Scroll Top

Three Alumni Represent Emily Carr University of Art + Design at Global Grad Show

Three Alumni Represent Ecu at Global Grad Show

Emily Carr University of Art + Design was represented at the 2017 Dubai Global Grad Show last month by three recent graduates: Dina Smallman (2017), Manda Roy (2016), and Callahan Tufts (2017). The Global Grad Show is an exhibition of innovation from the world’s leading design and technology schools. The 2017 Show invited 200 ground-breaking projects, from 92 universities in 43 countries, together in a single space and presented to the public by the designers themselves. Emily Carr University of Art + Design was the sole Canadian art and design university represented at the Show.

The trio of recent grads were selected to present projects after a competitive selection process. Their projects launched seamlessly onto this international stage and attracted considerable attention and interest.

About the Projects:

Dina Smallman –  Visual Communication

Visual Communication is a visual language system that enables a variety of non-verbal and non-signing users to communicate through an app. Using the images and graphics common in today’s mainstream society, such as emojis, Visual Communication creates a simple, accessible vocabulary. Users can customize the app with their family and friends, creating the flexibility for the more advanced functions of language such a metaphor. The Visual Communication system establishes meaningful connections between verbal and non-verbal communicators, reducing the barriers to conversation.

Manda Roy – Airwear

Airwear is a collection of garments designed to monitor the wearer’s breathing.

It uses technology embedded in clothing to monitor the patterns, depth and volume of breathing, together with the user’s heart rate. When combined with the Airwear smartphone app, users are able to align their daily breathing habits with general health. By moving beyond simple step-counting, Airwear educates and empowers users, helping them to understand the patterns between subconscious bodily functions and conscious health.

Callahan Tufts – Rescued Homes

The Rescued Homes Project is a strategy for a new recycling stream that funnels discarded building materials to fuel new housing construction.

Under this strategy, transfer stations and municipal landfills are used to rescue reusable materials, which are then transferred to a separate site to be categorized and used for the construction of prefabricated housing. These homes would be created with the knowledge of the materials that are in stock; as a result, each unit would end up being unique. Rescued Homes Project is a direct response to one of the fundamental contradictions of our time: cities around the world lack affordable housing while construction companies throw away perfectly good building materials on a daily basis.

This is not the first year Emily Carr University has made a splash at the Global Grad Show. In 2016, (now) alumnus Fabyan Blomme‘s Mountain Rim design was rated one of the top 10 game-changing designs of the [Global Grad Show] week in the New York Observer, 90+10, and Yatzer. The Global Grad Show is an opportunity for Designers to exchange ideas and interact with their global community. Emily Carr University is pleased to be able to participate in this fantastic event, and is delighted to be able to showcase the groundbreaking innovations of our graduates.

Previous Next
Close
Test Caption
Test Description goes like this