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Design degree show at Teesside

08 June 2006

 

Where can you find an outdoor computer games console? A baby and children sleeping unit? A new fashion boutique for Middlesbrough? Or learn how to make a successful prime time television series?

Innovative designs for these and many more student projects will be on display at the University of Teesside from Tuesday 13 June to Thursday 15 June, along with a showcase of media students’ work. The University’s annual Design Degree show and media showcase will be held on these three days from 10am - 4pm in the University’s Main Hall, Sports Hall and Constantine Lecture theatre. It is free and open to the public.

Over 200 student projects will be displayed from the following BA (Hons) courses: Graphic Arts and Design, Design Marketing and Enterprise, Spatial Design, Product Design and Media and TV Production. The work of MA Design students will also be on show. The show is being held as part of a collection of events called Creative Arts Week. For more information please call 01642 384019 or e-mail arts@tees.ac.uk.

Marek Reichman, a Teesside graduate who now works as Design Director for Aston Martin, is to return to the University to deliver a talk to current design students and officially open the show on Monday 12 June. Mr Reichman graduated from Teesside Polytechnic in 1989 with a BA (Hons) Industrial Design. There will be an opportunity to photograph Mr Reichman at 6pm on Monday 12 June in the Main Hall, Brittan Building.

Tim Platt, Principal Lecturer in Product Design, said: “Marek was one of the best students in what was an exceptional year. His career to date is very impressive and we are very proud of his Teesside connection. We still have some of his wonderful drawings he did here as a student and use them to teach and inspire our current students.”

One student who will be showing off her work is Mary Alexander.

Mary, 21, from Scarborough, is in the final year of the BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design degree.  For her final project she has drawn up detailed plans for a fictional conversion of one the University’s landmark buildings.

The Waterhouse building is a Grade 2 listed building used by the University and external organisations for lecturing and conferencing events.  Mary has explored the possibility of converting the Waterhouse building into an exhibition centre to display the work of the University’s talented students.

Mary said: “I thought the Waterhouse could be converted into the perfect place for a display centre.  It’s a lovely building and could work really well as an art venue.

“My design shows how the interior of the building could be redesigned to include a permanent exhibition space as well as lecture rooms, projection rooms and an area for visiting artists to display their work.  The display rooms could be altered to suit the work that is on show and I’ve also included the design for a specific art and media supply shop as well.

“The University estates team was very helpful and supplied with me the plans for the building.  With it being a listed building I had to be very careful about what I was proposing to change because of the possible legal issues.  Even though my redesign was purely for academic purposes and I know it won’t get created, I can imagine how it would look and how the students could use it.  You never know, it might happen one day!”

As well as studying, Mary has worked part time for Harkin Associates, a firm of architects in Middlesbrough.  She has worked on the development of apartments at the old site of St. Barnabas in central Middlesbrough, as well as designs for psyche department store.

She said: “It can be difficult to work and study, but the work I did was so relevant to my course that it was also a great help.  It was much better than just working in a shop or a bar.  I thoroughly enjoyed the degree. You couldn’t ask for better tutors.

“I always loved art at school and college but I know how hard it is to build a career as an artist.  I decided upon architecture and design because it satisfies the artist in me and will also provide me with a career.” 

Mary is a former student of St. Augustine’s School, Scarborough Sixth Form College and Yorkshire College’s Westwood campus where she completed the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design.


 
 
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