Design X bares all at Milan

From biodegradable brooches to edible lids for the ubiquitous ‘coffee-to-go’, students from University College Falmouth’s 3D Design degree course not only embraced the course’s ethos of design for sustainability and community need in the creation of their products for this week’s Salone Satellite in Milan, but also in their method of transportation.

The whole show was transported in a small, lightweight drum, with modest environmental impact.

Part of the Milan Furniture Fair, and one of the most prestigious events in the design calendar, Salone Satellite hosts 500 designers and 200 students from 22 of the most prestigious international design schools, and attracts 200,000 visitors each year.

33 Level 2 students presented their work under the Design X Studio brand – see www.designx.eu for more information – and its launch exhibition, entitled Naked Products, presented six products that were devoid of concealment; bare and pure; sustainable. All were based on renewable materials (plants/biomass) and the lifecycle of each product was presented in a transparent way.

The six Naked Products on show included Bloom – biodiversity seed pod brooches – ‘wear the brooch and plant the seeds’; Moderme – an edible lid in a choice of flavours for the ubiquitous ‘coffee-to-go’; Cornicore – a new moldable bio-degradable material made from locally-sourced pine cones; Slippitz – an environmentally-sound slipper that provides the perfect antidote to tired toes, made from bamboo fibre, buckwheat, cork, rubber, honey, vegetable-tanned leather and stinging nettles (believe it or not!); the Frequent Flyer – a leather luggage tag that offers regular travellers a fast track check-in via ‘eco-lanes’ at airports if they sign over their air miles to charities that promote renewable energy; and Soul Sock – a natural cotton sock that stimulates reflexology zones made from natural raw materials that carry antibacterial properties.

“The sustainable resource efficient theme ran through the whole design of the show,” explained Senior Lecturer, Dr Yorick Benjamin, who masterminded the concept. “The show was transported in a lightweight container little more than 80 cm high by 50 cm in diameter; the exhibits were presented on lightweight aero-ply plinths suspended from wires, lit by rechargeable LEDs; the Design X Studio banner was made from recycled felt; and we deliberately elected not to print publicity material, choosing instead to email information to visitors from the stand,” he added. “Biodiversity seed pod brooches and branded paperclips made from recycled wood were used instead as promotional tools.”

“This was a real team effort between students and staff, with Course Leader, Su Vernon and 3D Digital Production Research Assistant, Drummond Masterton, providing project management and support,” Dr Benjamin concluded. “The concept of the Design X Studio stand really stood out at Milan, and attracted a lot of attention. Major brands such as Marks & Spencer and Disney expressed interest in some of our products, and the event was of great benefit to the course and its students.”

“Following on from the success of our Falmouth Designs exhibition in London at the Design Museum last November, opportunities like Design X and Milan provide our design students with yet another high-profile opportunity to showcase their work to a national and international audience,” added Director of Design, John Miller.

University College Falmouth is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall, a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through higher education. The CUC is funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council.

For further information about BA(Hons) 3D Design at University College Falmouth, please visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/3Ddesign , email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or contact Admissions on 01326 213730.

Ends

For further information about this press release, please contact Jilly Easterby, Head of Public Affairs, University College Falmouth, Woodlane, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 4RH, Telephone: 01326 213792 or email: jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk

Notes to editors

High res images of the six Naked Products and the Design X Studio stand at Salone Satellite can be downloaded from www.designx.eu

About BA(Hons) 3D Design at University College Falmouth

We believe that sustainability lies at the core of 3D Design.

It underpins your skills, enhances your problem-solving abilities and fuels your creativity. For us, becoming a successful 3D designer is about exploring and anticipating human needs so that your designs reflect modern life.

Whether you’re developing your computer-aided design skills, or designing and making one-off pieces, you’ll master all aspects of the design process – from idea conception to production. Learning through making, you’ll be based in our Design Centre where you’ll create models, prototypes and finished artefacts using a variety of materials from wood, metal and plastics to bio- composites, glass, clay and fabric. You’ll experiment creatively with traditional craft and production processes as well as 3D digital technologies like laser cutting, rapid prototyping and computer-aided milling. You’ll also undertake a range of projects focusing on interior products; furniture; lighting; jewellery and portable objects; toy, leisure and sports products; and design for sustainability, need, education and health.

We believe that to understand fully how to be a designer you should get out there and do it, so during your course you’ll work on live projects with local and national organisations, and community initiatives to learn how to apply your technical and creative skills in a professional environment. The development of your own personal creative style is also essential; we want you to experiment, take risks and be inspired, all the time knowing that we’re there to support you and facilitate your ideas. Our aim is to feed your imagination, whether it’s by inviting high-profile designers to talk to you about their work or exhibiting at shows like The Milan Furniture Fair – it’s about opening your eyes to the possibilities of 3D design and the difference you can make to the world.

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