Obituary: Garvey Harris

Central Saint Martins is very sorry to announce the death of Garvey Harris, a former student and Visiting Practitioner. He is remembered here by his colleague and friend, Richard Reynolds.

Garvey Harris was born in Leeds, in West Yorkshire. As a young man he was involved in activist politics and was also drawn to the Muslim faith. Garvey subsequently became involved in the emergent world of information technology, which developed into his career as well as his enthusiasm. Garvey remained passionate all his life about all forms of education - and about learning itself, as an integral aspect of living.

Garvey studied as a part-time student on the MA Applied Imagination course from 2011–2012. He was a tremendously popular and supportive member of the student cohort, generous in spirit and always alert and sensitive to the needs of the wider student body - just as much as to his own research.

While a student on the course, Garvey became deeply interested in creative mentoring and in mindfulness techniques, which was a vocation that he pursued after graduation. He also became a regular alumni mentor for us, always popular with students and always able to go straight to the root of whatever might be blocking their creative process. His calm and expansive manner was always a breath of fresh air in the classroom. Garvey also delivered professional lectures on Mindfulness Practice to the Applied Imagination course, as a Visiting Practitioner.

Garvey was also in the process of building an international mentoring community from his mindfulness practice. This community had spread far and wide, as this YouTube film by one of Garvey’s mentees in the Ivory Coast illustrates.

In recent months Garvey had spoken frequently of his developing African connections - and of his plans to relocate to that continent, once the pandemic was behind us. Sadly, this was not to be. It was heart-breaking for me to learn that Garvey had died on 6 January - from complications from the COVID-19 virus, exacerbated by pre-existing health conditions.

Garvey leaves behind him a daughter, a granddaughter, his mother and five siblings. His grandson is due to be born on January 27. He will be intensely missed by all those of us who had the great privilege to know him - and to work with him.

Richard Reynolds

Course Leader, MA Applied Imagination, Central Saint Martins