Everything to play for and nothing to lose

During the ceremony, two influential and distinguished guests were welcomed and awarded Fellowships at Hereford College of Arts.

These included acclaimed artists Heather Peak Morison and Ivan Morison who established an ambitious collaborative practice over the past fifteen years that transcends the divisions between art, architecture, theatre with social practice.

Central to their work is involvement with spaces of human coexistence and with the communities that occupy or may gather there. On a societal level, Studio Morison is working to re-establish civic life; on a human level, it looks to bring meaning, beauty and purpose into everyday life. They shared their experience and advice with graduates.

“You lucky people - you have been fortunate enough to spend the last years at HCA. It’s a special place, that creates a unique kind of graduate. You are at the cusp, in the moment, everything to play for and nothing to lose.

What is your function if not to engender positive change, or rather what’s the point. How can you justify this privileged position you find yourselves in if you do not use it to leverage meaningful benefit to others. The bifurcation of the arts over recent decades into a commercial sector and a social sector has meant we are sometimes left with the binary choice of money verses good when charting our path. But good choices can be made, no is a powerful word, new models are being built, you can build them. Please use your talents for the wider good, be ethical in your choices, moral in your actions. The world may some days seem to have gone to shit, but you, sitting here today, are part of the answer, you can inspire, create stories, allow people to re-connect with the world, to see it anew. You lucky people.”

In a series of inspiring speeches 2021 graduate, Jordan Knight BA (Hons) Contemporary Design Crafts said:

“Thank you to HCA for being my home for the past 5 years, you have given and offered so much that I could not begin to list it all, but it is certain that HCA is a home for all creatives to prosper and take responsibility for their future.”

The celebrations later moved from the cathedral to the Left Bank, where a drinks reception provided the opportunity for everyone to relax.

If anything graduation has reminded us all to stand up for our beliefs, to be tenacious, take risks, and to take creativity out into the world and make a difference.

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