The cracked frame of a happy family photograph is covered in blood stains, next to a decapitated head, and the words ‘The Dead Will Walk’ are scrawled, in more blood, on a wall above.

A quiet, eerie moan seeps from a nearby TV screen, flickering with footage of zombies staggering around.

It’s not for the fainthearted, but it’s an impressive body of work by make-up and special effects students at Bradford College.

The striking installation is part of Bradford School of Arts and Media’s Summer Show, an end-of-term showcase of artwork and fashion designs by 300 students from degree and pre-degree courses.

From Batman and Robin-inspired Pop Art to images of Bradford’s synagogues, the graduation and end of year national diploma and foundation diploma art and design shows – running at the college’s Lister Building and Yorkshire Craft Centre until tomorrow – include textiles, fine art, graphic design, digital media, photography, poster design, animation, media make-up and special effects and interior design. A fashion show featuring students’ designs will take place tomorrow.

“It’s a great showcase for their design and garment-making skills. Some go into fashion design and marketing. Some students on the textile course have gone down to London where their work is showing alongside new designers,” says Heather Boxall, curriculum team leader for art and design.

“The summer show is a chance for students to show off their work, for some of them it’s the first time it’s been on display.”

A striking installation called War Play, depicting children as soldiers in a montage on a white wall, was inspired by graffiti artist Banksy. Further along, a thought-provoking display called Slaughterhouse, which includes a model of a mutilated human torso, reflects issues around eating disorders and body dismorphia. Themes of child poverty are explored in a series of open books, with images of malnourished children interspersed among the pages flared out like fans.

In the photography section, a series of images reflect religious identity in Bradford. Traditional festivals and the minutiae of daily life are captured in pictures of Bradford Cathedral and the city’s synagogues.

There are bright images of a family at play, and dog walkers, at Coppice Pond on the St Ives estate in Harden, a striking black and white image of Bradford’s Mirror Pool, and an impressive shot of a spider clinging to its dewy cobweb.

Life in a city barbershop is captured in a series of images taken by a year one photography student with a passion for social documentary, and a group of portraits of charity shop volunteers explores the notion of the Big Society and its impact on volunteering.

Quirky designs include a conical basque bearing a mechanical clock; a pretty blend of rose petals and ceramics inspired by Keats’ Ode on a Grecian Urn; and a bust made of old newspaper cuttings on the Queen, topped with a Marie Antoinette-style wig and a space age-inspired tiara.

The make-up and special effects gallery showcases students’ designs for TV, stage, fashion, advertising and period hairdressing.

A beautiful bright blue 1950s-themed wig takes pride of place in an installation by Kat Whimpanny, who has just completed a degree course in special make-up effects and artistry. Kat was inspired by Fifties pin-ups and dark apocalyptic themes for her wig designs, made from part human and part synthetic hair, and pheasants’ wings.

“I made a wig for my godmother who had cancer. People said it was more realistic than her natural hair had been! I’d like to make bespoke wigs for people with conditions like cancer and alopecia,” says Kat, who knots every strand of hair through tiny holes. “I find it therapeutic. I went on Facebook appealing for human hair and got quite a lot!

“It’s great to get our work on display. Each students’ piece is so different, it shows off the versatility of skills we learn here.”

The Bradford School of Arts and Media’s Summer Show is at Bradford College’s Lister Building and Yorkshire Craft Centre today and tomorrow, 11am to 4pm.

The fashion show takes place in the Henry Mitchell Hall, Old Building, tomorrow at various times throughout the day. Tickets are available from (01274) 438965.