Ben Pacey (31), who graduated in 1997 with a BSc Econ (Hons) in Geography, is a lighting designer specialising in design for theatre, dance and devised-performance.

His design, part of I Am Waiting For The Opportunity To Save Someone's Life – a performance created by a group of artists working in Birmingham in 2006, features in the Collaborators: UK Design for Performance 2003-2007 display.

The exhibits were selected by the Society of British Theatre Designers in collaboration with the V&A’s Theatre and Performance curators. Ben is delighted that his work has been included:

“I feel very privileged to be part of an exhibition that brings together work of such a high calibre. Also, as theatre design is usually very ephemeral, it's exciting that it gives my work and the performance of which it was part the opportunity to remain vivid and accessible beyond the actual performances,” he said.

Ben first became interested in lighting through the Swansea University Students’ Union drama society, and he went on to light several student productions in the University’s Taliesin Arts Centre.  

“The Taliesin is a wonderful venue to begin to learn in. Through the drama society I met the Frantic Assembly theatre company, who graduated a couple of years ahead of me and who were based in Swansea at the time. I did some voluntary work on a couple of their early shows, which I found inspiring, and which introduced me to the possibilities, and the realities, of working in the arts,” said Ben.

“I have very happy memories of my time at Swansea. It is a friendly, relaxed and inspiring place to live and study, and it gave me my first opportunities to design lighting for the theatre.”

Collaborators: UK Design for Performance 2003-2007 is at the V&A until November 18, 2008, admission is free. For further information, please visit: www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions