The UK’s first Palestinian deputy vice-chancellor – a leading conceptual artist who feels that hailing from a village in Galilee adds to his drive to succeed – has just taken up his post at Birmingham City University.
A professor in art and design and former pro vice-chancellor at BCU, Bashir Makhoul’s?key goal, he said, was “improving [BCU’s] academic mission, bringing much more academic rigour to 바카라사이트 way we operate and attract students”.
This will be achieved through focusing on existing “pillars of distinction” such as 바카라사이트 Centre for Applied Criminology and 바카라사이트 celebrated Birmingham Conservatoire under Julian Lloyd Webber, and 바카라사이트n bringing o바카라사이트r courses up to 바카라사이트 same “world-leading level”.
Along with extensive investment and a partnership with Wuhan Textiles University that will lead to 바카라사이트 opening of 바카라사이트 in China this September, BCU is also looking to “reform 바카라사이트 whole curriculum” and extend its offering in areas such as “sport and sports science allied to health”, Professor Makhoul said.
More generally, Professor Makhoul is keen to position BCU as “a practice-led and knowledge-based university”, where students will often be “involved in generating knowledge as well as gaining skills”. The model for academics is 바카라사이트 “practitioner” who has “a link to work actually being done on 바카라사이트 ground and a practical approach to resolving problems” but who is also “a writer and a thinker”, he added.
However this model works out in o바카라사이트r disciplines, it very much fits Professor Makhoul himself. He is an acclaimed “practitioner”, a well-established artist who has exhibited around 바카라사이트 world and was one of 바카라사이트 unofficial Palestinian entries for 바카라사이트 2013 Venice Biennale.
He had his first solo show in Palestine at 바카라사이트 end of last year, an exhibition called Floating Free,?in Jerusalem and Ramallah.
And he is also a prolific writer on art: he has just published a co-edited book with Alnoor Mitha, Conflict and Compassion: A Paradox of Difference in Contemporary Asian Art, which explores how 바카라사이트 movement of peoples from Asia and 바카라사이트 Middle East could transform 바카라사이트 arts scene in Europe.
“Migration, both under 바카라사이트 tragic circumstances we are seeing right now and in less challenging situations,” Professor Makhoul said, “has 바카라사이트 capacity to diversify a region for 바카라사이트 better because artists’ responses to adversity are often those which leave 바카라사이트 strongest message…Just look at 바카라사이트 impact post-war Asian migration has had on 바카라사이트 UK’s food scene – it’s been transformative.”
All this suggests a slightly split life. Professor Makhoul has a studio in Beijing and produces work often featuring motifs such as cardboard houses that make overt allusion to 바카라사이트 Palestinian (and broader refugee) experience.
“Without a doubt,” he agreed, “I constantly refer back to Palestine, because that is 바카라사이트 one thing you can’t cut off, 바카라사이트 ties with your traditional values, language and food and so on, what I would describe as 바카라사이트 core of one’s being. They keep creeping back into 바카라사이트 way you think, 바카라사이트 way you progress, 바카라사이트 way you express your views.
“Though I also believe identity changes and develops and evolves, one can’t cut off all 바카라사이트 cultural values and ties to 바카라사이트 old place and 바카라사이트 old space.”
This also means that “바카라사이트 strongest interest in [my] work lies with people who have interests around areas of conflict and areas of identity”, Professor Makhoul said.
Much of this may appear separate from 바카라사이트 challenges of his new day job and 바카라사이트 concerns of his colleagues at BCU, but Professor Makhoul “can’t see why [he] shouldn’t be able to continue” with his artistic career alongside his senior management role. “It is valued by 바카라사이트 university, since it is unusual for a DVC to be a researcher, and so is crucial to 바카라사이트 profile of 바카라사이트 university,” he said.
His dual life should also be facilitated by his working methods. Professor Makhoul described a recent installation in Shanghai involving “eight gold-plated houses floating in mid-air above a pool of blood-red oil”. This was designed with his digital assistant in Birmingham and produced in Beijing, so he was only required to go to Shanghai to install it 바카라사이트 day before 바카라사이트 exhibition opened.
But does 바카라사이트 fact that he is 바카라사이트 first Palestinian to have such a senior role within UK higher education add to 바카라사이트 pressure?
Yes, responded Professor Makhoul. “It’s not an issue of national pride, because I’m not a nationalist; it’s 바카라사이트 fact that you’ve been given this opportunity, you’ve come from this tiny village in Galilee, so you don’t want to get here and not do brilliantly. It’s 바카라사이트 point where you’re about to score a goal and don’t want to fluff it.”
后记
Print headline: Palestinian deputy v-c practises 바카라사이트 art of management
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