BA (Hons) Craft & Material Practices

Gayle is a practising artist, educator and researcher. Having exhibited nationally and internationally, Gayle has work in the permanent collections of the V&A, Musee de Vianne, Glazenhuis and Ebeltoft Museum of Glass amongst others. Previously, Gayle has worked in the Gallery Education Department at the Crafts Council; she has also been an artist in residence at Bullseye Glass in the USA. Examples of her work can be found in many glass publications. Previously, Gayle was a Senior Lecturer on the BA Hons Contemporary Craft course at Falmouth University and formerly an External Examiner at De Montfort University. She has a BA in 3D Design: Glass and an MA in Creative Practice: Fine Art. Gayle has worked in a wide variety of kiln-formed glass techniques for over twenty years. She recently presented a paper at the Ireland Glass Biennale 2020 and ‘S-O-T Body Repairs: Narrative Pursuits’ was published in Arts Journal in 2019. Previously, Gayle was engaged in collaborative research with Tavs Jorgensen, investigating Rapid Tooling for glass casting moulds combined with digital technologies. She is the co-author of papers presented at the GAS conference in Chicago 2014, ‘Making Futures’ conference in Plymouth, UK (2013), and ‘Towards a New Ceramic Future’, research presentation at V&A, UK (2012). She is a member of the international Glass Virus think tank. Gayle is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Jason is a designer exploring the links between the crafted object and the possibilities afforded by 3D printing and other technologies. He has a degree in 3D Design, specialising in ceramics and an MA in Design from Central St Martins. He is currently undertaking a PhD in Ceramics Manufacture. His work has been widely exhibited and is held in public and private collections internationally. He also undertakes architectural ceramic commissions. He is passionate about ceramic materials and strives, through the use of technology, to produce new forms and appropriate motifs for the 21st century. Jason has taught at a range of levels. He teaches across the Craft & Material Practices programme and delivers specialist teaching in computer-aided design. He also works in our Fab Lab.

Amy completed a BA (Hons) in Applied Arts, glass and metals at Arts University Plymouth in 2005 and an MA in Glass at the University of Sunderland in 2006. Amy makes cast glass sculpture and jewellery, which begin as intricately carved waxes. In 2016 Amy completed working on The Cold Truth, a commission for Effervescent and Children’s Charity Barnardo’s. This included creating moulds of 50 pairs of shoes, some cast in glass and some in ice, for an exhibition curated by young people. Amy is involved extensively in the Plymouth art scene, including co-curating the Chrysalis exhibition for Flameworks at the Devonport Guildhall, being part of the Plymouth Art Weekender and being a Creative Director of Flameworks. Amy supports students in working in glass across the Crafts & Material Practices programmes and is a specialist in kiln-formed glass. See Amy's work on her website at www.amywhittingham.co.uk

Colin Wilkes is a former builder with over 15 years of experience working with different materials, especially concrete and timber. After studying BA (Hons) Craft & Material Practices at Arts University Plymouth (then Plymouth College of Art) he launched his own maker practice in 2019, and now specialises as a glassblower, drawing on his previous skills from his time in the construction industry. Colin utilises accumulated knowledge of timber to construct forms for the concrete moulds he uses in the glass studio, combining his former trade skills and materials knowledge with his new talents as a glassblower. He draws on his expert experience of moulding techniques as a concrete finisher to make innovative new moulds for hot glass production. These forms then become part of the finished work, providing a contrast to the vibrant glass. The focus of Colin’s current practice is to work in a more sustainable way with his chosen materials, by continually recycling them and producing evolving mixed-media sculptures. Sustainability is one of his primary goals. Both glass and concrete are almost 100% recyclable, and Colin plans to use that to his advantage. He says, “I want to bring those materials that I am so used to working with, for example, the dull hard industrial concrete, the discarded or forgotten timber, and repurpose them by recycle/reuse and create evolving mixed-media sculptures. I don’t want to just use a conventional mould several times and let it end up at landfill.” Colin’s desire for his materials is to continually reuse and reshape. His intention is that even when materials are no longer usable as a form in their own right, they can still be used for another purpose, such as aggregate or subbase. Colin is based in Devon and was the recipient of the Design-Nation ‘Making It’ award in 2021, in partnership with the Devon Guild of Craftsmen.Since 2023, Colin has worked in our dedicated Crafts building as a Workshop Coordinator - Glass, supporting students from across the university in learning hot and cold glass techniques.

Maria studied ceramics at the Ceramics School of Nikaia, Athens and the University of the West of England, Bristol. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the University of Greenwich. Maria has been producing ceramics for over 20 years. In her creative practice, Maria investigates how personal experiences and memory are tied to a place and related to specific landscapes. Her research interests are in the development of socio-political narratives in contemporary ceramics and the use of digital technology in traditional crafts. As part of the Craft & Material Practices team, she delivers workshops in a variety of model and mould making and surface pattern processes. She has been teaching ceramics and 3D design for over 15 years. Previously, she taught at Havering College, Barking College and Trinity School, London. Maria has also delivered family workshops at the Design Museum London and has taught pottery for Southwark Adult Education.