My husband, Alex Hooper, who has died aged 82 after a protracted sickness, had a very diversified profession, together with as an archaeologist, film-maker, service provider seaman, trainer and gallery curator.
Within the late Nineteen Sixties, whereas doing an MA in movie research on the Slade College of High-quality Artwork, Alex grew to become shut associates with Peter Gibson of Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts, and the pair made a documentary concerning the blues musician John Mayall, The Turning Level (1969). By happening tour with Mayall, and making the movie, Alex frolicked with musicians resembling Fleetwood Mac, Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. In 2003, Alex interviewed lots of them once more, for a second movie about Mayall directed by Peter and produced by Martin Weitz – John Mayall, Godfather of British Blues. The pair additionally labored with the experimental British theatre director Pip Simmons on his multimedia efficiency initiatives.
Cornwall was the place Alex lastly settled down, working for greater than 30 years as assistant curator at Falmouth Artwork Gallery.
He was born on a farm in Oxshott, Surrey, the youngest little one of Elsie (nee Griffin), a midwife, and George Hooper, a tenant farmer. Whereas registered as Alexander, he was known as Rodney by his household, and recognized by that title all through his childhood. In 1943, when he was two, the household moved to Raynes Park, Wimbledon, to stay above a tobacconist’s store that his mother and father ran, then a close-by council flat after their divorce. He attended Richmond grammar college, delivered paraffin after college and in 1960 was the primary within the household to go to school, to review philosophy at Durham.
He left after a 12 months to journey to India, then joined the service provider navy. For the following three and a half years he was an engine-greaser, stopping off in Peru, Japan and Montreal. Returning to London, he self-funded an archaeology and anthropology diploma at College School London, graduating in 1967.
Between his movie initiatives, Alex taught at faculties in south London, cleaned cages at London Zoo, labored as a night-time electrician at a division retailer, and did an MPhil on Palaeolithic cave artwork on the Institute of Archaeology (1977).
With David Collison, he produced a research of work on the cave of Les Églises at Ussat-les-Bains, in Ariège. In 1980 Alex took up a two-year instructing publish in archaeology at Ahmadu Bello College, Nigeria.
He and I met in London in 1984, and the next 12 months moved to Cornwall, for my job instructing at Exeter College. We married in 1986 and settled in Truro.
Alex was such a fixture at Falmouth Artwork Gallery till his retirement in 2019 that the automata artist Keith Newstead made a mannequin of him. He additionally briefly taught artwork historical past, from prehistoric cave artwork to Gaudí, at Falmouth School of Artwork.
Alex’s siblings predeceased him. He was very near his nephew, Jim, and nieces, Sue and Paula, having helped with their upbringing.
I survive him.
