Campus Reimagined Live! Day 1 round-up | Ideas fly as festival kicks off

Campus Reimagined Live! has arrived in a burst of ideas – with public art, the future of learning spaces and places to play on campus among the hot topics on day one of the festival (Monday 10 February).

Hundreds of staff and students have been at the heart of a packed day of engaging activities, inspiring talks and lively discussion as the University’s first festival dedicated to the future of campus opened its doors for the first time.

Running in the Refectory until Wednesday 12 February, the festival is an opportunity to feed your ideas into plans for the future of campus.

Talks to shape the future of campus

Masud Khokhar, University Librarian and Keeper of the Brotherton Collection at the University, took listeners on a fascinating trip into the future of our learning spaces.

He used his talk to emphasise the importance of flexible learning spaces that meet the needs of the whole student body, and urged those in attendance to share their ideas.

He said:

“This is all about you, your ideas, and your voice.

“Every learner has their own way of learning, so we cannot afford to create rigid spaces.

“It’s important that we build an environment that is flexible, one that is able to adapt to the diverse learning styles of our student population.”

Renowned sculptor Professor Keith Wilson – who created the iconic Sign for Art sculpture near the Ziff – provided an early highlight with an engaging talk into both his own public artwork and the importance of those that have inspired him.

Speaking in the Refectory, Keith said:

“The thing about sculpture is that it can lead to recognition not just for a space, but for a city.

“For students, that can be so important in terms of being in a place that has an identity.”

The day wrapped up with a fascinating and inspirational talk by Andy Mytom who challenged us to consider what connections and communities we could create through play, and encouraged us to think about how we use existing spaces to create active places and something uniquely Leeds.

Chance to explore a campus transformed

Staff and students have also been able to explore a campus transformed as part of the festival for the first time, with a range of interactive exhibitions and art installations have been dotted around key spaces.

Following an action packed first day, there’s even more planned over the next two days.

Tomorrow, the University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Shearer West will speak for the first time about Campus Reimagined, while the University’s new masterplanners, Prior + Partners, outline their vision for the project.

Open to all University students and staff, all events are free to attend and have been designed to provide everyone with an opportunity to tell us what they think about campus.

View tomorrow and Wednesday’s schedule and make sure you’re following us on Instagram and signed up to our newsletter for the latest updates.