Angus Phillips
Head of the School of Arts, Oxford Brookes University

Art, music, theatre, magic, robots, lemurs and Victorian corpses are just some of the fun and fascinating events you will find at OutBurst 2015.

The Oxford Brookes University Festival is taking place again at the Pegasus Theatre in Magdalen Road, East Oxford, from Thursday, May 7, to Saturday, May 9.

In the year of our 150th anniversary celebrations, we are aiming to make this a special and memorable event.

OutBurst will be an exciting community element of the anniversary programme with the aim of showcasing our research and other projects.

We are bringing great ideas, lively activities and family-friendly entertainment right to the doorstep of the public in Oxford.

This is the fourth year we have run the festival and we are delighted that we can once again work with Pegasus Theatre to really bring the event to life.

Their pioneering work with young people, the local community and professional artists is fantastic and it is great for us to be collaborating again.

From 3D models and artwork to informative lectures, film screenings and interactive exhibitions, there is something for all ages and interests and I very much hope that you will be able to come and enjoy the festival with us.

There will be plenty of exciting activities children are bound to love.

Artie, the full-sized humanoid celebrity, has already picked up his ticket and will be bringing his sidekick Robbie – who is only 23 inches tall but can walk, dance, do Tai Chi, recognise faces, tell jokes and talk to you.

Our Magic Camp researchers will be exhibiting their innovative project, which is designed to help children build their strength and increase their independence, all through specially-formulated magic tricks.

Superhero fans will enjoy a workshop where they will get to draw and colour their own comic book.

We like to make the festival as varied as possible to give you an idea of the vast range of expertise that’s continuously buzzing about our campuses.

For example, one of our primatology lecturers will be talking about the action plan to save the lemurs of Madagascar, the most threatened mammals on earth – and there will be a unique opportunity to experience Japanese and French storytelling.

Join us on our journey discovering the world of haiku and listen to classic works such as Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) and The Moon Princess.

Researchers will be exhibiting the fascinating Bamboo Bike which they have developed to maximize the unique rigidity and vibration-absorbing qualities of bamboo and other natural fibres.

Exhibitions such as our collage workshop featuring photographic montages of facades of key locations in Oxford will be on display – representing what our city could look like in the future.

You will also have the chance to join in an activity to draw with light, in which participants move coloured lights around in order to draw in the air. Using photography these movements are captured and beautiful images are created.

The full schedule of events, and information on how to book tickets, can be seen on both Brookes’ and Pegasus’ websites – see brookes.ac.uk/outburst and pegasustheatre.org.uk