Falmouth University Welcomes Professor Alex Coles as Visiting Professor

Falmouth University has appointed author and academic Professor Alex Coles as a Visiting Professor, bringing his internationally recognised work exploring the borders between music, art and design to the University’s creative community.

Professor Coles’s research and publishing has long focused on the spaces between disciplines in the arts and humanities. His work includes the influential book DesignArt for Tate Modern and Fusion! From Alice Coltrane to Moor Mother, alongside numerous essays, journalism and edited volumes exploring contemporary creative practice. 

While Professor at the University of Huddersfield, he founded the transdisciplinary publication series EP. The series introduced the notion of the ‘extended play’ into publishing, with thematically edited pocketbooks positioned between popular magazines and academic journals. Reviews of the series appeared in outlets including The New York Times and The Times Literary Supplement, and the series also formed the basis of an Impact Case Study for REF 2021. 

At Falmouth University, Professor Coles will develop MaddaM: Music, Art, Design / Design, Art, Music, a project that brings these disciplines together in creative dialogue. 

Running alongside his forthcoming book and BBC 6 Music programming, the project reflects the increasingly transdisciplinary nature of contemporary creative practice. Time spent in the studios of leading contemporary musicians, artists and designers has demonstrated how filmmakers, photographers, performers, painters and graphic designers constantly collaborate in professional contexts. 

Through a programme of lectures, workshops and public events, the Visiting Professorship will connect Falmouth’s staff and students with a wider professional network across music, art and design. The work will create opportunities for collaboration and visibility while positioning the University as an active participant in contemporary creative and research dialogues nationally and internationally. 

Professor Emma Hunt, Vice-Chancellor, Falmouth University said: 

“Alex’s work explores how music, art and design intersect in contemporary practice. His Visiting Professorship will create opportunities for students and staff to collaborate across disciplines while connecting the University to wider creative networks.” 

Professor Alex Coles said: 

“As an ambitious creative arts university, Falmouth is perfect for the creative remit of the MaddaM project. From my first visits to speak to music students and graphic design students, I’ve been impressed by their range and ambition. I’m excited to be in a position to encourage collaboration across fields and disciplines.” 

The first phase of the project will begin with a workshop bringing together selected students and staff from across music and graphic design. Later phases will expand the dialogue to include photography, art and journalism, creating an evolving series of collaborations across creative disciplines.