Brighton 2021 art and design graduates open online exhibitions

Some of those whose work will be on view at the dedicated Graduate Shows website from 25 June are already enjoying wider success - such as George Coll, who has amassed over 360,000 likes on her TikTok account, complementing her donation of several hundreds pounds to the NHS last year from abstract print sales. You can follow George on Instagram.

This month also saw Izzy Wells win the prestigious 2021 Fashion Illustration Award from the Graduate Fashion Foundation, while Digital Music and Sound Arts graduate Toby Hinks – who makes kinetic sound sculptures - has landed a commission with the 
Brighton Centre for Creative Arts to create a piece to accompany Nika Neelova’s forthcoming exhibition SILT.

George Coll

Bricks incorporating waste plastic by Matilda Swift-Barnard

Nina Fisher and Jack Bradley are behind two very different book projects. Having swapped her hometown of Milan for Brighton, Nina has created picture books and animations inspired by birdwatching, as well as the creative relationship she has with her father. Her short animation Mr Bird Watcher complements a picture book of the same name, and she has also created a book called A Snail Story.

Jack, meanwhile, has drawn a powerful graphic novel based on historical trans figure Harry Allen, who faced oppression and sensationalist media coverage a century ago in America. See more of Jack's work on Instagram.

Fashion and Dress History graduates who have produced fascinating contrasting work are Kay Lawrance and Rachel Ng. Kay returned to study at Brighton in her 50s, and has been exploring how the COVID pandemic has impacted on the way people dress - while dealing with four grown up children returning home for last year's lockdown! Rachel, meanwhile, highlights contemporary miniature fashion for Barbie Dolls, as well as looking at mask wearing during the pandemic.

Graduates from the School of Architecture and Design opened an online exhibition on 18 June full of pioneering and innovative design. Matilda Swift-Barnard, for example, showcases bricks that include waste plastic, alongside a quirky back story involving the unexpected partnership between two characters: Gail Bradbrook, co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, a global environmental movement, and Ken Quantick, a Brighton-based refuse collector.

Lauren Fitzsimmons, meanwhile, has come up with a life-saving invention to prevent the dozens of deaths that take place due to collisions between vehicles and horse riders, while Iona Hepworth has envisaged a prototype eco-friendly mussel farm with chic seafood diner. In a similar sustainable vein, Mungo Chambers has created a new eco-friendly building material made using recycled wine corks from restaurants. But these are just a few of the stories behind the work at the graduate exhibition website.

RoadRug by Lauren-Fitzsimmons