Arts University Plymouth

30/09/2026

170 YEARS OF CREATIVE LIVES ✨ | Marta Fracassetti

For Arts University Plymouth alumna Marta Fracassetti, a career that began with photography and film in Plymouth eventually led her to documenting some of the most significant war crimes trials of recent history.

Marta studied with us between 1989 and 1994, when we were called Plymouth College of Art & Design. Completing qualifications across photography, Film & TV and film direction and production; it was during her time in Plymouth that she made her first videos and short films as a director, discovering a passion for moving image that would shape her career.

After graduating, Marta spent several years directing pop music videos before moving into documentary work. She went on to work for the United Nations on an investigation into war crimes in the Balkans, including the Srebrenica massacre.

This led to 23 years as a Video Director for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, where she recorded war crimes trials and contributed to the official visual record of proceedings.
For Marta, the work carried a profound sense of responsibility.

“This role fulfils my deeper humanitarian chords and carries a strong sense of mission. It makes me feel that I am doing my part in contributing to peace and giving something back to victims of horrific injustices.”
Her story is a powerful reminder that the skills developed through creative education can lead in unexpected directions, with photography and film becoming tools for documenting history and contributing to the pursuit of justice.

Read Marta’s full story here: https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/Marta-Fracassetti-alumni170

29/09/2026

Welcome to Arts University Plymouth, Dr Laura Hopes 👋

We’re delighted to welcome artist and researcher Dr Laura Hopes to BA (Hons) Fine Art as our new Lecturer.
Laura’s practice explores land and climate, with a particular interest in who shapes the places around us and what is left behind by industrial and agricultural activity.

Collaboration is central to her work. In 2025, Laura worked with Plymouth schoolchildren on Functional Disobedience: A Vow for Nature, exploring how trees can be noticed and protected as the city changes around them. The project was shown at KARST, with her accompanying film later screened at Tate Modern.
Her recent solo installation PORTALS explored what places retain through the remnants of Cornish mining landscapes and a thatched farm on the north coast.

We’re very happy to have her join us!

Find out more about Laura's work here: https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/artist-and-researcher-dr-laura-hopes-joins-fine-art-at-arts-university-plymouth

📸: Luke Frost

25/09/2026

What if materials could grow, respond, repair and remember?
This October, artists, designers, makers, scientists, researchers and educators from around the world will come together in Plymouth for Making Futures™ 2026.

Across three days, we'll explore how materials, making and creative practice can help shape more regenerative futures.
With six conference tracks, international researchers and practitioners sharing their work, and a focus on living materials, circular systems, and repair, we are looking forward to welcoming a global network of makers to Arts University Plymouth.

Making Futures™ 2026: Feeling Materials, 29 - 31 October at Arts University Plymouth.

Book your place by 15 October:

Registration Conference Ticket Options 17 Aug – 29 Oct Three Day Conference Ticket (Full) £275 Three Day Independent Scholar / Early Career Researcher Ticket (Full) ECR is defined for the pur…

25/09/2026

Ones to Watch 2026 | Macy Ford, MA Design 👀⁠
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Macy Ford’s Second Gaze is a fashion magazine and photographic project that questions who controls the image.⁠
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Responding to the male gaze in fashion photography, Macy challenges the habit of treating women as surfaces to be styled, posed and consumed.⁠
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Her shoots are built through collaboration, with models invited into the creative process and shaping how they are represented rather than being used as passive subjects. The work is still fashion-led, but the women pictured are participants in their own portrayal.⁠
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For the exhibition, Macy presented the magazine on a clothes rail beside a mirror, with a large-scale front cover and selected double-page spreads above it. The display borrows from the fashion industry, but turns the act of looking back on the viewer.⁠
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Find more of Macy’s work here: and ⁠
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23/09/2026

170 YEARS OF CREATIVE LIVES ✨ | Pete Cayless⁠

To mark our 170th anniversary, we’re celebrating the people who have helped shape the story of Arts University Plymouth, and the remarkable things they’ve gone on to create!⁠
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First up is Film Arts alumnus Pete Cayless, whose work as a wildlife cinematographer has taken him into some of the most extraordinary environments on the planet.⁠

Pete has worked on major natural history productions including Planet Earth III, Frozen Planet II, Prehistoric Planet, Wild Isles, Night on Earth, Life on Our Planet and Parenthood, as well as the feature-length wildlife documentary The Elephant Queen.⁠
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His work has brought audiences closer to wildlife through moments that require extraordinary patience, precision and an instinct for storytelling. He was also part of the team behind the elephant sequence in Planet Earth III, which went on to receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program.⁠
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Stories like Pete’s are an important part of the legacy of Arts University Plymouth, and we’re proud to celebrate his work as part of our 170th anniversary!⁠
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Read Pete’s story via the link in our bio.⁠
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22/09/2026

BOOKING FOR GRADUATION IS NOW OPEN! 🎓⁠
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We’re looking forward to celebrating our Undergraduate and Postgraduate students who have successfully completed their degrees at Arts University Plymouth this year! 🎉⁠
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Graduation will take place at Theatre Royal Plymouth on Tuesday 24 November 2026.⁠
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Graduates can now confirm their attendance, book guest tickets, arrange gowns and photography, and purchase Class of 2026 merchandise.⁠
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📅 Booking deadline: Friday 30 October at 10am⁠
🛍️ Merchandise orders close: Friday 23 October⁠
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Head here: https://aupgraduation.square.site/ to book and find out everything you need to know about Graduation 2026.⁠
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Questions? Feel free to email us at [email protected]!⁠
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21/09/2026

Ones to Watch 2026 | Nina de Wet, BA (Hons) Textile Design 👀

Nina de Wet’s 'The In-between' is a knit collection shaped by leaves, plant-based colour and slow textile process.

Machine-knitted lengths, translucent surfaces and layered markings are developed through hand manipulation, folding, binding, resist methods and repeated dyeing.

Working mainly with wool, cotton and natural dyes, Nina tests how fibre, pattern and colour change one another over time. The project draws on botanical forms and Japanese shibori, creating quiet textile pieces where softness, unevenness and the trace of the maker’s hand are part of the work.

Nina’s wider practice has already gained well deserved external recognition; she won the National Trust live brief in collaboration with Saltram House , designing a silk scarf inspired by Devon folklore and the house’s historic interiors. She was also selected to exhibit work at MAKE Southwest gallery in collaboration with Royal Albert Memorial Museum !

Find more of Nina’s work at ninadewetdesigns.myportfolio.com/work or on LinkedIn: Nina de Wet
Instagram: ninasart_

📷️: by Ryleigh Ashby-Laws and Nina de Wet

18/09/2026

Ones to watch: Graduates 2026 👀⁠
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Jessika McCarron — BA (Hons) Graphic Design⁠
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Jessika McCarron's graduate project, Reset Deck, is a 40-card prompt system designed to help creatives navigate creative block, imposter syndrome and burnout. Rather than a traditional game, the deck acts as a flexible creative toolkit, with prompts that can be selected at random, chosen by mood or used alongside others.⁠
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As Jessika explains: “Creative block affects artists, designers and creatives, impacting confidence, causing anxiety and imposter syndrome. It can be a major cause of stress and a barrier to creativity.”⁠
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“Reset Deck is designed as a prompt system and toolkit. No winning, no scoring, no rules. It gives you the creative permission to start again.”⁠
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Follow Jessika's work: ⁠
Explore Reset Deck: .co.uk⁠
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17/09/2026

Thinking about studying a creative course? Why not do it at the Arts University of the Year 2027? 🎨🖌️⁠
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Come and see our award-winning facilities for yourself! Our Undergraduate Open Day is next Saturday 26 September, from 10am–3pm. Explore our city-centre campus, meet current students and academics, and find out more about our courses and life in Plymouth!⁠
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It’s been a great year for us, from being named Arts University of the Year 2027 by the Daily Mail University Guide to being recognised for our student support and facilities at the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2026. 🏅⁠
And with us being ranked 6th in the UK for student satisfaction by the Complete University Guide 2027, there’s plenty to be excited about when it comes to studying with us.⁠
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Come along, have a chat, get some stickers, and get a feel for what studying with us could be like! 🤝⁠
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Saturday 26 September, 10am–3pm⁠
Arts University Plymouth, Tavistock Place ⁠
Come along on the day, or book via the link in our bio⁠
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16/09/2026

170 YEARS OF CREATIVE LIVES ✨ | Mark Hosking

As part of our 170th anniversary, we’re celebrating alumni whose creative journeys began at Arts University Plymouth and have continued far beyond Plymouth.

Mark Hosking studied a Foundation Diploma at Arts University Plymouth, graduating in 1990. He went on to study at Chelsea College of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art before attending the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, where he now lives and works.

Thirty-five years after leaving Plymouth, Mark continues to make art almost daily. His practice has developed across sculpture, photography, short film and book design, with his work exhibited internationally and held in collections including the Arts Council Collection and the Saatchi Collection.

Reflecting on his time in Plymouth, Mark credits his Foundation year with giving him the enthusiasm and urgency to pursue a life in art.

“Plymouth College of Art & Design was the start of my journey and in just one year it helped me to develop a deep enthusiasm and an urgency to make art.”

Read Mark’s full story and explore his work: https://markhosking.com/