Rose English was awarded an honorary doctorate by Leeds Beckett University for services to the arts.
The award recognises Rose’s remarkable five-decade career as a pioneering figure in performance art. Emerging from the conceptual art, dance and feminist movements of 1970s Britain, she has become internationally celebrated for her distinctive interdisciplinary work.
Blending opera, circus, theatre and poetry, Rose’s practice explores themes of gender, identify and presence. Her performances have taken place in venues ranging from major theatres and art galleries to ice rinks, and her collaborations have included horses, magicians and acrobats.
Her acclaimed works include Berlin, Plato’s Chair and The Beloved, as well as the large-scale productions Walks on Water and The Double Wedding. In 1983, she co-wrote and designed the feature film The Gold Diggers, directed by Sally Potter.
Among her most iconic works is My Mathematics, a solo performance with a horse, which led to further equine collaborations at the Banff Centre in Canada and the Serpentine Gallery in London. Her installation Quadrille is now part of the Tate collection, and her work has featured in major exhibitions including WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution at MOCA in Los Angeles and Women in Revolt! at Tate Britain.
Rose is an alumna of Leeds Beckett, graduating in Fine Art in 1973 from what was then Leeds Polytechnic.
On returning to receive her honorary doctorate, Rose English said: “I have very fond memories of my time as a student in what was then the Fine Art Department of Leeds Polytechnic – it was one of the first truly interdisciplinary fine art courses in the UK at the time. I believe that everything I have subsequently made has its beginnings in and has subsequently spun out from the vibrant milieu of that extraordinary time and place – what it enabled, what it brought to life and what it inspired. I am moved and very honoured to be returning to Leeds to receive an honorary doctorate from Leeds Beckett University more than 50 years after graduating.”
Professor Peter Slee, Vice Chancellor of Leeds Beckett University, said: “Rose English is one of the UK’s most inventive and influential performance artists. Her ability to challenge form, provoke thought and create unforgettable moments of live experience makes her an inspiration to audiences, colleagues and the next generation of art students alike. We are delighted to honour her incredible contribution to the arts.”
Rose English received her honorary doctorate during Leeds Beckett’s graduation week in July. Nearly 8,000 students will graduate from the university this summer.
