About the Project
"The inspiration for the project first came to us during the summer of 2005, when, over revision break coffees, the two of us were discussing red carnations and their particular significance for Oxford students.
We had recently visited a busy porter's lodge, and had spotted one of these flowers squeezed into a pigeonhole. For students, it is easy to understand that this symbolises the end of exams, as we are expected to wear white carnations for our first exams, pink ones for intermediate ones, and a red one for the final sitting. According to Oxford tradition this represents the scholar's heart bleeding.
For those who are uninitiated in Oxford rites and traditions, though, it is quite meaningless. We suddenly realised how interesting it would be to compile a range of photographs taken by Oxford students, depicting a particular scene of what life at Oxford meant to them, and to publish them in a single volume. Oxford is so diverse that out of the hundreds of students who graduate every year, each will leave with very different sets of memories, experiences and achievements from their years of study. We were confident we would be able to provide a unique and fascinating collection of photographs that portrayed such diversity and energy. Such photographs, we hoped, would also reveal a side of Oxford that is usually hidden behind closed doors.
All in all, this project has been an absolute joy to be a part of, and we feel very lucky to have received the response and the support that we did. There are numerous people to thank, not least of all our hard-working committee and long-suffering friends, without whom we might never have made it through moments such as the hilarious last minute piano hunt before "Flappers at Frevd" or the endless pidging of flyers and posters!
This book is a celebration of all things Oxford, and we are proud to have produced such a showcase of our unique student life."
- Jo and Hayley, Presidents of Capture the Oxford Moment
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