BA (Hons) Interior Design & Styling (Jan 2024 Start)

Jason is an artist, writer and educator with an interest in the detritus, flotsam and jetsam of the everyday. Other areas of interest include landscape, walking, critical writing, comics, Actor Network Theory, poetry and performative practices. Since 2001 he has been walking, collecting and archiving the city of Plymouth; this work has been realised in a number of ways, including published texts, performances (locally, nationally and internationally), installations, and public talks. Jason studied Performance Writing at Dartington College of Arts followed by a Masters by Research in Landscape at the University of Plymouth, and he is currently a doctoral candidate at the Institute of Education, where his research involves speculations on the future of the art school and communities of practice. As one half of Driftingspace and a founding member of the art and architecture group Interchange, Jason explores the possibilities of place, space and critical education as a conduit for transformational learning. He also runs theopenartschool, which includes the ongoing microlecture series #5minutecontext, hosted on his Instagram account @JasonHirons. For years Jason led and coordinated the Contextual Studies modules at Arts University Plymouth, and he currently teaches on the BA (Hons) Illustration, Masters in Art, Masters in Photography, and MFA programmes, and is the Course Leader for Distance Learning at Arts University Plymouth.

Ally studied BA (Hons) Interior & Spatial Design at Falmouth University from 2003-2006. At the end of her degree, she exhibited at New Designers, and from that got a job at an interior design company called Agile Space, based in Clerkenwell, London. Working on commercial interior design projects for household name brands including the BBC, Pret A Manger and Itsu, Ally also designed for London Council and lots of independent cafes and restaurants all over the UK. In 2011, Ally moved to the South West and continued to design interiors for both commercial and residential clients, from Pizza Express to high end homes for private clients. Setting up her own practice, Ally went on to work with a range of clients, from designing visitor centres, restaurants and retail spaces for the National Trust, to creating student accommodation interiors for UAL (University of the Arts London). In 2011, Ally also began lecturing in Interior Design at the University of Plymouth, joining the Interior Design and Styling academic team at Plymouth College of Art in 2017. Alongside teaching on our BA (Hons) Interior Design and Styling degree, Ally is conducting research into how live briefs and student projects impact learning and teaching in a positive way. As part of her action-based local research projects, Ally has worked with Devon & Cornwall Refugee Support on a socially valuable project which has raised £6,000 in fundraising money, which will be used to help refurbish the charity’s space.

Amy Pike is a multidisciplinary designer, researcher and educator. Specialising in play, design-thinking and wellness for adults. Amy’s research passion is all about play. After graduating from Arts University Plymouth in MA Visual Communication with a Distinction and BA (Hons) Graphic Communication with Typography from Plymouth University, Amy is now an active researcher as she studies for her PhD with the University of Nottingham. Amy’s current research consists of challenging the misconceptions of play, with a focus on how play can be implemented within the healthcare system to support adult wellbeing. At present Amy is focusing on the links between play and renal dialysis patience in and around the UK. In 2019 Amy secured the role of working as the first full-time and only in-house Graphic Designer at the Exeter Chiefs. It was during this time she created the branding for the 2019/20 season and rebranded parts of Sandy Park stadium. Her work for the Exeter Chiefs has been seen by over 250,000 people with regular features on BT Sport and more. Amy has since worked for various creative agencies in and around the UK working with clients including Dermatonics, ToolBank, Zehnder, Dales, Exeter City Council and more. With growing interest, Amy is regularly participating in conferences and events as she shared her knowledge and passion for play and working methodologies. Working as a Lecturer on the BA Graphic Communication course. Amy teaches both on our BA Graphic Communication course and on the AUP Distance Learning programme. Amy is currently working on research which is expected to be published in 2023/25.