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Shame on the University of the Arts London for its po-faced reaction to Ann Plumb¡¯s ceramic turds (¡°Scatological art difficult to pass¡±, News, 31 July). What would the costive UAL make of the faecal outputs of Gilbert and George or Chris Ofili, not to mention Marcel Duchamp¡¯s urinal or Piero Manzoni¡¯s tins of his own crap (which sold for their weight in gold)?

In the same issue of Times Higher Education, Brian Bloch (¡°Gut reaction: it all comes out right in the end¡±, News) reports on the popularity of the delightfully named Giulia Enders, whose ¡°foray into the world of bowels and the associated movements¡± (I see what you did there, Brian!) is taking Germany by storm. In these days of ¡°impact¡±, ought not UK higher education to value more the kinds of research that set out to make a splash?

Peter J. Smith
Nottingham Trent University