been a great first year of operation for CAST and we see this as our chance to let everyone in the College know what we do and encourage them to get involved.” The compère for the evening will be Goldsmiths MA Creative and Life Writing alumnus, and Edinburgh Fringe Slam champion 2010, Mark Grist who has just completed two national tours with his performance poetry. His double act, Dead Poets, seeks to challenge preconceptions of poetry and hip hop, and was recently featured on BBC 6 Music with Steve Merchant. Tickets are limited, please register at www.castlaunch.eventbrite.com If you have any questions about the event, please contact Rose Hepworth. Future Tense: The Goldsmiths Learning and Teaching Conference, 2012 Date: Friday 18 May 2012, 9.00-4.30 Venue: Various locations on campus Cost: Free - registration necessary Goldsmiths Learning Enhancement Unit (GLEU) is hosting an international conference to profile individuals or groups of staff and projects that have shaped, challenged or shifted learning and teaching in their higher education contexts. The conference will provide space and opportunity for engaging with potential futures of technology-enhanced learning as well as interrogating what familiar concepts such as ‘interdisciplinarity’ and ‘research-based teaching’ really mean in practice. The GLEU team has put together a number of video clips from some of the organisers and speakers to give a taster of the event: Len Platt looks forward to the Future Tense event.
Adam Dinham gives a preview of his talk. Staff Development events College Induction 2 May 2012, 9.15am-2pm The next College Induction is taking place on Wednesday 2 May in the Great Hall, Richard Hoggart Building. The Warden, Patrick Loughrey, will welcome staff and there will be an opportunity to meet Catherine Swarbrick, Interim Registrar and Secretary, and to participate in a 'Knowledge Cafe' with colleagues from key College services over a buffet lunch. Advance booking is essential. Please contact Naomi Innocent (n.innocent@gold.ac.uk) for an invitation and return by Monday 16 April to confirm your place. Bereavement Group The Bereavement Group is being held by the Counselling Service to provide a safe and supportive place to talk in confidence if you have been affected by the loss of someone close. Meetings take place on four consecutive Thursdays from 3-24 May 2012. For more information or to book your place online, visit: http://www.gold.ac.uk/staff-development/training/bereavementgroup/
Media bites ... a round-up of Goldsmiths stories making waves in the media
29 March Prophet margin vanishes Professor Chris French fails to find evidence for precognition [Read Times Higher Education] 26 March Why university-industry collaboration doesn't have to be awkward Professor William Latham comments on Goldmiths' recent collaboration with M&C Saatchi [Read the Guardian] 23 March School Exclusions Take Responsibility for Positive Change Away From the School Dr Anna Carlile discusses school exclusions and the impact on students and their families [Read The Huffington Post]
Spotlight on …
Paul Halliday, Lecturer, Centre for Urban & Community Research What's your role and how long have you worked at Goldsmiths? I'm the course leader for the MA in Photography and Urban Cultures. This is the tenth year of the programme which was set up after I had been a visiting fellow in the Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR) for around seven years. So, I've been based at Goldsmiths for quite some time now. What were you doing before you joined the College? I worked at the British Refugee Council as a media adviser and at Channel 4 as a documentary film director. I combined this with freelance photojournalism and a half-time post as third-year leader on the BA in Photomedia at Croydon College Art and Design Department. How did you get involved with the Body Adorned exhibition? I have a background in social anthropology (I studied at Goldsmiths back in the early 90s) combined with photography and film-making and had completed a long-term project about London's public places in 2006, subsequently launched at Tate Modern. I think the curator, Wayne Modest, had heard about my street portraits and then approached me. Mostly, I'm too busy completing visual projects to take on museum commissions, but Wayne was very persistent and made a compelling case for my involvement. I also have an adult education background, and I liked the idea of working with young people to put the project together; so the deal was that we would mentor the participants throughout the project in order for them to put together their art and media course applications and portfolios. The resulting work was outstanding and we had project members securing places at Goldsmiths and the University of the Arts, London. What's the best part of your job? I think seeing graduates progressing in their visual and research practices. I'm still in touch with a large number of our programme alumni (which brings its own time management challenges), and it is fantastic to see graduates wining international prizes (Jerwood, Saatchi and Bloomberg amongst many others). But I think the best part is seeing the quality of the visual work and the writing, some of which is of a publishable quality, and knowing that the College and department have facilitated this progression. The PUC programme is very unusual in that it is the only one of its kind in a sociology department in the UK, and this means that the motivation and standard of applicant tends to be very strong which is in turn a great motivator for me. If you weren't in your current role, what would you be doing? Before becoming a full time MA convenor at Goldsmiths, I had what might be described as a successful freelance photography, film and media consultancy practice. It was a bit of a wrench moving away from this as I really enjoyed the freedom and flexibility of such work, so if I weren't based in this role at Goldsmiths, I think it's safe to say I would be out there doing a lot more commercial work within design, research and media consultancies. But then, who really knows, I've spent the last few years training in landscape and archaeology of art, so perhaps I would be up to my knees in mud, digging up bits of Romano-Celtic Britain. On a personal note… Where is your favourite place on campus? I love the back field in the summer (when the sun is out). It's something of a chill-out zone for many people at Goldsmiths. I also like the view from my window on the 11th floor of Warmington Tower, and one of my biggest regrets is not making a time-lapse video of the construction of the Shard building at London Bridge as it is such a monumental feature of London's contemporary landscape, and it's like having a front row seat at an architectural performance. What is your guilty pleasure? Chocolate. Dark chocolate. With red wine. Is there a TV show you simply can't miss? I'm a bit of a news junkie and like to see the early morning BBC news and then again before going to bed; which is probably not good for my sleep patterns and the contents of my dreams. I read three broadsheets a day (a legacy of my photojournalism and human rights past) and like to think that I'm reasonably well-informed about current affairs and international relations, but this is all at the expense of EastEnders plot developments and much to the chagrin of my twelve year old daughter who stays well up with the thematics and regularly lets me know just how out of touch I am with popular TV culture. Outside of work, where are we most likely to find you? I spend a lot of time walking the streets of London with my camera. I consider it to be a great responsibility to do what I do, and take my visual practice very seriously indeed; so I don't really have a work/leisure binary. It's not only the academic work, but also the visual work that defines who I am in the world and because of this, I spend as much time as possible making images and being what I am - an urbanist and photographic artist. Where is your favourite place in London? I have favourite places; Tate Britain and Whitechapel are my favourite gallery spaces, and my most favourite cafes are Gastros in Clapham (they do a fantastic Christmas day breakfast) and Café Crema close to Goldsmiths, which must have one of the loveliest cafe gardens in London. Also, I like to get to Deptford High Street which is so full of life and conviviality. The Body Adorned exhibition is now open at The Horniman Museum. To find out more information visit www.bit.ly/BodyAdorned
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