Arts University Plymouth appoints photographer Gabriel Van Ingen

Arts University Plymouth has appointed Gabriel Van Ingen as Senior Lecturer and Subject Leader for BA (Hons) Photography. A highly experienced educator in the creative arts, Gabriel is an Ambassador for Docking Station, a Netherlands-based photography platform, and was previously Editor at LUMEN magazine of visual art and technology and Director of Nottingham-based artist studios and exhibition space, Secta Studios. His work has been exhibited across the UK and Spain.

A PhD candidate with an MA in Photography from De Montfort University and a BA (Hons) degree in Photography from Nottingham Trent University, prior to his appointment at Arts University Plymouth, Gabriel acted as Course Leader for BA (Hons) Creative Practice at Derby College.

Gabriel’s creative practice has a strong experimental focus, utilising a range of historical techniques and emerging technologies. Areas of special interest for Gabriel include using his practice to reconcile our relationship with the sea and a sense of disconnection between the longing towards a poeticised view of the sea, and our growing understanding of the environmental impact of human-induced environmental change and the strategic appropriation of our oceans. In 2013 Gabriel was commissioned by the Djanogly Gallery Nottingham to hand print black-and-white prints from negatives by British Photographer Roger Mayne for the exhibition Saturday Night Sunday Morning: The authentic moment in British photography, and in 2011 he was Artist-in-Residence for the Nottingham CAMRA Festival.

‘Deconstructed Landscape’ by Gabriel Van Ingen

With wide-ranging experience of working in Higher Education and international foundation creative programmes, Gabriel has also taught for over fifteen years, at institutions including Nottingham Trent University, University Centre Stamford, Nottingham Trent International College, Rotherham College and Peterborough Regional College.

Stephanie Owens, Head of the School of Arts + Media at Arts University Plymouth, said: “It is wonderful to have someone with Gariel’s considerable teaching and professional experience to lead our BA (Hons) Photography course. In its contemporary form, photography is challenged by the everyday saturation of images which surrounds us. This saturation can lead to a familiarity that overlooks the skill, critical insight and imagination required to create a powerful image. As an artist and scholar who has seen much of the world through a lens firsthand and has reflected on photography’s role in society as a writer, Gabriel demonstrates for our students the depth of technical and historical knowledge necessary to create images that meaningfully capture and influence the world around us.”

‘Cairne View’ by Gabriel Van Ingen

Gabriel said: “Supporting, promoting and curating the work of new photographers and creative students has been a constant throughout my career and I’m thrilled to join Arts University Plymouth to lead the BA (Hons) Photography degree. I’m looking forward to working side-by-side with the students to investigate new ways of thinking about their photography and new ways to use emerging technologies. From traditional portraiture and landscape photography to social documentary, narrative-driven work and installations, this is an exciting time to study photography and I can’t think of a better place for students to come and learn a broad knowledge of traditional analogue photography alongside new emerging technologies and critical discourses.”

Visit https://www.plymouthart.ac.uk/ to find out more about the range of creative BA, MA and post-16 courses offered at Arts University Plymouth, and visit the next Open Day on Saturday 2 July 2022 to meet members of the BA (Hons) Photography team and find out more about studying photography at degree-level.