Imperial's everyday heroes celebrated with photo exhibition

The Imperial Heroes Exhibition

From a pole dancing engineer to a hockey playing neuroscientist, Imperial Heroes explores the lives of staff and students inside and outside College.

The exhibition showcases a special photography project by College photographer Thomas Angus, capturing members of the Imperial community mixing their day jobs with their passions.

Thomas said: “I wanted to bring a little life and colour to the fore, there is a perception that if you come to Imperial all you can do is live breathe and sleep your studies.

However I know from traversing the College campuses and all the people within them, that there is actually a lot more, an amazingly vibrant community of people who are squeezing every last drop out of their time here outside of their studies, and it’s those people I wanted to feature.”

We caught up with four of the ‘Heroes’ to find out the stories behind their portraits.

Melissa Lee is in the third year of her MEng Chemical Engineering. She also competes nationally in pole fitness, and teaches classes at the College.

Tanguy Racine is a fourth year MSci Geology student, and is an active member of the College’s caving club.

Karl Zimmerman is completing a PhD in Clinical Medicine, while also working as a staff researcher and competing nationally in ice hockey.

Alexandra van Randwyck is on the MSc Petroleum Geoscience course. She also competes internationally in equestrian eventing.

About the exhibit

Imperial Hero and paralympian Dave Henson

The exhibition also features a range of photos by Thomas Angus taken throughout the past couple of years, illustrating everything from geological field trips to scientists in action.

Imperial Heroes can be viewed free at the Blyth Gallery until 8 June 2017.

During the hero photo shoots, for which all risks were assessed with the safety officer, no processes or equipment were running and the area had been made safe. All metal objects were removed from the Ice Hockey kit.

Reporters