ARTS and modern media technology mix in a new festival in Plymouth.

Talented students, award-winning staff and graduates from University of Plymouth will taking part in the first Media Arts Festival on September 26 and 27.

Radio 1 presenter David Hooper returns to the city where he studied to take part in the festival.

Also taking part is John Matthias of Performing Rights Society award-winner The Fragmented Orchestra, which collected and processed sounds live from 24 four sites – including the university's Roland Levinsky building – to mimic the human brain.

The festival will feature video, animation, sound and digital art and a number of collaborations that have taken place between the university and local businesses and community groups.

Phaedra Stancer, festival organiser and media arts lecturer, said: "We are hoping that this will become an annual showcase, bringing together students, graduates, practitioners, potential collaborators and employers to meet, talk and enjoy innovative creative work."

The festival starts on Saturday, September 16 with a series of short films created by media arts undergraduates and goes on to present a number of projects involving final year students who've worked collaboratively with local businesses and community groups.

Among those featured will be Dawn Sambells, who worked with clients and staff from the Plymouth-based project Green V to produce a promotional film to encourage young people to volunteer for environmental schemes, and Kyle Borlase, who produced a piece of animation called Mister Darwin with composer David Haines for The Great Plant Hunt Project, run by the Royal Botanical Gardens, in Kew.

David Hooper will talk about his work and there will also be a showing of a fly-on-the-wall documentary centred on the Badawi tribe from South Sinai, Egypt.

The next day the festival continues with presentations by staff including the award-winning animator Kayla Parker and John Matthias.

The two-day celebration concludes with an interactive film called Envy, based on Shakespeare's Othello, in which the audience can select scenes and camera angles of their choice, in real time.

Phaedra added: "This is a celebration of creative arts and a demonstration of the University of Plymouth's commitment to building an ever more vibrant media arts community in the South West.

"We also hope it will show how art is being used to bring tangible benefits to society."

The Media Arts Festival will be held in the Levinsky Building and is free and open to anyone with an interest in the subject. But space is limited and seats for screenings will be allocated first-come, first-served. For further information and a full programme of events go to http://mafestival. atroxcreations.co.uk/

The festival is part of the Peninsula Arts autumn programme at the university. For more information visit their website at www. peninsula-arts.co.uk