Michael Upshall

Please describe yourself and your areas of interest.

I have been in publishing for many years, for the last twenty or so years in digital publishing, and for the last four years in AI and machine learning. As part of that work, I travel a lot and see quite a few galleries

Why did you become a Companion of the Guild?

As the only Companion with a surname beginning with "U", I thought I could make a unique contribution. I am probably the only Companion who grew up in Orpington, where George Allen founded the publishing company that published Ruskin's works. There is no trace of Sunnyside, the building, today - it was demolished in the 1960s. Perhaps the realisation that Orpington was once (but no longer) a hotbed of Ruskinian ideas is enough to justify becoming a Companion. Ideas disappear if they are not nurtured. Anyone looking at Orpington today would have difficulty identifying a single beautiful building.