Portsmouth students collaborate with major lighting brand to celebrate 90th anniversary

For over 10 months, students from the University of Portsmouth have collaborated on a unique project commissioned by the animation studio Golden Wolf, to mark the 90th anniversary of Anglepoise.

A selected group of Animation BA (Hons) students from the University’s Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries will now have their work featured in a celebratory event at Material Matters during the London Design Festival this month.

London animation studio Golden Wolf set the brief, ‘THE LEGACY OF AN ICON,’ challenging students to create short animation-meets-mixed-media films celebrating Anglepoise, an innovative British designer of iconic spring-balanced lamps.Using Golden Wolf’s design template, students developed unique sequences reflecting creativity, legacy, and design. 

The final animations are set to be compiled into a seamlessly looping video segment which will be screened at Anglepoise’s 90th birthday celebrations during the London Design Festival 2025, showcasing multiple artistic perspectives on the brand.

Students from UWTSD (University of Wales Trinity Saint David) Swansea College of Art  also took part in the project, designing a series of lamp shades supplied by Anglepoise to create 90 different designs which encouraged radical, unique interpretations that played with the theme of materials, light and surface treatment.

Claire Sambrook, Project Lead and Senior Lecturer at The University of Portsmouth, said: “It is vital for creative institutions to involve industry in any way they can to enable collaboration and exploration which in term helps build confidence and contacts for these talented young creatives.

“What has been very special about this project is that it involved two different coastal cities each with strong heritage legacies that can compete in any global setting. Attitude is everything here.”

The project enabled Portsmouth students to work on a campaign to create a series of bold, distinct vignettes - each one shaped by a different artist, each one unmistakably tied to the brand. Rather than a single narrative, this is a living, evolving portrait told through many lenses.

Henry Purrington, Director Golden Wolf, said: “Nothing beats throwing students into the deep end with a real brief and a real brand. Collaborating with our creative team and Anglepoise gave these young animators a proper taste of the chaos, craft, and collaboration that make this industry tick. 

“Golden Wolf thrives on the creative challenges that come with this sort of client work, and that's exactly the mindset we want to pass on. We're all about helping the next generation become bold, adaptable, and creatively resilient. It’s a vital part of the learning curve, and we’re always hyped to be involved.”


Speaking about the project, third year Portsmouth Animation student Sofiia, added: “This collaboration was a fantastic opportunity to get a feel for what professional industry briefs feel like.  It was a bit scary and unusual at first, but with the clear guidance it turned out to be a great time! 

“If all studio briefs feel like this, then I am no longer stressed about getting a job. Won’t lie though, with full creative freedom on this brief, it was a bit difficult for me to settle on what I wanted to make and took quite some time and a bit of trial and error to decide but it worked out great!”

The Animation BA (Hons) is part of the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) at the University, where students gain practical and technical skills across the creative arts, media, and technologies. Through industry partnerships, experienced lecturers, and state-of-the-art facilities, CCI offers hands-on learning while driving research and innovation to address social, cultural, and environmental challenges.

Animation: Golden Wolf

The animation can be viewed on Instagram.