Carey McIvenny has worked with some of the biggest names in rock, helping design stage shows for the likes of the Rolling Stones and U2.

Her new role will see her mixing with pop icons of a much smaller size - puppets from some of the most memorable music videos of recent years.

Carey has worked for companies including Henson's Creature Shop and Brighton-based Skint Records.

But the biggest names were involved when she was working for Atelier One, the company responsible for designing the stage shows for U2's Pop Mart and the Rolling Stone's Voodoo Lounge tours.

Now she is curator and researcher for a new Brighton exhibition, Puppets in Pop.

Exhibits will include the original Flat Eric puppet, who topped the charts with his techno hit Flat Beat.

Creator Quentin Dupiex, otherwise known as Mr Oizo, has donated the Flat Eric to the organisers of visions, a festival of international animated theatre and puppetry to be staged in October.

He will be given pride of place in the Puppets in Pop exhibition, along with other iconic puppets from the pop world.

The lanky, gangling puppets from the Supergrass video Pumpin' On Your Stereo will also be on display in the University of Brighton's gallery, together with the dancing milk carton from Blur's Coffee + TV video.

Carey said Puppets in Pop should be one of the highlights of visions: "It's a representation of all the exciting and vibrant puppetry and animation work going on right now, particularly in the music industry and other areas of popular culture.

"There are lots of hip young companies involved in the exhibition. It's something which should appeal to trendy Brightonians.

"The whole visions team has worked really hard on it so it deserves to be a success."

Also on display will be a selection of Woolly Rockers - one foot-high dolls made entirely of wool in the likeness of various Sixties' pop stars. All of The Beatles as well as members of The Small Faces will be putting in an appearance.

Puppets in Pop is just one small part of visions, which also includes six other exhibitions, workshops for children and adults and screenings of animated films at Duke of York's cinema.

One of the main elements of the festival is live performance, with troupes from Germany, Peru, France and Hungary jerking strings across Brighton. One performer, Hugo, from the Peruvian company Teatro Hugo & Innes, uses only his hand, knee and belly button to create a parade of puppet personalities.

Colin Matthews, executive producer of visions, says the festival has really put Brighton on the animation map. This is the fourth visions festival in the town, and it has now become the biggest animated theatre event in the country.

The visions exhibitions run from October 7 to 29 at Brighton University gallery on Grand Parade and at the Gardner Arts Centre. The performances run from October 18 to 29.

For more information, log on to www.btn.ac.uk/ visions2000 For news, information and sport about Sussex, go to thisisbrightonandhove.co.uk