Flying the Flag: Announcing Byam Shaw's Takeover to the World
Byam Shaw School of Arts Students Protest Against Central Saint Martins Cutting of Teaching Hours and Funding.
As of 16.00 on 18th February the main building of Byam Shaw School of Art, N19, has been occupied by a majority of its current students. This university is only a stones throw away from where the ‘Crouch End Commune’ formed in similar circumstances at the Hornsey Art College, on Crouch Hill Road.
Originally founded in 1910 by John Byam Shaw and Vicat Cole it was incorporated into Central Saint Martins in 2003, part of the London Institute for Art. It has had a reputation of maintaining an independent art college sensibility, encouraging and nurturing its student’s skills and originality, not merely a prep school for the creative industries. In order for smaller art schools to get validation, they are no longer able to survive on their own and forced into surrendering their autonomy by merging with other institutions. This provides many benefits to its students such as broadening of subjects, resources and facilities but comes at a great detriment to the individuality of its teaching and output.
Over the past two years the amount of teaching hours due to budget cuts has been reduced by approximately 276 hours for the BA Fine Art course alone. This was implicated with out discussion or notification to the students and the majority of its staff. The students who were enrolled on the course on or before the 2006/2007 year are demanding their right as students and consumers to get what they signed up for and refunding of what has already been lost from the beginning of this academic year to date.
Over the past two weeks there have been over 29 occupations of universities by their students throughout the UK, making it one of the biggest student revolts in over 20 years.
What makes ‘Byam Shaw’s Peoples University’ stand out from the rest, is its apolitical stance as they are addressing issues that directly affect them as students within their university.
In a decade that seems to have lost it’s ability to be heard by the people in charge breeding an air of apathy amongst a generation it seems that the voice of a small group of students in a fairly unknown patch of art education is making their collective voice be heard.
With the occupation well into it’s 3rd day it has already gained meetings with the head of resources, student dean and university principle, which will be followed next Tuesday with a response to today’s questions.
Check out the progress at http://byamshawpeoplesuniversity.blogspot.com/.
