Inspiring future generations: AUB’s 2023 Honorary Fellows

Four inspirational individuals have been awarded Honorary Fellowships from Arts University Bournemouth (AUB), in recognition of their significant contributions to the field of arts, design, media and performance.

Awards were bestowed upon the four new Honorary Fellows by Chancellor Sir Christopher Frayling, during graduation ceremonies on 20 and 21 July 2023 where the achievements of this year's graduating students were recognised and celebrated.

Claire Collins is a British costume designer, who after graduating from AUB in 2003, won the BBC Vision Design Prize, catapulting her career in the world of film and television.

Working mainly within period drama, Claire has built up a knowledge and passion for costume design, fabric and print. Her design style combines her understanding of period silhouette and textiles with her passion for telling a story through character, colour and composition within a set.

“Receiving the Honorary Fellow is a bit of a ‘pinch me’ moment having been a student and a member of staff at AUB," says Claire. "I feel really passionately about bringing the new generation of costume students through and giving them the opportunities in the industry.”

BA (Hons) Acting graduate Ryan Calais Cameron is an award-winning actor, director and writer. His first play TIMBUKTU was part of the Bush Theatre’s Black Lives Black Words Festival 2016, a festival of radical new BAME voices.

Named as ‘one of the most exciting theatre makers in the UK’ by prestigious theatrical publication The Stage, Ryan has a long list of theatre credits, including For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy, which was nominated for two Olivier Awards, won Black British Theatre Awards 2022’s Best Production Play and Best Director, and was also joint-winner of Best Performer in a Play at the 2022 Stage Debut Awards.

He says, “I’m expecting youngsters to see me and go, ‘Ryan did ABC - I want to do the whole entire alphabet’. Accessibility, I think has expanded, and I want everybody to believe that if you can think it, then it can come to pass.”

Kirill Karabits has been celebrated worldwide as Chief Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for the past 14 years. With many critically acclaimed recordings under their belt, they've regularly performed together at the BBC Proms and appeared at London’s Barbican Centre and Southbank Centre.

His recent highlights include debuts with the London Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, and the Prague Radio Symphony. Kirill also boasts return visits to the Minnesota Orchestra, Bamberger Symphoniker, Orchestre National Capitole de Toulouse, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, and the Opéra Montpellier for a production of Pelléas et Melisande.

“Creativity is probably the most valuable and the most important thing to me and in my profession," says Kirill. "We want to be surrounded with those passionate people who love what they’re doing. So, to receive such a recognition from our great partner of the orchestra, I feel really honoured and privileged”.

Richard Strachan is the CEO of 3 Sided Cube, a global Tech for Good agency. Their mission is to change a million lives for the better through effective technology.

Richard is instrumental in driving the team and working closely with their client base to ensure the products they produce have maximum positive social and environmental impact. They’ve delivered solutions to over 15 million users, in more than 90 countries, that have been translated into over 50 languages.

He says, “You don’t stop learning when you leave university. So being curious and being interested is the best way that you’re going to get on in your career. We work with AUB quite closely, so to be given the Honorary Fellowship award is extremely humbling, and a great source of pride for me.”