A couple of weeks ago, we published a news report on the Save Dartington College website entitled 'Brewerton and Lindsay at loggerheads'. It stated that a meeting between the two, lasting into the early hours of the morning, had broken up acrimoniously with Brewerton storming out saying that he had nothing further to say.
A few minutes after the item appeared, a furious Andrew Brewerton (Principal of the college) contacted me to say that this was completely untrue. Despite evidence to the contrary, we removed the item - after all, he was there...
Last week, together with another campaign member, I met with Vaughan Lindsay in the Seven Stars, on Totnes High Street. The meeting was arranged in order to begin a process of dialogue between us, something which we welcomed.
Among the many interesting bits that emerged, two stuck in my mind. Lindsay said that his relationship with Brewerton was like that between any couple - they had definitely had their moments when relations were less than cordial. He thought this was normal... (I pointed out to him that when the result is divorce, this is a less than optimal outcome)
The second was that his preference was for a unified Dartington and that he would like the college (and all the other bodies on the estate) to be controlled by one governing body. A reliable source has told us that Brewerton's response to this idea was 'over my dead body'.
I have never believed the rationale put out both by Brewerton and Lindsay for the closure (they call it 'relocation') of the college - too many things just don't add up. The inflated figures and distorted projections, the arrival on the estate of personalities like Gavin Henderson, (propelled in a matter of weeks from Director of Dartington Arts to Artistic Director of DartingtonPlus) and the continually shifting sands and moving goalposts all point to a 'weapons of mass destruction' scenario - ie: a desperate attempt to find an excuse to justify a wholly unjustifiable action.
Putting 2 and 2 together in this case gives 4. The trust have, despite their protestations, wanted the college off the estate for years. An intransigent principal like Brewerton is a dream come true for them - Lindsay can sit back and let Brewerton do the dirty work for him, while he issues press releases which talk of 'bittersweet decisions' and 'allowing the college to fulfill its destiny'.
The accomodation issue, inflated to suitable proportions is the perfect smokescreen for both of them - Brewerton, whose expertise is in glass, gets to move to Falmouth, (known for its visual arts, but not for performing arts) no doubt with a nice title and a good salary, no longer dependent on the trust; Lindsay gets rid of an obstinate and difficult partner who is thwarting his efforts to take control and impose his form of order. Once the college is gone, solutions and money will no doubt miracuously appear, and the 'new vision' with its symbols of status and elitism will move in to replace it.
The fact that a whole town and community will be devastated in the process is just one of those unfortunate consequences that we'll have to learn to live with.
Technorarti Tags: Dartington College of Arts
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