Covid-19: our community responds

Here, we pay tribute to the important work being done by our staff, students and alumni in extraordinary circumstances.

Producing protective equipment

A team of practice tutors from the Department of Art, Department of Design and Department of Computing are combining skills and equipment to manufacture a reusable visor in large quantities, based on an open-source design. Staff from all departments are doing shifts on campus, using Goldsmiths’ laser cutters, 3D printers and large-format printers.

Staff from the Department of Computing have also set up 3D printers at home to print visors as part of The Big Print campaign, joining volunteers from around the UK.

Donating skills and raising money

Dr Ashok Jansari is part of London City Voices. The choir released a cover of You’ve Got a Friend, recorded individually by 270 singers and stitched together digitally. To date, they've raised over £50,000 for Women’s Aid. 

Robert Liow, an MA student in Media, Communications and Cultural Studies, made a promotional video for the One Million Meals campaign, an initiative that aims to bring hot, nutritious meals to NHS staff and key workers. 

Rob Hall, BA student in the Department of Computing, built the website for Artists and Allies, a global network of artists making PPE.

Sharing culture with people at home

Clemence Debaig, a student in the Department of Computing performed an interactive dance live from her living room as part of the exhibition Acts of Bravery. In Strings, the dancer is wearing electronic devices which allow the audience to control their movements. 

Dr James Bulley from the Department of Music has composed a score for The National Trust. It will be performed live by five musicians around the UK to coincide with daybreak, starting in John O’Groats and ending in Cornwall. 

Interrogating our new normal

Academics from Goldsmiths’ Political Economy Research Centre (PERC) have been exploring the social and political context of the crisis on the PERC blog. Dr Martina Tazzioli writes on surveillance, mobility and who gets protected, and Professor Will Davies looks at how work is valued and socially recognised, and how attitudes may change after the crisis. 

Mathematical modelling by Dr Giorgios Galanis from the Institute of Management Studies has demonstrated the impact of delaying social distancing by just a few days on the contagion rate of Covid-19.

Getting food and equipment to those who need it

Protective eyewear usually used by students studying for PGCE Science Education at Goldsmiths was donated to nursing staff at Lambeth Hospital after a student alerted course leaders to the hospital’s shortage.

Goldsmiths staff, in collaboration with the Students’ Union, also arranged for two car loads of food to be collected and delivered to Lewisham Food Bank.

Donating and volunteering in Lewisham

Feeling inspired? Here's how you can get involved locally. 

Volunteering in Lewisham is being coordinated by Lewisham Local, who are working with voluntary sector partners to help coordinate safe volunteering opportunities.

Find out more or sign up to be connected with a community group in Lewisham.