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Welcome to our weekly in Focus update...... |
Past Issues << | Issue 55: Monday 4 June 2007
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Hundreds of students, their friends and families as well as key partners from the arts, industry and government, attended an exciting private view of this year’s Visual Arts Degree Show at our Docklands Campus last Thursday (31 May).
George Iacobescu CBE, CEO of Canary Wharf Group plc, joined leading art critic and curator Sacha Craddock to open the exhibition, which showcases the work of over 150 final year students from our School of Arts and Digital Industries.
The Visual Arts Degree Show - first in a series of AVA summer showcase events - includes work by graduating students in BA honours degree programmes including Fine Art, Graphic Design, Fashion, Textiles, Photography, Graphic Fine Art, and Digital Arts.
In his opening speech, Mr Iacobescu announced Canary Wharf Group's sponsorship of a new fund enabling selected graduating students from our School of Arts and Digital Industries to undertake inspirational research and study at sites of major artistic or architectural significance worldwide.
Mr Iacobescu said: “I’m extremely impressed by the work I have seen while touring this exhibition. It is clear that the University of East London well deserves its growing national and international reputation for excellence and creativity.
Sacha Craddock, former art critic at the Guardian and currently curator of the Bloomberg Space, said: “What an amazing place! I’m madly impressed by the School of Architecture and Visual Arts here at UEL; the teaching, the facilities and the wide variety of student work. I’ve seen many an art school, and I have to say that this place has the feel of somewhere very vital and important.”
Cliff Nicholls, Head of our School of Architecture and Visual Arts , said: “This year’s showcase illustrates our strength in depth across five distinct subject areas. We are blessed with an embarrassment of riches in disciplines of historic strength, and we hope visitors enjoy the complexity and variety of the work on show.”
Forthcoming showcase events at UEL this summer include the Architecture Year End Show, Fine Art Professional Doctorate shows, and MA Fine Art and MA Digital Arts & Visual Communication shows. For details, visit www.uel.ac.uk/ava.
Our Student Money Advice and Rights Team (SMART) successfully bid to participate in a national scheme in conjunction with the Financial Services Authority called Money Doctors. The project helps students to become more financially competent through education and intervention. It encourages students to confront debt and take control of their finances with a broader financial awareness.
The SMART team's first big event to support the project took place Thursday 24 May in UELSU's Docklands Bar with financially related quizzes, games, and raffles which won some contestants great prizes.
The next Money Doctors Event will be a Pizza and PN1 Night to be held on Tuesday 12 June at Docklands Campus. Students can enjoy pizza and refreshments and receive guidance on Government and university funding from the SMART Team, as well as help to complete their PN1 ( the national form home under-graduate students have to fill in to apply for statutory financial student support) form. A larger event is planned for September.
Graduate Catwalk Show 2007 Monday 4 June 6.30pm Theatre B Stand no. 135 Battersea Park Arena
See the work of graduating students from the BA Hons Fashion and Marketing and BA Fashion Design as part of Graduate Fashion Week
For more informationabout the event visit: http://www.uel.ac.uk/news/index.htm
Saturday 9 June Docklands Campus 11am – 5pm
Encourage your students to
learn how to produce a winning CV, shine at interviews and dress for success!
Students who are serious about a great career after graduation need to be there! For more informationabout the event visit: www.uel.ac.uk/employabilityworks
Open Day: Saturday 16 June Stratford and Docklands Campuses 11am – 4pm.
UEL Extra Launch: Saturday 16 June Stratford Campus 12 noon.
We are preparing for our biggest ever Summer Open Day this June and with just over two weeks to go, we've already had meetings with most schools and services and planning is well under way. Postcards have been sent out to thousands of applicants. schools, colleges, libraries and community centres.
If you would like to get involved or have any enquiries about the day contact Miriam Watt on Email: m.watt@uel.ac.uk or Tel: 020 8223 2884
For more information about our Open Day you can also visit: http://www.uel.ac.uk/openday/
Wednesday 20 June 2007
Private View: 6pm - 9pm
21 - 28 June Open to public: Mon – Fri 10:00 – 6:00 Sat & Sun 10:00 – 4:00
Several solo shows running concurrently make up this exhibition. The Professional Doctorate in Fine Art is a practice based Research Degree programme that is unique to our School of Architecture and Visual Arts.
With its greater emphasis on practice it is more appropriate for many artists than a PhD.
The highly professional standard of work on display reflects the strength of the research culture within Fine Art and the commitment of our students. This academic year seven students will complete their doctorates.
This year’s graduates include students from Taiwan, South Korea, and Greece, as well as the UK.
Wednesday 20 June 2007 Private View: 6pm– 9pm
21 June - 7 July 2007
Open to public:
Mon – Fri 10am– 6pm Sat and Sun 10am– 4pm
The Architecture Year End Show takes place during London’s Architecture Week. This annual event showcases the combined works of each unit within the BsC, Diploma and Masters Programmes. This show also provides an opportunity to see work by our foundation Year 0 students.
AVA is pleased to receive sponsorship from Levitt Bernstein for the production of the show and showcase publication. Levitt Bernstein is proud to support Architecture at UEL
Organised by Continuum - our research centre for widening participation, this prestigious international conference is the premier networking event for everyone with an interest in: access, widening participation, lifelong learning and student success. We expect to attract around 250 delegates from both the UK and overseas. We would also like to take the opportunity to encourage our colleagues to attend this event as a platform for their work and a great networking opportunity.
Visit http://www.f-a-c-e.org.uk/conference2007.htm today to find out more.
Friday 6 July Docklands - Closing date for international students to confirm they are coming is Friday 1 June.
International students can each bring two guests to the awards ceremony and tickets are free. There will also be an alumni event on the same day.
More detailed plans about the shape of the day will follow but in the meantime if you would like to attend as a volunteer you are very welcome.
Please let Nicola Quilter know if you are coming and she will be able to order your gown for you.
You can contact Nicola on Email: n.quilter@uel.ac.uk
Friday 14 September Docklands
A one-day conference to mark the retirement of Professor Mary Boyle and to celebrate 30 years of clinical psychology training by our School of Psychology.
De-medicalising misery examines the effects of our current understandings of distress, and explores ways to rethink them. The conference brings together psychiatrists, service users and clinical psychologists.
For more information contact Professor Mark Rapley Email: m.rapley@uel.ac.uk or Tel: 07951 908 409.
Costs: Waged £120, BPS Members £90, Students £25, Unwaged/Service User FREE. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
To conduct a search of current funding opportunities , including all the major competitions , or to set up email alerts specific to your interests, visit www.researchresearch.com.
If you intend to submit an application for funding please contact Tim Brooks (Acting Research Funding Officer) in the Graduate School. Tim is retaining his other responsibilities within the Graduate School so the more notice you can give, the better!
Bring a picnic, bring your friends and family and don't miss the magic and excitement of some of the most sensational ballet and opera in the world...completely FREE!
EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
Swan Lake, The Royal Ballet Thursday 31 May at 7.30pm
Don Giovanni The Royal Opera Wednesday 13 June at 7pm
Tosca The Royal Opera Tuesday 3 July at 7.30pm
For venues and more information visit: http://www.royaloperahouseevents.co.uk/bpsummer/
Our Children’s Garden Early Years Centre summer fair takes place Wednesday 13 June from 12pm -3pm at our Docklands Campus.
ALL WELCOME!
For further information, contact the Children's Garden on
Tel:
020 8223 7833/2663 or Email: childrens.garden@uel.ac.uk.
Wednesday 4 July 6pm duration: approximately 1 hour.
ExCel London Royal Victoria Dock E16 1X
www.excel-london.co.uk Admission: FREE
The New London Orchestra presents Newham welcomes the world - the journey begins by Ronald Corp and Hope Massiah - a choral and orchestral performance by over 400 members of the Newham Community!
For further information, contact Tel: 020 7823 5523 or visit:http://www.nlo.co.uk/
Do you enjoy singing? East London Chorus (ELC), which has enjoyed close links with UEL since its formation in the days of the North-East London Polytechnic, rehearses in the West Building lecture theatre at Docklands campus on Tuesday evenings.
Earlier in May ELC performed Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem with piano duo in Greenwich and Eltham, and is now rehearsing for a concert of Schubert and Mozart at St James Piccadilly on 7th July. They’ll give a world premiere of a work by contemporary composer Brian Chapple at this concert, too.
The Chorus is looking to expand membership, and singers from the University are always specially welcome. The Chorus performs to a high standard, so sight reading skill is necessary.
If you are interested, just come along to a rehearsal and join in to see how you emjoy it, then after 2 or 3 weeks there’ll be a short audition with the Chorus' Music Director before confirming your membership. For rehearsal dates and further details about the Chorus, visit www.eastlondonchorus.org.uk and click on Join.
Sing for Life Bridges Walk On 10 June, East London Chorus is doing a sponsored walk to raise money for the next season and also for Cancer Research UK’s research into Breast Cancer. We are walking the bridges from Tower Bridge to Westminster, so if you would like to spend an afternoon strolling back and forth across the river at the heart of London in aid of a worthy cause, why not join us? Details are on the website.
For further information about East London Chorus visit www.eastlondonchorus.org.uk.
Brush up your IT skills and get an internationally recognised qualification online. Contact Greg Price, Organisational Development Manager on ext 4361 or email g.price@uel.ac.uk
http://www.uel.ac.uk/staff-development/documents/ForthcomingStaffDevelopmentCourses-May-July2007.doc
From the 1 - 15 June Knowledge Dock are running a series of business support courses in E-Business Planning, Market Research and Marketing and Business Planning. The workshops are offered free but places are limited. To book a place call:Sujata Vaishnav Tel: 020 8223 7286 or Email: s.vaishnav@uel.ac.uk
Pluralism and security in a post-secular world was an inter-disciplinary research seminar organised by our Graduate School and Principal Research Fellow Josephine Stein in the School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies (SSMCS) together with the combined efforts of the Contextual Theology Centre and the UEL Multifaith Chaplaincy.
Opened by Prof Susan Price, our Pro-Vice-Chancellor welcomed us all to East London and contextualised the seminar in terms of the diversity and cosmopolitanism both of the region and of UEL - a diversity which was the decisive factor in bringing the Olympics and Paralympics to London in 2012. Susan commented: "I believe Education is a form of spiritual endeavour enriching lives materially and intellectually. Universities should be safe multicultural and multiracial spaces in which we build communities of people who are secure in their own identities and comfortable with the identities of others."
Guest speaker Revd Angus Ritchie (Magdalen College, Oxford and Director of Contextual Theology Centre) gave a presentation entitled "Living, Loving and Learning: New Insights in Making Pluralism Work" in which he explored the notions of secular and post-secular by drawing on the work of Descartes and Kant; making an exploration of objective/subjective, reason/faith, public/private and right/good. Angus also looked at dialogue and negotiation processes across traditions, such as the work of London Citizens, an organisation which campaigns on issues that matter to people in their communities by all sections of those communities.
London Citizens were again discussed by Dilwar Hussain, Head of Policy Research Unit, Islamic Foundation, Leicester and a member of Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) as an organisation of people from many faiths working together in a constructive spirit of openness to unite and strengthen their communities. Dilwar's analysis looked at the emphasis governments place on preparing for, pursuing and detecting terrorist activity but the lack of emphasis placed on prevention - that is the real and committed investment in our communities. Dilwar's analysis of the 'soft secularism of the UK' compared to that of France led us also to look at the secularism of Turkey - described by Aygen Kurt, a SSMCS PhD student.
Part of the day included a series of research pairs making comparisons of their work looking for commonality especially within the framework of community, belonging and recognition of diversity. For example, Professor Andrew Blake with John Griffith, Professor Chandra Sriram with a SSMCS PhD student Mastoureh Fathi, Revd Jane Freeman with Aygen Kurt, Charles Shoniregun with Barbra Wallace, a Business School PhD student and Josephine Stein with Nazmin Lalaounis a second-year Anthropology student. Nazmin's own research drew out the huge diversity of thought and opinion within the Muslim community itself evidenced by her work with a group of young women from East London with similar socio-economic backgrounds, but widely differing views. Josephine touched on sustainability as a unifying cultural, religious and ethnic development, and suggested that the interdisciplinary connections between academic fields, such as Science, Technology and Society Studies (STS), Cultural Studies, Sociology, Theology, Law and History have a lot to offer for the study of pluralism and security in a post-secular world.
In summing up, rapporteur John Griffith returned to the opening remarks of Susan Price in terms of what pluralism looks like in a university setting and how we can create a secure environment in which we are able to critique and to be critiqued. As the second session's rapporteur, Angus Ritchie highlighted the wide range of approaches and topics discussed by pairs of presenters and emphasised the significance of the event as a starting point for networking and follow-up seminars/events.
For more information about London Citizens visit: http://www.londoncitizens.org.uk/
For more information about the seminar contact Josie Stein at Email: j.a.stein@uel.ac.uk
For a round-up of events see www.uel.ac.uk/events.
If you would like items included in In Focus Update please send them to me by Wednesday of the preceding week at infocus@uel.ac.uk
Please print off a copy of In Focus Update for those of your colleagues who may not have easy access to email.
© 2006
