Page 164 of The Examiner

Ben

Except Cameron.

Jem

He’s still sick and did nothing for the installation. Before you see it, you should know that I’m not happy with what they’ve done to my head and am not responsible for anything that happens as a result. They’ve weighted it inside, but Gela and I have been working for weeks and we already took its top-heavy alignment into account with a wider plinth – whatever they’ve done could’ve destabilised it. Gela was fuming when she heard and said she’d have to take the weight out while I kept an RD8 lady busy in the tunnel. Then Gela screamed. I thought the whole thing had fallen on her! But when the RD8 lady and I ran back through the tunnel, Gela said she just gasped because the head wobbled, but it’s fine now. She was shaken up and shouted at me to help her replace the clay on the access hatch, then immediately had to dash off to the toilet. I want you to know, Ben, if there’s anything wrong with the head it’s not my fault.

Message group: 2024 Examiners, 30 May 2024

Ben Sketcher

I’ve been Jemmed.

Karen Carpenter

Oooh-er!

Ben Sketcher

As soon as I arrived, the missing student miraculously turned up. Now there’s more excitement to keep me guessing. I suspect Jem got me here on false pretences, so that I see her artwork. Thanks to Patrick, I’m waiting outside to do exactly that. I wonder if the docs he sent were all part of Jem’s plan.

Tilda Ricci

Jem always gets what she wants. One must applaud her ingenuity.

Karen Carpenter

I’d give her extra marks for cheek! Now you’re there, you might as well enjoy it, Ben. Can I ask how you knew Mae had just emailed Gela?

Ben Sketcher

I received a stream of documents from an unknown number. Correspondence to and from Gela Nathaniel. Either Patrick or Jem must have given her my number. I’ll forward them.

Documents sent to me by Gela Nathaniel; they date from April last year:

To: [email protected]

From: Gela Nathaniel

Date: 3 April 2023

Subject: [Website Message]

Dear Alyson,

I hope you don’t mind me contacting you through your website. I was at the rally in Trafalgar Square on Saturday and got talking to your brother-in-law, Jonathan. I teach undergraduate and postgrad art at Royal Hastings and remember visiting your exhibition at the Brewer Gallery years ago.

Royal Hastings is revamping its art courses to better reflect the potential employment opportunities for art graduates. You’ll understand that in the current economic climate each course must justify its place in the prospectus. We’ve had our class sizes reduced already, staff are not being replaced, we lost a studio building to the sciences last year and the whole department is under scrutiny. In short, if we fail to adapt, then our funding will be cut further and art at Royal Hastings will dwindle to nothing.

So I am planning a new MA tailored to build skills that are useful to commercial companies and corporations. I wonder if you’d be willing to pop in and chat with the class one afternoon? Any time from December to March, depending on your schedule. It should only take an afternoon and, as I see you’re based in Guildford, it shouldn’t be too far a journey. I can pay your travel expenses myself.

Yours hopefully,

Gela Nathaniel

To: Gela Nathaniel

From: Suzie Danners