Eco axe will hit the right notes

A range of innovative designs and projects will be on display as part of the MSc Design show.

They include a travel electric guitar made entirely from eco materials, a recharging point for an electric car, hooked into a lamp post and a bike hire scheme, specifically for the London 2012 Olympic village.

The show, sponsored by One North East, will exhibit students’ final projects from the MSc Design for the first time.

It is free and open to the public, from 9.00am to 5.00pm at the University’s Phoenix Building, off Woodlands Road, Middlesbrough. The show will be officially opened on Tuesday 20 July by Hugh Morgan Williams OBE, Chairman of the Northern Way and runs until Sunday 1 August.

The travel electric guitar is a working model, created by Dan Brown, 22, from Guisborough. Dan took up bass guitar while at Prior Pursglove Sixth Form and has since built four of his own.

His new model differs as it can be folded in half for portability and made from a range of environmentally-friendly materials sourced from across the world. These include cork, basalt fibre, bamboo flax and resin x, a potato resin flown from Michigan, USA. When developing the guitar, Dan also consulted Play Away Guitars, who specialise in travel guitars and the Bass Centre in London.

Something for future generations of guitarists Dan said: ‘I think it’s the first time resin x has been used in this way in the UK. I found out about it through the internet and contacted C3D Industries in the States, where they use the resin on surfboards.

‘The guitar’s such a fusion of different supplies and can be easily folded up to go in bags, so can easily go on all forms of transport. It would be nice if it was taken up as a business venture in the future and maybe future generations of guitarists could take it up.’

Peter Reid, Programme Leader for the MSc, added: ‘The MSc Design brings together the crucial elements of new product development, blending product design innovation with technical expertise.

‘A major thread throughout the programme is in developing designers that understand business – the drivers for business, the environment in which businesses operate and by understanding markets, how design can be effectively deployed to maximise business success.' For more information on the MSc 2010 Design show call 01642 738649 or email arts@tees.ac.uk.

---