Creative mentors
Meet the creative mentors who make up EMERGE.
Our mentors are volunteers who share our values around building a dynamic community of creatives. They work alongside our residents within the studio and benefit from the shared opportunities within EMERGE, including facilities and space, training, skills and network sharing.
Our creative mentors are there to help inspire, connect and collaborate with the graduate residents and bridge the gap between student and professional practitioner.
Angel Greenham presently lives in Bristol and her studio is based at Bath Artist Studios. She received a BA from University of Wales Trinity St David in 2006 and an MA in Fine Art at Bath School of Art and Design 2017. Her practice continues to be influenced by the transformative effects of light, architecture and technological advances with its impact on the human race. She employs an array of everyday materials in her work, ranging from found objects and household hardware to recycled plastics and salvaged wood.
In 2018 she participated in a four month Cells Residency at Trowbridge Townhall Arts and was selected for the Visions of Science exhibition at The Edge and The Andrew Brownsword Gallery. Her sculpture ‘Beyond Human’ is currently on permanent loan at The University of Bath physics department.
I started making children’s books about happiness four years ago, when I decided that my happiness was the most important thing.
My stories reflect real challenges that I am facing in my own life, and how I can approach them in a positive and constructive way.
My most recent book ‘Geoffrey Finds A Bike’ is about story of a giraffe on a bicycle who just wants someone to play with. It explores friendship, creativity, and how life is always more fun when we’re together.
I’ve published three books under my own small press, The Happy Book Company, and absolutely love visiting schools and bookshops with my books.
I have just completed a year of creative development funded by Arts Council England to take my books about choosing happiness to new and exciting places. I also commenced an MA in Children's Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art in September.
Nigel Fryatt is a web developer, facilitator, and generative artist known by the moniker 'datarav3'. His work spans the domains of technology, communications and art.
His commercial offerings adeptly guide public organisations, corporations, SMEs and freelancers through transformative change and growth. With over a decade of experience in web development and a deep understanding of digital communication, he creates visually appealing and user-friendly websites that find their roots in detailed communication strategies. Alongside his technical work he also provides consultancy and workshops to a wide range of organisations and individuals based in the UK, covering a broad range of topics related to websites, digital communication, and commercial strategy.
His facilitation skills offer effective interdisciplinary collaborations across sectors. He recently co-presented the workshop “From Algorithms to Artefacts - Creativity, AI & IP” as part of the Bath Digital Festival 2023, in collaboration with patent attorney Judith Coghlan from law firm Script IP. The workshop discussed the extent to which artificial intelligence can create and then own what it creates. In 2022, he co-presented “Entering the NFT Art Space: Challenges and Possibilities” at Oxford University’s inaugural blockchain conference “OxBAT”, in collaboration with writer Joanne Rush (Creative Mentor at EMERGE) and oil painter Saffron Murray-Browne (resident at EMERGE). This workshop presented a mixed media artwork created by the team and critically discussed the challenges and possibilities of entering the NFT space.
Through his generative artworks, he seeks to unearth the emotional possibilities of code, fuelled by a fascination with the interplay between technology and human expression. Alongside creating his own art, he also regularly partners with artists and creative practitioners to explore the opportunities created by embedding creative technology into their projects.
A Freelance Surface Print Designer. I formerly worked as a Womenswear Fashion Designer for LFW Designers and in Casual wear. I also worked as a Fashion Small Business Consultant and as a Fashion Lecturer. For a couple of years, I was also a Supperclub host cooking fusion Chinese menus for 20 people at a time. Working as a Print Designer allows more freedom to work from home and have a better work/life balance. I am currently expanding my portfolio. I am experimenting with various painting techniques producing artworks and surface print designs.
James Shaw is an established graphic designer with a passion and drive for creative education and career development. With more than five years in design, James has transitioned from working within design agencies to establishing himself as a freelance graphic designer and founder of Volley Design, working with startups and global companies to implement and deliver branding, print design and corporate presentations.
James's other passions lie in the creative education sector, working as a Design lecturer at Wiltshire College and Associate lecturer at Bath Spa. Both roles support creative courses in the delivery of design led workshops and lecturers.
Theatre and Film: Specialising in bringing live work to the streets, found locations and unique, accessible theatre spaces.
Matthew is a dyslexic, working-class, award-winning filmmaker, theatre maker and street artist.
His last film, Othello Noir, won the Sir Kenneth Branagh Award for Best Film Inspired by Shakespeare, awarded by The Birthplace Trust (2018). His theatre commissions include a solo street show, funded by Coburg University, Germany (2018), and a playwright commission by Wassail Theatre, funded by ACE (2020).
With Emergency Arts Council funding, awarded via UK Outdoor Arts, Matthew recently collaborated with Bath Spa University to create digital immersive theatre during Lockdown. In September 2020, with the theatre company Three Inch Fools, Matthew produced two COVID secure outdoor theatre events in Bath, engaging 250 audience members.
Matthew is also an associate artist with The Natural Theatre Company, devising and performing in street theatre events and shows across Europe. Matthew’s recent play BackPAGE (2019) was shortlisted for the Charlie Hartill fund at the Pleasance Theatre London, and was described in the press as "a chaotic and chilling fusion of high emotion, fantastic choreography and direction" (London Theatre1). Currently, Matthew is writing and filming a new online web series for the charity DHI, about drug harm reduction, which will be created with young people from Wiltshire.
Areas of expertise: Instaling live theatre in streets, parks or immersive spaces. Creating working in collaboration with business stakeholders. Directing, devising, writing and producing in Theatre and Film. Fundraising. I am also a musician, that is embedded in my work.
Joseph Wilk is an artist exploring automative forms of expression that utilise new interfaces to work with alternative bodies. His experience of disability — living with pain, physical limitations, disillusionment and disconnection— strongly impacts his practice. He deconstructs, misuses and repurposes software and hardware to challenge notions of ownership, narrative and visibility.