Pre-Covid Pandemic in-person interviews, February 2020

Video-recorded Memory Project session with Francesca Bizzarri, Artist in Residence and Goffredo Puccetti, Assistant Professor of Practice of Visual Arts, recorded on February 18, 2020 and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Academic Librarian for Archives and Special Collections at NYUAD Library. Conducted as part of The Memory Project. Recordings and transcripts are preserved in the NYUAD University Archives.

Francesca and Goffredo recall their transition from living in Europe to their new lives at NYU Abu Dhabi. For the pair, it was not a difficult decision as they were both mobile with their careers. Language was a point of contention for Francesca who had only acted in French and Italian, and then had to move to an environment that was English and Arabic-based. They describe the move from the Downtown Campus where they would frequently hear the call to prayer, and labs were based in apartments, to the newer and more spacious Saadiyat campus. Becoming Faculty Fellows in Residence was integral to their experience at NYU Abu Dhabi. The FFIR model underwent adaptation from the NYU structure due to differences in goals and logistics, and the importance of FFIRs in supporting community discussions in grey areas. As FFIRs they became heavily involved with students and the community, cultivating traditions such as Tiramisu Night, Meet Greet and Eat, and Twirl It Like Luigi. They were also able to foster connections between students themselves, as well as between students and external guests such as Charlie Carmada and Alfio Quarteroni who visited the NYUAD Institute.

Video-recorded Memory Project session with Matteo Marciano, Assistant Program Head and Assistant Professor of Practice of Music Technology at NYU Abu Dhabi, recorded on Tuesday, February 18, 2020 and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Librarian for Archives and Special Collections at NYUAD Library. Conducted as part of The Memory Project. The Memory Project is the NYUAD Library's contribution to celebrating the memories, experiences, traditions, stories and community history of NYU Abu Dhabi in commemoration of the University's 10th Anniversary. Recordings and transcripts are preserved in the NYUAD University Archives.

In this interview, Matteo Marciano reflects on his teaching experience on the NYU Abu Dhabi campus. He talks in great detail about his engagement with the NYUAD community through various initiatives, for example, the Faculty-Fellow-In-Residence program, Battle of the Bands, NYUAD recording studio, and regional seminar trips.

This interview is a companion interview to the "Faculty Fellows In Residence" series and took place the same day as the group interview with Francesca Bizzarri, Goffredo Pucceti, and Adela Kovarova.

Video-recorded Memory Project session with Adela Kovarova, Center Coordinator at the Center for Interacting Urban Networks and Matteo Marciano Assistant Program Head and Assistant Professor of Practice of Music Technology, recorded on February 18, 2020, and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Academic Librarian for Archives and Special Collections at NYUAD Library. Conducted as part of The Memory Project. Recordings and transcripts are preserved in the NYUAD University Archives.

Adela and Matteo address their lives on campus in their professional realms as well as their roles as Faculty Fellows in Residence (FFIR). Adela describes the challenging transition moving from New York City to Abu Dhabi, avidly searching for employment and having to adapt to living on campus. As FFIRs, Matteo and Adela host community gatherings on campus in their dormitory apartment and off campus where attendees can interact with the local and other cultures, as well as promote and support the events of many other offices. They describe the process of learning to call Abu Dhabi home, which was made easier by the strong community presence living on campus and their cultivation of supportive relationships with their colleagues.

Video-recorded session with Francesca Bizzarri, Artist in Residence, Goffredo Puccetti, Assistant Professor of Practice of Visual Arts, Adela Kovarova, Center Coordinator at the Center for Interacting Urban Networks and Matteo Marciano Assistant Program Head and Assistant Professor of Practice of Music Technology. Interview recorded on February 18 2020, and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Academic Librarian for Archives and Special Collections at NYUAD Library. Conducted as part of the Memory Project. Recordings and transcripts are preserved in the NYUAD University Archives.

These four colleagues and friends reflect on their journeys at NYU Abu Dhabi, mainly through the Faculty Fellow in Residence (FFIR) Program, which Goffredo And Francesca introduced to Matteo and Adela. They talk about how the role has been mutually beneficial -- helping them forge connections with the student body, and helping ground students in traditions like Tiramisu Night and other programming. The four talk about setting boundaries while living in student dorms, the budget and logistical constraints of programming, and the biggest challenge of improving communication between them and other faculty members about their role. Food is a central theme as they talk about the endless possibilities of tiramisu creation, as well as cooking and ordering-in events that facilitated bonding.

Video-recorded session with Aysan Celik, Faculty in the NYU Abu Dhabi Theater Program, and Artist in Residence Francesca Bizzarri, recorded on 26 February, 2020 and facilitated by Lauren Kata, Assistant Academic Librarian for Archives and Special Collections at NYUAD Library. Conducted as part of either Memory Project. Recordings and transcripts are preserved in the NYUAD University Archives.

Aysan and Francesca speak about the origins of their relationship at NYUAD, and the development of Theater and the Performing Arts at the University and in wider Abu Dhabi. Aysan reflects on teaching the Core Course 'Laughter,' which includes workshops on clowning taught by Francesca, where the pair teach students from various academic and cultural backgrounds to expand their knowledge and comfort levels. They touch on the differences between the Downtown Campus and the Saadiyat Campus -- the former allowing greater exposure to Abu Dhabi and connections to its residents, which is hard to recreate in the 'Saadiyat bubble'. They both reflect on their experiences at the University including the importance of language and accents, as well as working as a start-up in order to launch the Theater Program.