Page 223 of The Examiner

Tilda

Thank goodness! We can’t have a scandal like that, Gela. But who is Ben Sketcher if he’s not our examiner?

Gela

The three members of AetherGen gained possession of a different piece of technology and then went AWOL with it. I believe Ben Sketcher is the new leader of their organisation, but used his skills as a hacker to pose as the external examiner and track them down. Even he didn’t realise there would be such a shocking climax to the company’s event.

Tilda

A shocking climax? What happened?

Gela

The activists created a grotesque model of a severed head encased in a resin block, staring at a mobile phone strapped to it. All designed to shock the RD8 people and their corporate guests – a protest about human dependence on technology. Clearly someone is a fan of Damien Hirst and Gunther von Hagens.

Tilda

How did RD8 respond? Could this affect their relationship with our engineering faculty?

Gela

The plan backfired. The audience saw it as a valid artistic statement and applauded. RD8 were speechless at first, but it caused such a chatter around their very dull new communications technology that they had to admit the installation did its job. I’ve just uploaded my Tutor’s Report. As the real external examiner is on board now, there’s nothing to concern you.

Tilda

What a relief. In that case I’ll tell Karen to send all the documents to Philippa at once. And, Gela, I’ve had some good news: the MMAM course has been approved! You can start admissions and select the next intake of students. Send Hannah your blurb for the prospectus asap.

Gela

That’s great news.

Tilda

Are you sure everything’s OK?

Gela

Everything is absolutely fine. Thank you, Tilda.

MMAM(FTP) Final Project and long essay Final Grade Tutor’s Report, 31 May 2024

Brief: Create a multimedia installation in the foyer of RD8’s headquarters to complement the company’s launch event for a new system that blends radio waves with cloud technology for a new generation of mobile payment systems.

Overview: The group had one task left: to move their installation to RD8’s event, set it up and talk to guests during the champagne reception. It was simple – probably the least involved and most enjoyable stage of the whole process. The moment where all they had learned on the course could be put into practice.

Jemisha Badhuri

With her burning ambition, mischievous guile and ruthless streak, Jem has quietly disrupted this course from the start. Last summer, when I met her at the West Mids degree show, I thought I’d found a student who literally wouldn’t see what AetherGen was up to. Jem saw everything, and more. She works hard to overcome any obstacle she encounters. Despite taking some unconventional paths to assert herself, she’s an accomplished artist and, more than any other student on this course, has developed her talent into the stratosphere. Final grade: Distinction

Patrick Bright

When I struck up a conversation with Patrick over the counter at Modern Art, it was only to offer my sympathies after the burglary. As he rambled about the break-in and mixed it with yearning memories of his home town in Ireland, it hit me. This lovely, innocent middle-aged man was the final piece of my puzzle. Someone who, if he saw anything, would see only the good in it. Yet what you see can be deceiving and he wasn’t that innocent after all. Patrick stopped responding to my messages after the event. Wherever he is, I wish him well. Final grade: Merit

Jonathan Danners

I met Jonathan on a climate-change march. I was only there to keep a friend company. We walked beside each other and got talking – it was as simple as that. I mentioned I worked at Royal Hastings and he said his sister-in-law was Alyson Lang; his wife, her sister Suzie, was walking way ahead of us, leading the march with a banner and megaphone. Jonathan was lovely, even said he’d help me approach Alyson to visit our undergrads. Later he told me Royal Hastings has strong links to RD8 via the engineering department. Like all bad ideas, I can’t remember exactly when we decided I’d be a part of their mission to expose RD8’s toxic atmospheric defence tech. But I contacted the company on behalf of the art department. It coincided well with our change in policy: the clause in our mission statement that said all RH art courses must have a clear relevance to industry and commerce. Jonathan is a driven and passionate leader determined to make a faceless organisation pay for the deaths of his mother and sister. I hope he finds peace. Final grade: Merit

Alyson Lang