Monthly Archives: April 2018

Lauren Ware at the ‘Pint of Science’ festival

Dr Lauren Ware, Lecturer for the Department of Philosophy, will be giving a talk as part of the Pint of Science festival, an annual series that brings researchers to local pubs to present their scientific discoveries.

Lauren’s talk will be part of a series of presentations under the theme ‘Community Services, Crime and Punishment, and Global Health’, to be held at the Northern Seaman pub, Rochester, 19.00 – 22.00 on Wednesday 16 May 2018.

In particular, Lauren will be talking about her research on pain and emotional suffering in criminal punishment. The talk imagines a scenario involving two prisoners, Ronnie and Reggie, both of whom have committed identical crimes under identical circumstances, and who have both been sentenced to four years in identical prison facilities. While their punishment conditions are identical in all respects, Ronnie is tormented by prison life and lives in a constant state of fear and distress, while Reggie finds prison life merely difficult and unpleasant. If we subscribe to the ‘equality principle’ of the same punishment for the same crimes, have Ronnie and Reggie been punished equally?

The event is open to all, and tickets cost £4. Find out more.

SMFA’s Adam Chodzko features in international Cornish summer art festival Groundwork

SMFA Fine Art Senior Lecturer and acclaimed artist, Adam Chodzko, is featured in Groundwork – a festival season of exceptional international contemporary art in Cornwall from 5 May through to September. With an emphasis on moving image, sound and performance, the programme of exhibitions and events in 2018 includes presentations of important new commissions and acclaimed works by internationally celebrated artists in venues and outdoor sites across West Cornwall. You can experience Adam’s work 5-7 May at St Anthony-in-Meneage, Helston and the waters of the Helford River and Gillan Creek.

Adam Chodzko’s iconic vessel Ghost will be taking passengers on voyages on Gillan Creek, near Manaccan on the Lizard peninsula, during Groundwork’s launch weekend. Ghost is a hand-made wooden kayak fabricated from hundreds of strips of different woods and is both a vessel and a sculptural object. First exhibited in the Whitstable Biennale in 2010, it has since travelled along the River Medway and the River Tamar, through The Olympic Park, London, along the Tyne and in creeks through Essex. In each location members of the public are carried in a reclining position, in a state between waking and sleeping, their passage recorded by a camera mounted on the boat’s prow.

Adam Chodzko uses a wide range of media, including video, installation, photography, drawing and performance. His work focuses on our relationships to life’s edges, endings, displacements, transitions, disappearances and in-between states and often involves looking in the ‘wrong’ place or in the ‘wrong’ way to discover productive mis-readings and to propose alternative realities.

More info about the festival here http://groundwork.art/artists/

New Student Community Champion roles available

Are you interested in championing good community relations and will be living in the St Michael’s or Hales Place areas of Canterbury during 2018-19?

New Student Community Champion roles will be available to students living in these areas, offering employment and development opportunities for students.

The full job description and details on how to apply by Monday 7 May are available here.

If you have any queries please email communityliaison@kent.ac.uk

SMFA music students work performed by leading ensemble Octandre

On Monday 21 May at 13.00, the School of Music and Fine Art, University of Kent, Medway is excited to present a special lunchtime recital to celebrate the work of our BMus, year 2 composition students.

Having spent the term working alongside one of the UK’s leading contemporary music ensembles, we are delighted to have three musicians from Octandre with us to showcase selected submissions.

Octandre are developing an international reputation for their work with a recent commission receiving a BASCA composition award, multiple broadcast recordings for BBC Radio 3 and several high profile performances at venues including LSO St Lukes and St John Smith’s Square. With Sir Harrison Birtwistle as their patron and a consistently thriving programme they are well and truly at the forefront of our nation’s music scene.

Octandre Trio:
Audrey Milheres – Flute
Sam Cave – Guitar
Corentin Chassard – Cello

Audio link – https://www.octandre.com/audio

Free to attend but please book via Eventbrite.

Global Business in a Dynamic Environment summer school

Exclusive discount for University of Kent students, we are opening up our ‘Global Business in a Dynamic Environment 1- 15 July’ summer school to current Kent students at an exclusive price of £1000. The cost includes full tuition, on campus accommodation in Parkwood flats, a welcome and farewell meal, refreshments every morning, guided trips as part of the programme (including a day in London). Students will be taught by expert professors from the University of Kent’s Business school and outside professionals and entrepreneurs to work towards building a finished documentation for social media, YouTube films or traditional commentary pieces addressing core issues of concern. Students will receive extra-curricular credits and a certificate on successful completion.

To apply for this summer school and exclusive discount please email summerschools@kent.ac.uk to confirm your interest and submit your application on our e-vision portal.

Find out more: https://www.kent.ac.uk/summerschools/programmes/business.html

Email: summerschools@kent.ac.uk

Fine Art PhD student wins prestigious film award

Fine Art PhD student Stephen Connolly won a 2018 British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) Award for his film, Machine Space.

He won the Moving Image category under Best Practice Research Portfolio for his essay film exploring a city as a machine; a place of movement and circulation. Using a kinetic approach, issues of space, race and finance frame the city of Machine Space. Residents testify in voice-over about how the city as a spatial and financial machine shapes their experience. The city is Detroit, a place that has changed from producing the means of movement to producing space itself. The film uses formal representational devices to explore this content, and addresses issues of complicity of audiences in the state of affairs in the city. It is a visualization of the ideas of Henri Lefebvre, philosopher of space and urban life.

Stephen is an artist filmmaker and Kent 50 scholar who also lectures in Film Production at the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, and works as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the School of Music and Fine Art.

He said: “The PhD has been such an amazing experience and deeply helpful for my practice, encouraging me to push forward towards publication. The process of academic research has allowed me to place the work in context and in conversation with other disciplines and artists. I aim to contribute to the further development of practice as research as a process of making moving image work in the arts.”

Stephen has also joined forces with Matthew Gibson, Arts GTA (Film) within the School of Music and Fine Art, and Patrick Brian Smith of Concordia University in Canada, to organise an inter-disciplinary symposium of scholars and media-makers on the topic of ‘Visualising Spatial Injustice and Exploitation’. The event takes place on Friday 8 June in Grimond Building on the University’s Canterbury campus and registration is now open.

New Staff Health and Wellbeing Strategy Statement

As part of its ongoing commitment to employee wellbeing, the University of Kent has published a new Staff Health & Wellbeing Strategy Statement. This has been put together by Occupational Health and Safety, (SHE) in collaboration with HR. It was presented to the Safety Health and Environment Executive Committee, (SHEEC) by Bernard Angus, Director of SHE, and was agreed as ready to publish following the meeting in February.

For more information about Staff Health & Wellbeing initiatives check the University’s Safety and Health & Wellbeing website.

Kent Football Reunion: July 2018

If you were involved in playing football at Kent join fellow players at an alumni reunion on the Canterbury campus. The reunion will take place on Saturday 7, July meeting on the Sports Pavilion at 15.00. Come along to play or watch and reminisce your time playing for Kent.

After the match, players and spectators are invited to an informal dinner at 18.30 for 19.00.

If you are interested in joining the team for this exciting reunion, please email Naomi at N.Fleet@kent.ac.uk for more information.

Kent Gives Back weekend – alumni, student and staff volunteers needed!

Join us for one of our events on the Kent Gives Back weekend this May. Kent Gives Back is a community outreach project which unites students, staff and alumni by encouraging them to take part in a local community project such as volunteering at a homeless shelter or a food bank or helping tend to a garden (and much more). Network and get to know fellow alumni and current students in the area.

London: Saturday 12 May, 17.00 – 00.00

Join us as stewards for The MoonWalk London on the evening of 12 May at Clapham Common – 15,000 women and men walking either a full or half marathon in their fantastically decorated bras, raising millions of pounds and awareness.

Walk the Walk is the UK’s largest grant-making breast cancer charity that is dedicated to not only raising money and awareness for vital breast cancer causes, but to also encourage women and men to become more aware. They organise the famous MoonWalk overnight power walking challenges and are immensely proud to have raised over £122m to improve the lives of people living with cancer now.

Please use this registration link and this password: KENTUNI to join the Kent crew for the Saturday evening shift!

Canterbury: Sunday 13 May, 11.00-14.00

We will be stewarding for the Cloisters 2 Oysters 2018 sponsored bike ride supporting the Rethink Mental Illness charity. This is a great chance to get involved in a local charity cause and have fun supporting the riders, who will be cycling through the Kent Canterbury campus!

The Kent Gives Back team have also been invited to join riders and volunteers after the ride at The Dolphin Pub in Canterbury.

Email N.Fleet@kent.ac.uk to sign up or for more information.

Summer reception staff vacancies

Would you like to join Kent Hospitality’s reception team from June to October 2018?

You will be required to work 15 to 35 hours per week including evenings and weekends. Hours will vary from week to week and are not guaranteed.

Rates are:
•£8.46 p/hr 16 – 24 years old
•£8.97 p/hr 25 years and over (Living Wage)

Applicants must be able to demonstrate exceptional levels of customer service, computing and cash handling skills, and the ability to work calmly and accurately under pressure, both alone and as part of a team.

If you think this summer vacancy is for you, please apply by emailing your CV and a cover letter to l.maclean@kent.ac.uk

Closing date for applications: 22 May 2018. This may close early if we receive a large number of applications.