Autumn Term 2019 TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS STUDYING ON A DEGREE OR DIPLOMA PROGRAMME Discover More West Dean Summer Show, Phoebe Connolly, DACC, 2019 The new academic year is now well-established. Already, Fine Art students have enjoyed a series Mary Hampton, In October 2018, Mary Hampton became of workshops in printmaking, the first ever Composer-in-Residence tapestry, painting and stone Composer-in-Residence, at West Dean College. The College’s carving to gain an understanding writes a new carol inaugural Composer-in-Residence of the materials which can inform programme provides musicians with their studio practice. In the School for West Dean the opportunity to research, reflect and experiment in order to develop the of Conservation, students are The Friends of West Dean Carols by possibilities of their own practice. The making use of a brand new facility the Christmas Tree, on Thursday 12 Composer-in-Residence is enriching the for science and research with December 2019 in the Oak Hall, included learning environment for the College’s arts space for laboratory teaching the first performance of a new carol and conservation students. Throughout and analytical work. The facility They all were looking for a king. This was this year and next, Mary has arranged supports MA project research and specially written for the occasion by Mary Salon Imaginaire, a wonderfully varied enables staff to conduct research Hampton, West Dean Composer-in- series of concerts at the College. in the fields of conservation and Residence, for the Winterbourne Singers Forthcoming concerts: heritage science. and West Dean Viol Players to perform. Sunday 5 January 2020, 4.00-5.00pm 16th to 18th Century music As we continue to chart an ambitious Mary talked to us about her commission: Performed by Alison Crum and Roy Marks trajectory of growth for the College, I am on a range of early instruments delighted to announce that Professor Paul “Since becoming Composer-in-Residence O’Prey CBE has been at West Dean, I’ve been frankly Sunday 5 January 2020, 4.00-5.00pm appointed Chair of the overwhelmed by how many creative 16th to 18th Century music Board of Trustees for The possibilities surround me from day to day, Performed by Alison Crum and Roy Marks Edward James Foundation within the house and grounds, the library on a range of early instruments which is responsible for and archive, and amongst the various West Dean College of specialisms of the students and teachers Arts and Conservation. that come and go here. And while I’ve been enjoying experimenting with new With an extensive Paul O’Prey career in higher education, latterly as Vice- techniques and approaches in my own practise (in the spirit of Edward James), I Chancellor and President of the University confess I jumped at the chance to make of Roehampton, London, Professor O’Prey this quieter, more traditional piece for the is well-positioned to support the strategic Winterbourne Singers. ambitions of the College. A few years back, I had the pleasure He replaces the Hon Peter Benson LVO MA of being involved in a Christmas Eve FCA who has stepped down after seventeen broadcast for Radio 3, for which I years as a Trustee, ten of them as Chairman. performed a great old folk song called During that time, Peter has driven progress the Cherry Tree Carol, and since then towards a more sustainable business model I’ve found a new appreciation for carols for the Foundation and leaves us in excellent in general. Of course, it’s difficult to bring shape to deliver on the key strategic new words to bear on such a well-worn objectives of Vision 2027. theme, so I went back to my own roots to find the unusual lyrics for They all were looking for a king, by George MacDonald, a notable Victorian inhabitant of the house in Hammersmith where I grew up; I think Alex Barron they still speak very clearly to our times.” CEO 1 Autumn Term 2019 read. It’s the thing that most writers want, Spotlight on... for readers to like their writing. You mention the creative process of Jim Green, MA Creative writing, can you expand on that? Writing & Publishing One particular thing about West Dean for creative writers is the emphasis on engaging What brought you to West Dean authors and artists with each other which College? puts a very real-life aspect into our work. There are many similarities between what I’ve lived near West Dean for fifteen years they are doing and what we are doing; and have done a number of short courses, structure, planning, perseverance, acquisition keen to get inside the main door. I’ve had of a creative skill. This isn’t about learning by a Creative Writing MA in my sights since rote, but rather a carefully crafted, thought 2008, but because of my job I wasn’t able provoking, lifetime process. to go full-time, so I looked at other ways of learning online and at other colleges. To my Tell us about your work. What are your aims for the course? mind, what they offer doesn’t come close to I’m writing fiction, in the crime/domestic Over the two-year course I will have West Dean. noire genre, drawing partly from worked on a single book aiming for a For me, it’s important I can say I did my MA autobiographical material which can be an minimum of 60,000 words. Although I here. It’s not just about creative writing but issue if I stay too close. My main character had the idea before the course started, also the broader West Dean experience; is a GP. I have a particular interest in family, my aim by the end, is to have a reasonably being part of its artistic community. There health and social issues, looking through a finished and polished second draft that is something about the sense of place here, criminal eye, taking quite a dark position. I I can confidently send out to agents and which is engaging in its own right. The envisage this as a series. The first book is publishers. history, the variety of things going on, the about assisted death, exploring the nature Getting published will be the final stage people you meet, all fire the imagination. of both the subject’s position and those of what we call, ‘becoming a writer’. Another big thing about the West Dean that might be willing to help. It is a moral I believe this is achievable given that we course is its publishing element as that’s tale as well as fiction; exploring questions are tutored by, constantly engage with where I’m aiming; to get published. I want about rights and wrongs, without imposing a and learn from real life authors, editors, to produce something that people want to judgement. publishers and agents. well as impacting on individual artists, artist Banner Culture at the British Bauhaus: Art and groups, and collectives. Textile Biennial Education Symposium Visitors heard from Professor Jeremy The British Textile Biennial 2019 Aynsley from the University of Brighton, took place in October and featured a Professor Gavin Butt from Northumbria banner made at West Dean last year University and Sarah Kate Wilson from the as part of the Processions celebration Camberwell College of Arts who discussed of Women’s suffrage. her students’ experiences working at the new Bauhaus Museum in Dessau, Germany. We really wanted to celebrate In the final panel of the symposium, Lauren women’s rights and also draw Godfrey, a London-based artist discussed attention to contemporary issues In Spring 2019, West Dean College work she produced for the De La Warr around equality, the gender pay welcomed Renee So as Artist-in-Residence, Pavilion earlier this year, focusing on how gap, and the #metoo movement. as part of a collaboration between the her artistic practice was opened up to The workshop acknowledged that, College and the De La Warr Pavilion to collaboration and interaction, drawing although much has been done toward mark the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus. parallels with the Bauhaus approach to gender equality over the past century, Founded in Germany in 1919, the Bauhaus making and teaching. This was one of there is still some way to go. We can remains one of the most important and several projects taking place at the Pavilion do that creatively, and in cooperation, influential art schools of the twentieth through the year to mark the centenary of to make our voices heard. century, from its avant-garde arts and crafts the Bauhuas School. beginnings to its radical approach to uniting You can visit Renee’s exhibition ‘Ancient Sarah Hughes, Curatorial Assistant, art, technology and everyday life. and Modern’ at the De La Warr Pavillion West Dean College. until Sunday 12 January 2020. In October 2019, we welcomed Renee West Dean colleagues marching at Processions in June 2019. back to the College amongst a number It showcases the new body of work she of other prominent guest speakers for created during her time as Artist-in- a one-day symposium entitled Bauhaus: Residence at West Dean, in which she Art and Education. At a time of increased responded particularly to the legacy of pressure on universities and arts education female makers of the Bauhaus, many of in particular, this symposium explored how whom are lesser known than their male early experiments in pedagogy continue counterparts, and who were often pushed to inspire our institutions of education, as towards craft practices within the school.