“Goldsmiths is special. It is more than that, it is unique.”

In this 120th anniversary year, we are celebrating the individuals who have helped make Goldsmiths what it is today.

Few have contributed more to that story than Emeritus Professor Alan Downie, whose presence, insight and generosity have shaped generations of students, colleagues and graduates.

Accepting an Honorary Fellowship at our recent winter graduation ceremonies, Professor Downie reflected on nearly half a century of service to Goldsmiths as a scholar, teacher and leader and, for many years, the voice of our most ceremonial moments.

A definining figure at Goldsmiths

For decades Alan was a defining figure at Goldsmiths, guiding students through literature, supporting colleagues across departments and articulating the spirit of our community from the lectern as College Orator.

Yet even with this long history, it was with a sense of disbelief, as much as pride, that he rose to speak at the ceremony, not to present others, but to accept a fellowship himself.

Remembering his first ceremony in 1991, when he presented the painter and Goldsmiths alumnus Carel Weight for admission to an Honorary Fellowship, Alan reflected, "I am amazed to be standing here today.”

A roll call of creativity

Rather than speak about his own achievements, Alan chose to turn the spotlight outward, celebrating the extraordinary diversity and distinction of those who have been associated with Goldsmiths over the years.

Alan acknowledged the enduring impact of the Young British Artists who transformed the visual arts in the 1980s and 1990s, but he also reminded graduates that Goldsmiths’ reach extends far beyond the stories most often told.

Alan also spoke of the impact of composers and musicians such as Errollyn Wallen CBE, now Master of the King’s Music; novelists including Malorie Blackman, David Lodge, Anne Enright, Ali Smith and Bernardine Evaristo; poets such as Linton Kwesi Johnson, Wendy Cope and Fred D’Aguiar; playwrights including Mustapha Matura and Moira Buffini; and the celebrated lighting designer Paule Constable.

Alan also paid tribute to the extraordinary constellation of artists and innovators whose work has shaped culture across generations.

This included playwright Dennis Kelly, writer of Matilda the Musical and BBC’s Waiting for the Out, as well as musicians like Brian Molko of Placebo, Jools Holland, PJ Harvey and trailblazing producer Dennis Bovell, a defining figure in lovers’ rock.

Other musicians Alan reflected on included the legendary John Cale; Blur’s Alex James and Graham Coxon; and John Illsley, David J and Dave Okumu, whose influence has resonated across British music for decades.

Across the arts, public service and social change

He also listed actors of international renown including Michael Caine, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jude Law, Frances de la Tour and Timothy Spall.

Alan also recognised political and social leaders like Tony Benn, Shirley Williams, Angela Y. Davis, Peter Tatchell, Nick Davies and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, who incidentally used to work in the Goldsmiths bookshop.

What makes Goldsmiths different

Throughout his reflections, Alan returned to one defining idea.

Goldsmiths’ distinctiveness, he suggested, is rooted not in its buildings or infrastructure, but in its people.

He described the blend of disciplines that gives Goldsmiths its character, from its foundations in education and fine art to the humanities, creative arts, social sciences and media studies, a field that Goldsmiths helped to invent and shape.

A message to graduates and alumni

 

For Alan, accepting an Honorary Fellowship marked a profoundly personal milestone and a collective one.

"I am proud to have been one of the people who came to Goldsmiths, and to have been part of the College’s journey for almost half a century."