emily carr institute graduation exhibition

Emily Carr Institute Graduation Exhibition opens to public from May 7 to May 22, 2006. many great artworks and designs from students in Visual Arts, Media Arts, Communication Design and Industrial Design are featured in the exhibition. students are creative; their minds explore without borders. i find myself enjoy students' shows very much; in fact, i get inspired by students' works quite often. this post covers all of the Industrial Design and a few from Communication Design & Visual Arts.
___________________________________________________________

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
i found that these industrial students at Emily Carr are not only creative but also have a great sense of humor when i read about their research and development processes. they are environmental enthusiasts; many of their designs help reduce negative impact on the environment. many of the designs take care of the local needs by finding innovative solutions.

Rediscovering Landscape: Exploring new meaning for urban park spaces - Alex Henderson
Alex Henderson uses an existing park space in Vancouver as a case study to re-examines the role and potential of a small park space in a densely urban area. she points out some interesting issues and gives suggestive solutions such as elevated ponds that won't need the usual chemical treatment, fewer turfed areas for lower energy usage for maintaining the park, and solar energy lighting system, etc.


Prefabricated Emergency Shelter - Alexis Smith
Alexis Smith's deployable shelter is a product of thoughtful and careful design process. it's a light-weight shelter that requires minimum instruction to assemble. It's easy to clean in between uses. it collapses for easy transportation. better yet, it's customizable, allowing for individual identity.


Skycabin - Andreas Tiberiu Dracopol
do you feel like that you're getting smaller and smaller leg room when flying economic class? Andreas Tiberiu Dracopol's Skycabin may just solve the problem.

Beyond Stigma: Breaking down the Stigma associated with disabilities - Peter-Asturias Vysek
the goal is to create an identity platform for a digital craft workshop. Peter-Asturias Vysek came up with the idea of customizing products by using 'inkblot,' the diagnostic tool that addresses one's stigma. Stigma refers to the negative and unspoken attitudes that the public holds towards the mental aspects of illness and disability. He uses the inkblot as a visual language to help generate discussion, awareness and understanding of the mental aspects of disability. the products include 'Mental Baggage,' a courier style bag and notebag with interchangeable flaps and custom inkblot and 'Not What We Seam' individual identity T-shirts.

Bassic: Innovative instructional device for electric bass guitar - Brad Min
taking personal lessons to learn how to play electric bass is expensive. Brad Min offers a self-teaching device for people to learn efficiently with its unique guiding light-up system and combined features such as downloadable lessons, drum machine and MP3 player, etc.

Eats: Innovative kitchen in the street - Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee designed this modern, sleek and easy-to-set-up street kitchen. the complete package consists of 2 carts; cart 1 contains cooking unit and propane and cart 2 contains water and storage/fridge. when vendor decides to change their menu, they can exchange or purchase another cart 1 with different equipment. when not in use, the top seals and protects the cart; when the top is lifted, it becomes an umbrella.

Personal Server - Brian Ho + Anthony Reed
i personally don't know too much about high-tech products, but i know it would be great if all need to bring with me is this great-looking tiny Personal Server instead of my flash drive, laptop, and palm pilot. also, no plugging in necessary.

Compost Vessel: Getting our food waste out of the garbage - Chris Kirby
if food waste is composted properly, it can be used to grow food. Chris Kirby wants to create awareness about food waste as valuable resource and encourage good recycling practices. with a specific purpose, Compost Vessel integrates itself into dining routines. after the meal is finished and the food waste is collected, the vessel can be emptied easily into a segregated organics recycling bin or a backyard composite.

Longitude 123: Fresh kitchen prep space - Clive Chan
many modern dwellings don't have enough kitchen counter spaces. Clive Chan offers this vertically oriented preparation surface to solve the problem. when it's not in use as a kitchen counter, it rests against the wall as a media centre minimizing the use of the space. multifunctional pieces are always great for today's compact living.


Snowmobile Outerwears - Elizabeth Yada
snowmobiling is a growing sport in Western Canada and is a very physically demanding sport. Elizabeth Yada designed the outerwears that can improve the safety, health, and comfort for the riders by providing durability and efficient moisture management with waterproofing fabric.

Help: High-rise emergency location of people - Eric Olindan
Eric Olindan's goal is to provide high-rise building residents with a way to clearly signaling emergency workers where the help is needed. this product is easy to use and It also features simple-pull alarm, universally recognized arrow shape, red in colour, and 'help' to grab immediate attention, and lighting feature for night time use.

Beginner Majong Set - Gip Mar
if you just recently fell in love with Majong, this cardboard table set may be perfect for you. it's low cost, light weight, compact and portable. all Majong tiles and accessories can fit into the package. you can take the whole set to your friends without having to carry the traditional Majong table.

Therapod: Maintaining shoes clean and fresh - Gloria Yu
people with sweaty or smelly feet will no longer be embarrassed. Gloria Yu's Therapod is created to keep shoes bacteria-, fungus-, and odor-free so people won't need to worry about problems such as athlete's foot, fungus nail and foot odor.

Living Surfaces - Jakub Zak
people's traditional view of the table space usage is constrained by the surfaces. Jakub Zak's Living Surfaces emphasizes the usage of vertical spaces. this product creatively generates more usable space on the same table. your life will be more organized when part of you table can give you storage.

Kidspace: A customizable play space for kids - Jamie Bugara
Jamie Bugara's design of Kidspace encourages explorations and creativity. the selection of panels includes floor panels, roof panels, windows, trap-door, cushions, screens, ladders, and ramps, etc. the users can fully customize the Kidspace into a square, a pentagon, a house, a spaceship and endless other possibilities.




Switch: Office in a bed - Jared Schmale
Jared Schmale's goal is to allow 2 functions of a small room: bedroom and office. although this is a bedroom and office 2-in-1 design, it actually separates work and sleep by hiding one or another. this piece fully utilizes a small room without 2 functions disturbing each other.

C2: Vehicle Driver Control Solutions - Jason Wrobleski + Damir Kulic
Jason Wrobleski from Emily Carr and Damir Kulic from Simon Fraser University think that many current vehicle cockpit designs increase driver distraction through unnecessary cognitive load. they want to provide an advanced user interface that improves drivers' safety, comfort, and efficiency. C2 requires minimum attention while adjusting a/c and music settings and so the drivers can focus on the actual driving.

Strings on Everything - Julian Hecht
of course everybody loses things and everybody forgets things. inspired by the string attaching to a child's two mittens, Julian Hecht ties a string on everything by using Radio Frequency Identification technology, photonic textiles, and wireless battery charging system. users simply put a sticker on belongings such as glasses, keys, wallet, and cellphones, etc. then the light-up display that is woven into the fabric of the bag will remind you of what you've forgotten to bring.

Energy Balance: A dish set that influences eating habits - Kathryn Forbes
these plates are not just beautiful home decor items. Kathryn Forbes's design can be integrated into every life to educate about nutrition. the plates are divided graphically, making it easy to remember the proper portion ratio. an instructional fridge magnet and user guide come with the set.

Retriever - Katie McKillop
falling in the water remains one of the most dangerous aspects of recreational boating. according to stats, most of the victims are male; thus, this product needs to be easy to carry and use for both male and female rescuers. Katie McKillop goes into extensive research to come up with 'Retriever.' it is an inflatable system that provides efficient way for the rescuer reboarding a hypothermic individual. its compact size and relatively light weight is easy to carry around. there are only few steps needed to set it up. these features should encourage boat lovers to prepare for this type of incidents.

One: Shoe design - Mark Lee
Mark Lee's One is made of non-toxic natural material and recyclable material. inspired by old shoe making method, these shoes show people how shoes are supposed to be made. unlike the shoes on the market these days, 'One' is designed with environmental issues in mind. it is made of non-toxic natural and recyclable material and is fully reparable. also, it packs flat for better storage and traveling; this feature should encourage consumers to buy these environmental-friendly shoes.

La Donna e Mobile - Matt Chen
although most of the furniture pieces are designed for specific purposes, Matt Chen notices that people do get creative when it comes to use the furniture. for example, some people would use chairs as their temporary shelving unit for storage. inspired by people's creative ways of using furniture, he designed this modular customizable system.

Rod Impact: Ergonomic solutions for pulling and running rods - Melissa Mailhiot
due to the high injury rate by pulling and running rods at oil well sites, Melissa Mailhiot created this double-jawed, air impact wrench with safety and ergonomics in mind. besides ergonomic handle and safety door, it features secondary handle to help support tool weight, 2-finger trigger to reduce impact resulted from the repetitive strain of trigger finger.

EZone: Heart rate zone indicator for competitive cyclists - Paul Falcon
it's difficult to monitor and process numeric heart rate data while cycling, especially at higher speeds and training intensities. Paul Falcon's EZone simplifies the data processing and improves the riding safety. it uses a combination of visual and non-visual methods to alert the rider instead of complicated data. Another notable feature is that the location of the EZone unit on the glove is clearly visible from all 3 major handlebar gripping positions.

Water Well: making the invisible visible - Pauline Cheng
water usage in Canada is double that of Europeans. Pauline Cheng introduces Water Well to help cut down wasting water unknowingly. once the water tracking indicators installed in kitchens/bathrooms, the water meters transmit water consumption info to the indicators and the users' online accounts. users can visually monitoring water usage, compare their usage with general population's usage, and find out how much money they save.

Shelter - S. Lee Price
to reduce that number of outdoor equipment for people to carry, S. Lee Price created the 'Shelter.' it is a wearable temporary shelter for travelers or emergencies. it's inexpensive and easy to use. it's great for ultra-light travelers. with Shelter, they no longer need to carry sleeping bag, tent and rainwear.

ModalSync: Bicycles And Buses - A symbiosis of systems - Scott Staniland
currently, many cyclists in Greater Vancouver are unable to board the bus due to the occupied racks which only allows 2 bikes. Scott Staniland designs a system that increases the bicycle-carrying capacity of buses while enhancing the ease with which bicycles are loaded and unloaded. this system can encourage people to bike more and use public transits more.

Pila: Landscape Elements - Shora Parvavesh + Krystal Winstanley
Shora Parvavesh and Krystal Winstanley's goal is to find higher value uses, other than pulp chips, for small dimensional blue stained sapwood. they've created this landscaping modular system to utilize this fibre to its full potential. the system includes fence, screen, trellis, flowerbox, and bench. users can customize the landscaping system to better suit their own living space.

Orbit Network: Portable social network - Spencer Hung
should I say this is the coolest 'matchmaker?' Spencer Hung developed this portable social network that allows users to meet real people, in the real world, in real time. users set up the profile, broadcast their personalities to other users, and then the Orbits notify them if there's a match nearby. users can exchange profiles and take photos of each other. they can also join Orbits together to create a bigger screen.

Sofa Thesis - Teale Merkely
not many people know how to put together a sofa. Teale Merkely's Sofa Thesis makes it possible. when you receive your sofa in a box, you're 9 steps away to a sturdy, comfortable sofa. This is also ideal for people who move around a lot; it's just great you can put your sofa in a flat box and carry it out of your door like that without damaging the sofa and/or the walls.

___________________________________________________________

COMMUNICATION DESIGN

Lotus Land: A visual language for Vancouver - Christine Thornton + Daniela Wein
Christine Thornton and Daniela Wein see the opportunity that 2010 Winter Olympic Games will generate for Vancouver. they collected and created an inventory of images, drawings, and photos of Vancouver's culture, entertainment, food, landscape, and environment. they then apply these images on to T-shirts as T-shirts are often a form of expression and identity. with Vancouverites wearing them and tourists buying them, these images can create a new sense of pride for the city.

Bella - Morii Tablate
eating disorder among young kids is becoming a serious problem. Morii Tablate addresses the importance to teach pre-teens how to appreciate their own beauty. this project helps them to establish healthy eating habits and feel great about themselves, and to broaden their perspective of beauty.

First Aid Kit for Large Breed Dogs - Vivian Lee
many dog owners don't have first aid knowledge when accidents happen to their dogs. Vivian Lee created this user-friendly kit to guide dog owner through the first aid procedures.

___________________________________________________________

VISUAL ARTS & GENERAL FINE ARTS



Unseen & Overlooked by Brandon David Schuster






a corner of the exhibition of Visual Art Department
(L) Opus TwentytwoFour
by Heekyung Im
(B) Dragon Boat Diaspora
by Sean Ford Cannon
(R) The Philip Rawson Collection
by Melissa Hume



Chimaera - Kiae So
Kiae So attempts to create hidden illusionary images from the wallpaper pattern. this work encourages the viewers to develop their own imagination. i connect to this piece right away because i do that a lot, especially with wallpaper making a comeback in design world.

Me & Jordy - Sara E. Armstrong
Sara E. Armstrong uses partial images of the two people's faces to create this pattern.