This was the moment a student from Bristol stole Banksy’s honorary professorship from a university graduation ceremony. The illustrious street artist was awarded the professorship earlier this month by the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) to highlight his "humanitarian efforts and the impact he has had on the global arts scene".
Ben Wray, 23, from Henleaze, graduated in Film and Digital Art from the university on July 6 and was the student who swiped the certificate bestowed to the anonymous artist - who, unsurprisingly, did not show up for the event. “It was very much a spur-of-the-moment, moment of madness,” Ben explained.
Around 3,000 students, faculty and parents gathered at the Royal Festival Hall on South Bank, London on that day in July. Students were called on stage to be congratulated on completing the university courses, but this year there was no handshake and no certificate due to Covid.
