A.C. Grayling and ‘The Art of the CV’

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The A.C. Grayling University – also known as the New College of the Humanities – is to celebrate its first graduands this Autumn with an exhibition that will transform their ‘traditional paper CVs into unique pieces of art.’

Three artists (Marcos Lutyens, Juan Osborne and Andy Singleton) will ‘depict each of the participating students’ CVs in visual form’ in a display that has rather bafflingly been billed as ‘an alternative to a conventional careers fair’.

As Private Eye recently reported, degrees from the NCH will be accredited by Southampton Solent University, where undergraduate courses include ‘Sport and Fitness’ and ‘Computing, Games and Networking’ – and nothing so obvious as a humanities degree in English or history. But perhaps this is a moot point, given that Grayling suggested to the Financial Times earlier this year that he hoped to send any NCH graduate out into the world equipped to be ‘a good guest at a dinner party’.

Osborne has created photographic portraits of NCH students and academics composed of ‘keywords sourced’ from their CVs. The Rake hopes that none end up with egg on their faces after their three-year stint at Professor Grayling’s £18,000-a-year finishing school.

Singleton specialises in paper art. Origami is certainly one use for an NCH graduand’s CV. What prospective employers will do with them remains to be seen.

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