It's Degree Show Time Again!

Come one come all, if you're in Dundee it's free!

My work will be at the Dalhousie building as of Friday! But Assessments tomorrow so keep your fingers crossed!

Good Luck to all the Masters students! x

Orbital...

Orbital use their trademark torch glasses (which you can buy at your local hardware store) during their live performances to help them see what they're doing.

"They're born from necessity but have become what they've become...we customised them ourslves cos the originals kept breaking" (Orbital Interview)

Reset...

I'm not a big traveller - my friends are often shocked to hear that not only have I not been out of the UK, but I also don't own a passport...shock horror! This isn't because I don't want to gho abroad or that I'm scared of flying or a growing carbon footprint. It's more that as a kid I was in a family of 5 and holidays abroad are expensive and when I go to the wonderful places around the world, I want to go somewhere special, when it can be special and not a moonlight flit where you come home more exhausted than when you left. Is it any wonder people always say they need a holiday to get over the holiday?

Anyway, researchers in Australian have been developing a set of glasses to help combat the trouble that more frequent flyings that I have with jetlag and other people have with insomnia by re-calibrating our biological clock with LED lights. By beaming light directly into the eye of the wearer the battery powered glasses helps to reset the body clock or circadian rhythm which is our bodies response to the sun, moon and seasonal changes which is what makes us wake up and become alert in the morning and feel sleepy at night.

They have also been used in the treatment of S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) which normally involves the use of a light box or lamp which the sufferer sits in front of with their eyes open - though not staring directly at the light - for a prescribed period. The glasses allow the user to stop being inhibited by the stationary nature of the light box and the ability to

Re-Time glasses are still in development for commercial use by Flinders Meditech and I just thought that the use of LEDs was really interesting. For more information on the use of light for resetting the body clock see Flinders University: School of Psychology who did extensive research into their use.

Ridiculous...

Possibly the most ridiculous glasses related invention I've ever seen and this is coming from someone who hates having her picture taken.

Style...

I love this graphic, I don't even know where I found it which is a little unfortunate as I can't cite it, however it does point out something (using specs) which I've been looking at in my research, the idea that styles come, go and sometimes come back with a loud groan until it comes to become the norm. What I currently find scary is that at 24 the fashions that I remember from the 90's are back. For example: leggings!

How do I look?

I've decided to try and get anyone who comes into my space to try on the glasses I've made and let me take a photo. Why? Well, look how different everyones style is. 

A'N'D

These are possibly the silliest and weirdest design for eye wear I've seen over the entire length of my product research this year.

Designed by Azumi & David (A'N'D), fashion graduates from Central Saint Martins, the couple have designed an extensive range of packing tape 'things to wear' (preferring this term to fashion accessories) including watches, bracelets, belts, ties and the above glasses. The proviso with these products being that you avoid direct contact with the skin. 

A funny little twist, but who's never put pieces of sellotape on their skin over the years just to see the pattern that comes off your skin or to torture a sibling? 

Among their other designs they sell necklaces which stamp watches and repetitive jewellery patterns on the skin, which is reminiscent of Tiffany Parbs 'Rash Stamps' and necklaces which use enlarged clasps as the focal point, in a similar styles as jewellery Laura Potter, who uses enlarged catches and earring backs (butterflies) to create her contemporary jewellery.

Despite their proviso and the serious doubt that these products actually give any sun protection in the slightest, I actually really love the concept of a lot of their designs. I admit to not liking a lot of conceptual jewellery, I'm really quite traditional - or possibly just overly safe - however, A'N'D's quirky style has actually begun to grow on me and the more I look into their other designs, the more I think this sort of product could fit into the consumerist, throw-away culture that exists.

Stick on...peel of...throw away...or...print on...wash off...

http://www.azumianddavid.com/