How long have you worked at the Uni? What does your role involve?
I started in May 2018, as a Casual Invigilator in the gallery at the Edge. And then I progressed to Summer Programme Coordinator, Box Office Assistant, Box Office Coordinator, and now to my current of role Visitor Services Coordinator. I do a bit of everything front of house. I manage the box office staff, the visitor services team, the ushers for the theatre when we have performances, and invigilators in the gallery. Also more generally I help improve the welcome experience of the Edge and the public facing aspect of what we do.
What would you most like to achieve while at the University?
I'm an aspiring curator, that's why I work here at the Edge. The big thing I would love to do is to curate my own exhibition in the gallery. That probably won’t happen for a while yet, but maybe one day.
Name one thing that makes you feel proud to work at the University of Bath?
I interact with a lot of students, and staff, but it really impresses me to hear what people are working on. It makes me incredibly proud to work with all of these amazing, intelligent, talented people and help students develop their arts capabilities. And we have some incredible musicians and performers who come to the Edge a lot, and these people are also doing really high achieving research or degrees as well. So it makes me incredibly proud to see these people flourish in different ways.
Who was your most influential teacher/educator, and why?
So when I was at University, I had a senior lecturer in illustration called Peter Nencini. He's a really creative guy, massively intelligent. And he cared so deeply about each and every student and our success, and that really shone through. If he ever got bad feedback from a student, he seemed to really have a personal attachment to making sure that that issue was resolved. So he was a really inspiring guy.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I have gone through a million different ambitions, especially as a child. And I think that's the nature of who I am as a person. But when I was a kid, I was really outdoorsy. And I just wanted to grow up and become Ray Mears I think. Just live in the woods with a machete and make a treehouse and live off grid.
What was your first job?
My employment background is in hospitality, so I used to work in kitchens. I was a little pot wash boy as my first job. It was long hours and it was really hot, especially in summer. But it was also kind of easy, I could switch off and do something monotonous and my brain could go somewhere else and think of other things. So it wasn't actually that bad.
If you could start your own dream business, what would it be?
Probably an arts organisation. An art gallery, maybe with some artist studios to rent out, and a design business on the side, maybe a bit of a foundry so artists can make sculptures and things.
Where is your favourite holiday destination and why?
I have two, I’m kind of split on this. It's either Jamaica, which I went to a few years ago, which was incredible. Or Sicily which I went to more recently and I just found it to be absolutely enthralling. Someone described Sicily to me as a blood stained rock in the Mediterranean. It's got so much history, it’s been fought over in so many different wars and then it's still kind of run by the Mafia and that tells a little bit, but it's also got this charm to it. The food is incredible, the architecture is incredible. It's amazing, full of crumbling palazzos, it’s just magical.
What’s your favourite book or album and why?
With books, I tend to read non-fiction because I'm just boring like that. I’m currently reading a book called Art as Language by G. L. Hagberg that explores the potential links between Ludwig Wittgenstein’s philosophies of language and how those relate to art theory.
I'm also really into music, I don't know if I could pick a favourite album, but I listen to lots of 90-140 BPM bassy rap music; Atlanta Trap, Grime, or Hip-Hop. So anything from those genres really. Barter 6 by Young Thug is definitely a contender though.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I have never ever tried sushi, I love food and different cultures but sushi is something I have yet to experience.
Tell us your favourite joke
I really like one line jokes like:
Venison is dear, isn't it?