Wednesday, September 7

Today I meet with Micke, Christa and Elena for sushi and chat. We have some VAKEN planning to do.

Once the planning has finished I walk into the corridor to look down and find the annual inscription going on. Someone has just finished speaking and a vocal group have walked on to vocalise. This start of year “tradition” stemmed from a brainwave of Henrik’s and neatly sums up one of the problems with Arcada. The rituals he established all point inwards, when Arcada should (in my view) have concentrated on starting rituals that point outwards.

To have started Slush, for example, would have branded Arcada across Europe. To force the staff into academic gowns at the start of every academic year means nothing to anyone outside the building.

Thinking this I sneak out before someone hands me a glass of sparkling wine and encourages me to say this out loud.