Supamatic art vending machine launches at Arts University Plymouth with student and alumni work

<p dir="ltr">Founded by Amy and Dan, the neurodivergent duo behind <a href="https://supafantastic.com/vending/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SUPA</a>, the project transforms everyday snack vending machines into public art spaces. Created to make art more visible, tactile and part of daily life, Supamatic offers a more accessible and human-centred way for audiences to discover and buy original work.</p> <p dir="ltr">At Arts University Plymouth, the project gave students a live brief with a public outcome. As well as contributing work to be sold through the machine, students were invited to design its exterior wrap, creating a bold piece of large-scale artwork for a busy campus space. The project brings together visibility, fair pay, thoughtful curation and artist support, while giving students and alumni another route to share their work with wider audiences.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Archy Davis’s selected design features dog and dragon characters that have become part of his developing visual language.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve been drawing silly dogs for a few months now, and originally only started doodling them for a short task in class, but the more time I spent on them, the more I loved drawing them,” he said. “They’re fun to draw, and they make people smile, so there wasn’t going to be a world where I didn’t use them for the vending machine.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Archy created the final design by printing out the templates, drawing the artwork by hand, then scanning it and developing it further in Photoshop, adding new parts, reworking sections and refining the final colours and details.</p> <p dir="ltr">The commission also gave him the chance to develop details in his style that he had not yet fully explored, from gums and spikes to the shine of a wet nose. He said he was “extremely happy” to be chosen for the project.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">The project has a strong connection to <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-illustration">BA (Hons) Illustration</a> at Arts University Plymouth, where students combine authentic image-making with real-world commercial practice and develop methods across editorial, advertising, narrative, books and research. That balance of personal voice, professional confidence and outward-facing opportunity is exactly what makes a brief like this so valuable.</p> <p dir="ltr">Archy also reflected on the challenge of working to a live deadline alongside his studies, using the short turnaround to develop his first ideas quickly and refine them as the project took shape.</p> <p dir="ltr">It also reflects the breadth of creative practice across the university. The selected artists span <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-fine-art">BA (Hons) Fine Art</a>, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-game-arts-animation">BA (Hons) Game Arts &amp; Animation</a>, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-photography">BA (Hons) Photography</a> and <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-painting-drawing-printmaking">BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing &amp; Printmaking</a>, bringing together contemporary art, storytelling, worldbuilding, lens-based image-making and material experimentation in one public-facing format.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Other students whose work has been selected for the vending machine include:</p> <p dir="ltr">Sharon Douglas, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-fine-art">BA (Hons) Fine Art</a><br />Sally Chen, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-fine-art">BA (Hons) Fine Art</a><br />Emily Lund, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-game-arts-animation">BA (Hons) Game Arts and Animation</a><br />Izzy Tibbles, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-photography">BA (Hons) Commercial Photography</a><br />Cerys Gill, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-photography">BA (Hons) Photography</a><br />Beth Walters, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-painting-drawing-printmaking">BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing &amp; Printmaking</a><br /></p>

<p>The Supamatic art vending machine will be unveiled on <strong>Friday 27 March at 11am in The Refectory at Arts University Plymouth</strong>. After the launch, visitors will be able to see the machine during normal <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/contact">opening hours</a>.</p>