Tag Archives: University of Manchester

Dec 15 2011
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Daily Post, Friend, Portrait Gallery

Fei at her graduation, University of Manchester

Wednesday 14th December 2011, 6.00pm (day 111)

Fei at graduation, 14/12/11_low-res

Couldn’t take lots of photos at this happy event because I had an official role to play: it would not have done to have been snapping away from up on the stage while reading out the names of the many graduates celebrating their achievements this evening. (Reading the names out is a harder job than it looks, I can assure you.) This was the best shot to encapsulate the most important thing about the day however – it makes people happy.

I would say, somebody please tell our government that higher education remains a public good, but we have done so, and they don’t care. Very soon Fei, and I, will sod off to work and study in a country which still values the notion of higher education as something which benefits everyone, not just the student. And we will take all the expertise and economic gains that it represents with us. Their loss. I hope it never happens, but we teeter on the edge here in the UK system, right now.

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Nov 21 2011
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Daily Post, Urban scene Gallery

Oxford Road, Manchester

Monday 21st November 2011, 9.50am (day 88)

Oxford Road, 21/11/11

Although my work location varies, as you can tell from this blog, Monday is most commonly a Manchester day, spent among the dreaming spires…

Dreaming spires? Well, not really. The University of Manchester campus is split in half by one of the country’s principal A roads (this is the A34 which starts here and ends in Southampton, having passed through the centre of England on the way – including Oxford, hence the name Oxford Road). It makes it the noisiest and most crowded campus I have ever visited, and believe me I’ve been to a few. My bosses are spending millions on new buildings but if you ask me a better investment would be simply to pay for a ‘university bypass’ and then grass this over to create a long garden. Who knows, one day we might realise that cars subtract from life more than they add to it and it might even happen.

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Oct 31 2011
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Sign at the University of Manchester

Monday 31st October 2011, 8.15am (day 67)

Whitworth Hall sign, 31/10/11

The Whitworth Hall (named after engineer Sir Joseph Whitworth) is the ceremonial hall for the University of Manchester. People say you end up working somewhere appropriate for your name. Well, not only is my family name Whitworth, but my mother’s maiden name is Hall, so I guess that does it for me.

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Oct 06 2011
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Guyda (and digital Dante)

Thursday 6th October 2011, 5.15pm (day 42)

Guyda presenting at the seminar, 6/10/11

On a day spent almost entirely in my office, looking out at grey and rainy skies, there weren’t many candidates for today’s shot and I nearly put something utterly dull (like my office wall) just to encapsulate the feeling. But then my friend and colleague Guyda came along to one of our research seminars to present about her using ICTs to teach medieval Italian literature, and both her and her beautiful books brought some interest into the day.

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Sep 22 2011
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger Gallery

Freshers’ Fair, University of Manchester

Thursday 22nd September 2011, 1.45pm (day 28)

Permaculture guy, 22/9/11_low-res

I got interviewed by ‘student TV’ today so found myself in the annual chaos that is the Freshers’ Fair. I know this picture is a bit blurred but as you can’t read the sign, it says, ‘Gardening and Permaculture Society’. Now I am not at all mocking this guy: I have found myself interested enough in gardening over the last few years. And though I didn’t talk to him, he seemed pretty sweet. But I’m sorry, if you look up ‘walking cliche’ in the dictionary, it says ‘see him’.

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Sep 08 2011
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Kro Bar, Manchester

Thursday 8th September 2011, 6.00pm (day 14)

Huiyu, Dalal and Cormac, 8/9/11_low-res

At this time of year there is an element of the holiday rep about my job. One lot of students are about to finish their time with me but as they do so, the next lot are on their planes in, ready to start the next cycle. Today I had drinks with some of those who were departing. Cormac, my colleague (being Irish) and I had Guinness; Huiyu & Dalal caffeine. But it’s all the same in the end. They’ve worked hard this year as have we. We all deserve it.

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Sep 07 2011
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger Gallery

The Official Photographer, Simon Building, University of Manchester

Wednesday 7th September 2011, 1.10pm (day 13)

Official photographer, 7/9/11

At this meeting I attended today this guy was taking photographs of everyone, as soon as they opened their mouths. He was a nice guy, though. At the lunch break I said, ‘You’ve been taking photos of everyone, now I’m going to take your photo, and put it on my web site.’ And so, I did.

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