Rod Murray, 1946 – 1956
26 February 2010
Rod Murray started St. Edward’s College Runnymede in 1946 and left in 1956 having had some years in hospital from autumn 1953 until the autumn term of 1955. Rod studied Fine Art Painting at Liverpool School of Art 1956-1960 followed shortly by the ATD teaching year 1962-1963. After teaching briefly in secondary education he moved into further education, F L Calder 1966-1972, and joined the staff of Liverpool Art School in the late 1960s teaching evenings and joining full time in 1972. He has lectured at various times in Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics, Kinetics, Electronic and Light Art and Holography.
In 1982 he set up the first Holography Studio within a Fine Art course at Liverpool Polytechnic Art and Design Faculty, now Liverpool John Moores University. He became Academic Visitor in the department of Applied Optics at Imperial College London in 1985-1986, and shortly after The Royal College of Art appointed him as external examiner for both their MA and PhD courses in Holography. In 1989 he was asked to join the teaching staff becoming the course leader in 1990 shortly afterwards in 1992 he was awarded a Fellowship. He left in 1996 to become a freelance Consultant Holographer working from his studio in Lancashire. He has also been Visiting Professor in holography Supélec University Metz France and Visiting Professor in holography in Braunsweig University Germany.
Rod’s claim to fame is that of his association with the Beatles. Rod, John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe were at Art School together and shared a flat. In 1959 both Stuart and Rod were asked if they would like to be base guitar player in the group. Stuart managed to buy one before Rod finished the one he was making so he got the job! There is a plaque in the Crack pub in Rice Street close to the Art School with John, Stuart, Rod and Bill Harry, commemorating “The Dissenters” our group of angry young students who were always putting the world to right! Bill was also a student who went on to found the Mersey Beat and write many books about the Beatles.