BA (Hons) Design for Costume and Performance students from Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) are helping to bring a piece of palaeontological history to life at the Dorset Museum.
Opening in January 2026, the museum’s upcoming major exhibition, Mary Anning: Fossil Hunter, will feature imaginative interactive installations inspired by the beach at Lyme Regis and Mary Anning's historic fossil shop, in a collaborative project involving five talented AUB students working alongside guest curator, Tracy Chevalier.
The students involved in bringing the historical spaces, interactive activities, and visual elements to life are Nyfain Edwards, Robin Elwin, Lily Groombridge, Felix Martin and Vally Elin.
“It’s been such a fun and fruitful project to work on," comments Vally. "The five of us are bringing a full Mary Anning production to life with Dorset Museum, combining elements chosen from each of our individual designs.
“I’ve been working on the design for Mary Anning’s shop since last term, refining the concept so it’s ready to build over the coming weeks. Collaborating directly with the museum and its professionals has given us all fantastic insight into the worlds of installation and museum design. I'm really excited to see how it all comes together in January.”
Will Hargreaves, Course Leader for BA (Hons) Design for Costume and Performance at AUB, shares his enthusiasm for the project:
“It's a fantastic opportunity for our costume and performance students to apply their design and making skills to a real-world, high-profile museum setting.
“Evoking environments like Mary Anning's shop or the Lyme Regis coastline requires students to combine rigorous historical research, imaginative storytelling, and their core scenic and costume-making skills. Supported by the team in our workshops, the students have risen to the challenge brilliantly. Seeing their work featured in Tracy Chevalier's exhibition at the Dorset Museum is a wonderful testament to their talent and hard work.”
The exhibition will also showcase objects from AUB Programme Leader Anya Pearson's charity, Visible Women UK, including Mary Anning Rocks T-shirts and a maquette of the Mary Anning statue, created by sculptor Denise Dutton, celebrating the legacy of the pioneering Dorset palaeontologist who discovered, among other remarkable creatures, the first-ever complete ichthyosaur skeleton.
