MA Taster Sessions

Date and time: Wednesday 29 April, 10.00–13.00

Location: A103

Presented by: Paul Ward and Spencer Roberts

Control, Chaos and Contingency in Animation

This is a broadly practical session that combines the MA Animation Production course's core ideas of practice, theory and professionalism with processes of making, reflection and collaboration.

In stage one, you'll explore the tension between the designerly (the planned, structured and communicative) and the chaotic or contingent (the improvised, emergent and expressive) in animation, before going on to create a short animated moment or sequence based on a personal event, which makes use of one of these modes (or maybe moves between them).

In stage two, the work is exchanged with, and then transformed by, another student with a view to taming the chaos, or disrupting the control, while trying to respect the original intent.

The workshop ends in a multi-screen playback of outcomes, organised through key words that describe form and content. The session foregrounds the way in which meaning shifts through style, iteration, collaboration and context – all key aspects of contemporary professional and artistic practice.

Date and time: Wednesday 29 April, 14.00–15.30

Location: A303

Presented by: Dr Kevan Manwaring

Find out more about the new on-campus MA Creative Writing course, with its four named pathways of Fantasy, Screenwriting, Publishing, and New Nature Writing. A presentation by the Course Leader will be followed by inspiring writing activities that will give you a taste of postgraduate study. Bring pen and paper. Biscuits provided.

Date and time: Wednesday 29 April, 11.00–12.30

Location: E012 S4 MA Space

Presented by: El Crehan and Beverley Bothwell

Find out more about MA Fashion Innovation: we'll present the course and the kind of projects previous students have developed and discuss ideas for your own work, how you'll experiment with new ways of making, and explore how we can make positive change through fashion innovation. This session reflects how we work on the MA, encouraging curiosity, critical thinking and creative risk-taking. We encourage applications from all related undergraduate courses, including BA (Hons) Fashion, Fashion Communication, and Textiles Design.

Date and time: Thursday 30 April, 10.00–13.00

Location: F101

Presented by: Dr Fran Norton

MA Fine Art invites individuals from any discipline to explore creative practice as a mode of investigating the world and their position within it, valuing the self as a powerful site for knowledge production.

This workshop introduces an accessible, yet rigorous, approach to visualising the social, cultural, political, and personal forces, inspired by the layered cartographic methods of Tiffany Chung. You'll be guided through a simple but effective strategy for mapping social relations – no specific art experience of skill set is required.

Through the diagrammatic visualisations you create, you'll begin to uncover unexpected connections between your experiences, influences and critical perspectives. Overall, this light-hearted session offers an opportunity to test ideas, embrace uncertainty, and imagine yourself on an MA journey moving from spontaneous "creator" to enquiring "creator-researcher".

Date and time: Wednesday 29 April, 10.00–13.00

Location: SH3.07

Presented by: Ciaran Horrex

At a postgraduate level, design isn't just about an outcome; it starts behaving like a line of enquiry. Something you test, prod, kick and occasionally – if one is feeling particularly troublesome – dissect to see what's actually holding it all together. Expect conversation, reflection and challenging provocation. Join us for sensible and silly antics alike, all in the guise of critical thinking and decisively serious education.

Date and time: Tuesday 28 April, 10.00–15.00

Location: E118

Presented by: Rebecca Pride

Join us for a historical Elizabethan ruff-making workshop, plus short lecture on the history of the Elizabethan ruff. All materials will be provided.

Date and time: Monday 27 April, 11.00–13.00

Location: SH310

Presented by: Jenni Saarenkylä

Join us for a fun, hands-on workshop designed to give you an overview of what the MA Illustration course has to offer.

Through a series of fast-paced creative challenges, you’ll experiment with new ways of making, and explore how illustration communicates with different audiences. This session reflects how we work on the MA, encouraging curiosity, critical thinking, and creative risk-taking.

Date and time: Thursday 30 April, 11.00–12.30

Location: E115

Presented by: Sam Jackson

Paint Matters

Looking at paintings is a visceral act – the stuff of paint, the implied depth, the emotive nuances; the marks and gestures; the historic precedents; the ambiguity of the painted. In this session, you'll be discussing real works. How do you articulate the visual?

Date and time: Wednesday 29 April, 11.30–13.00

Location: A025

Presented by: Paul Wenham-Clarke

Curious About MA Photography? Alumni Share Their Journeys

This interactive workshop is designed for BA students considering postgraduate study and wanting to learn more about the MA Photography course at AUB.

Led by Professor Paul Wenham-Clarke, Course Leader and award-winning photographer, the session will include short, inspiring talks from alumni now working in the photographic industry, including graduates from AUB’s BA (Hons) Commercial Photography and BA (Hons) Photography courses. Paul will also introduce the course, outlining its structure and ethos.

Three successful alumni will reflect on their experiences of the MA, discussing how postgraduate study has shaped their creative practice and careers.

• Sophia Cliffe studied BA (Hons) Commercial Photography at AUB before progressing to the MA. She went on to work at Harvey Nichols, quickly becoming lead photographer, and now freelances in still life, fashion and beauty with representation in London and Dubai.
• Ben Parker completed BA (Hons) Photography and MA Photography at AUB, then freelanced in Bournemouth. He works mainly in the commercial sector while maintaining a strong fine art practice.
• Laura Notlo, a Spanish documentary photographer, graduated from the MA and freelanced in London across portraiture, editorial and video. Her work explores identity, memory and connection, reflecting lived experience and evolving social and cultural relationships.

The session will conclude with an informal networking an opportunity to ask questions and gain honest insights into postgraduate study and career pathways.

We hope you'll join us to find out more.