Planet of the Arts Volume 7 Issue 6 page 10 -all about alan RTE ATE -An interview with Alan Barkley, President of Emily Carr College Recently, reporters for the Planet, Justin Miles and Andrew Robulack, met with Alan Barkley for a ‘fireside chat’. This interview was just part of the Planet's ongoing effort to familiarize ourselves on a more personal basis with the working members of the faculty, general staff and adminis- tration of Emily Carr. We have found so far that there are many accom- plished artists and interesting personalities that go unnoticed in the hustle- bustle of college studies. Perhaps these interviews will make us alittle more familiar with the people who not only make this College tick, but also strongly.influence our studies while at the College... POTA - What has been your formal training? Alan - I started off as an undergraduate at the University of Toronto doing a Philosophy and English program and then partway through I realized I wanted to do something in the arts and went to work for a really neat sculptor for two years. I put together a portfolio and got accepted to an advanced program in sculpture at St. Martin’s School of Art in London. POTA - Why England ? Alan- There really wasn’ta lotin Canada in the um, ahh- sixties that I found very interesting and I’d seen a review in Artforum of some very interesting sculpture showing at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. I was intrigued by the fact that many of them taught at the college, St. Martin’s. So [decided on the spot that I’d go to England to be part of that umm - new energy. POTA - What was your impression of St. Martin’s when you got there? Alan - I was in an international program, unique for the time, that sought out students from around the world who had completed their basic educa- tion in the arts and wanted to work in this very intense creative atmosphere — when I was there, we had, ummm, ahh, err, students from Germany, France, Israel, the U.S., Yugoslavia as well as England and Canada. A lot of interesting students were colleagues, people like Hamish Fulton, Richard Long, George Pasmore and a young Italian student that soon paired up with him to become the duo, Gilbert and George. I was at St. Martin’s two years and then I rented space in a warehouse for a couple of years with a number of St. Martin’s alumni and taught at a number of art schools, showed around England and in Scandinavia before coming back to Canada. Not long after returning I enroled at the Nova Scotia College of Art in Halifax and got my Masters. POTA - So throughout the whole time was sculpture the focus of your activities? Alan - Oooooo! My focus was always sculpture. I got into other jobs, teaching, administration as a way of trying to support that habit. I moved around a lot in Canada, partly for job reasons and partly to be where there was an exciting environment. After graduating from NSCAD I went back a few years later as Dean because I’d found the College in Halifax such a stimulating place creatively, and I wanted to continue my connection. POTA - Do you still practise sculpture? Alan - I started to move away from sculpture after Icame out to Vancouver. Partly it was the work, sniff, excuse me - I was pretty busy in the first few years - and partly because | think my interests were shifting away from the issues that had preoccupied me before, formal issues of material and spatial perception. I became interested in the more inclusive possibilities of film. I'd made a video some years earlier using a moving camera to explore the relationship between objects, such as a pan of a long railway bridge which looks very graphic and linear and the light from a distance, contrasted with noisy, clanky, umm physical sensation of moving across the bridge, seen from the front of a slow-moving train. So recently I’ve begun thinking about moving image and what | might do with that. POTA - So you’re making films now? Alan - Actually y’know I’m writing - umm, err, umm, | guess at my stage I should probably say learning to write - screenplays. Writing seems a good way toexplore filmas amedium, and I can fit writing into my week more easily than I can visits to a studio. And you can conceive million dollar projects for the price of a few sheets of paper! POTA - Now that you’re at Emily Carr, what’s the focus of your position? What do you see as your task? Alan - Well, ahem, um, well, it’s beenchanging. I didn’tknowa lotabout the College until I came out here for an interview and when I visited the building it seemed such a incredibly wonderful place. I know we all complain about the building from time to time but if you’ve been to other schools or just go away and come back here there’s a wonderful spacious, open feeling to the place that you don’t find in other art colleges. The people here were terrific and so it seemed great if I could become part of all this. My first few years, sniff, oh...excuse me again, were heavily into administrative issues. To give some guidelines to what the College wanted to achieve I relied on a Self-Study conducted by the institution and completed just as I arrived. It was a list of concerns and complaints and issues that the people who worked here thought were important to address. So Lused that very much as a set of blueprints in making changes to the organizational structure of the college and in setting up some of the consultative structures like the PAC ( Program Advisory Council ) that are in place now. Umm...Er, ahh, well, I, uh, think maybe, umm, I’m not really, well ahhhhhhh, umm, er, umm... There were two other important goals listed as well — more space and a degree to complement the diploma. Soon after I arrived we rented more space to give the college — and especially the painters - more breathing room and we added another leased space a couple of years later to enable Planet of the Arts Volume 7 Issue 6 page 10 -all about alan -An interview with Alan Barkley, President of Emily Carr College Recently, reporters for the Planet, Justin Miles and Andrew Robulack, ‘met with Alan Barkley for a ‘fireside chat’, This interview was just part of the Planet's ongoing effort to familiarize ourselves on a more personal basis with the working members of the faculty, general staff and adminis- tration of Emily Carr. We have found so far that there are many accom: plished artists and interesting personalities that go unnoticed inthe husile- bustle of college studies, Perhaps these interviews will makes alttle more familiar with the people who not only make this Colleye tick, but also strongly influence our studies while at the College. POTA - What has been your formal trai ing? Alan - I started off as an undergraduate atthe University of Toronto doing Philosophy and English program and then partway through I realized I wanted to do something in the arts and went to work for a really neat sculptor for two years. I put together a portfolio and got accepted to an advanced program in sculpture at St. Martin’s School of Art in London. POTA - Why England ? Alan-Therereally wasn’talotin Canadain the um, ahh-sixtiesthat [found ‘very interesting and I'd seen areview in Artforum of some very interesting sculpture showing atthe Whitechapel Gallery in London. I was intrigued by the factthat many of them taught atthe college, Si. Martin's. So decided ‘onthe spot that I'd goto England to be part of that umm - new energy. POTA -What was your impression of St. Martin’s when you got there? Alan - as in an intemational program, unique forthe time, that sought out students from around the world who had completed their basic educa- tion inthe arts and wanted to work in this very intense creative atmosphere — when I was there, we had, ummm, ah, err, students from Germany, France, Israel, the U.S., Yugoslavia as well as England and Canada. A Tot of interesting students were colleagues, people like HamishFulion, Richard Long, George Pasmore anda young talian student that soon paired up with him to become the duo, Gilbert and George. was at St. Martin’s two years and then I rented space in a warehouse fora couple of years with a number of St. Martin’s alumni and taught at a ‘umber of art schools, showed around England and in Scandinavia before ‘coming back to Canada. Not long after returning I enroled at the Nova Scotia College of Artin Halifax and got my Masters. POTA - So throughout the whole time was sculpture the focus of your Alan - Oooooo! My focus was always sculpture. I got into other jobs, teaching, administration as a way of trying to support that habit. { moved around alot in Canada, partly for job reasons and partly to be where there ‘was an exciting environment. After graduating from NSCAD I went back a few years later as Dean because I'd found the College in Halifax such a stimulating place creatively, and I wanted to continue my connection. POTA - Do you still practise sculpture? Alan- [started io move away from sculptureafter leame out to Vancouver. Parlly it was the work, sniff, excuse me - I was pretty busy in the first few years - and partly because I think my interests were shifling away from the issues that had preoccupied me before, formal issues of material and spatial perception. Ibecame interested in the more inclusive possibiliti of film T'd made a video some years earlier using a moving camera to explore the relationship between objects, such as a pan of a long railway bridge ‘which looks very graphic and linear and the light from a distance, ‘contrasted with noisy, clanky, umm physical sensation of moving across the bridge, seen from the front of a slow-moving train. So recently I've begun thinking about moving image and what I might do with that POTA - So you're making films now? Alan - Actually y’know I'm writing - umm, err, umm, | guess at my Stage I should probably say learning to write- screenplays. Writing seems ‘good way toexplore ilmasamedium, and Ian fit writing into my week ‘more easily than I ean visits o a studio. And you can conceive million dollar projects for the price of a few sheets of paper! POTA - Now that you're at Emily Carr, what’s the focus of your position? What do you see as your task? ‘Alan- Well, ahem, um, well it'sbeen changing. Ididn’tknowa lotabout the College until Leame out here for an interview and when I visited the building it seemed such a incredibly wonderful place. I know we all ‘complain about the building from time 1 time but if you've been wo other schools or just goaway and come back here there’sa wonderful spacious, ‘open feeling to the place that you don’t find in other art colleges. The people here were terrific and so it seemed great if [could become part of all this. My first few years, sniff, oh..excuse me again, were heavily into administrative issues. To give some guidelines to what the College wanted to achieve I relied on a Self-Study conducted by the institution and completed just as I arrived, It was alist of concems and complaints and issues that the people who worked here thought were important to address. So I used that very much asa setof blueprints in making changes tothe organizational structure ofthe college and in setting up some of the consultative structures like the PAC ( Program Advisory Council ) that are in place now. ‘Umm...Er,ahh, well, I,uh, think maybe, umm, ’m not really, well ahhhhhhh, umm, er, umm, ‘There were two other important goals listed as well — more space and ‘degree to complement the diploma, Soon after arrived we rented more: space to give the college —and especially the painters - more breathing room and we added another leased space a couple of years later to enable