1 June 2010

Big opportunity for student - Degree Show 2010 success

Graduating Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design student Lee Murray will today head off to London to take up a position with one of the world's most famous companies - just days after the 2010 Degree Show came to an end.

Lee Murray (21), originally from Elgin, secured a much sought after four-month internship with Nokia before his Product Design course even came to an end. He was invited to apply for the position on the strength of his final year project, a public access CCTV system that raises questions about the 'Big Brother' state.

'The Observer' has proved a massive hit during the 2010 Dundee Degree Show. Around 10,000 visitors descended on DJCAD, part of the University of Dundee, to check out exhibits from more than 250 graduating students during the Show’s 10-day run. It is estimated the event boosted the local economy by almost £1.5million.

DJCAD is renowned for producing some of Scotland’s finest emerging art and design talents, including 2010 Turner Prize nominee Susan Philipsz. As such, gallery owners, representatives of design companies, and talent scouts from arts organisations and agencies are among those who attend the Degree Show, and other events at the College, each year.

Even in uncertain economic times, this has led to offers of jobs, placements and internships for many, while others have been invited to exhibit at prestigious shows across the UK. Others still have elected for further study or to earn a living by using their talents in other ways.

Lee says the Nokia offer represented a fantastic opportunity, especially as it came so soon after he finished his course.

'Whilst there's no guarantee of a job at the end of it, that would be the ideal,' he explained. 'It’s just exciting to have this opportunity so quickly after finishing though. I'll be looking to build up my contacts and do a bit of networking. It'll be great experience and a lot of fun I’m sure.

'I'll be working somewhere called the Hack Lab, where we’ll be testing and prototyping products, and working with new technology to see what its limits are. This came about after a guy from Nokia came here to give a talk and see some of our work.

'He had a go at my prototype and told me to send in a CV and portfolio, I did that and about three hours later they got in touch to see if I would be interested in doing a phone interview for an intern position, which I ended up getting.'

Lee's project is designed to stimulate debate about the increasing use of CCTV in the UK and whether it is an effective means of cutting crime, or an unacceptable breach of civil liberties. It allows members of the public to see what cameras are recording.

The product explores the potential social effects that could arise if all CCTV cameras were monitored by the public. Would people become vigilantes if they saw a crime being committed, would they watch it just for fun, or would they alert the police if there was a cash prize?

Taking inspiration from door peepholes, an everyday spying tool, Lee amplified the idea to be used for a nationwide system of surveillance.

Using web camera and internet technology to bring the concept to life, Lee hoped that ultimately the entire system would be connected to the nations extensive network of CCTV cameras although privacy restrictions make this unlikely. Constructed from sheet steel and aluminium, The Observer's design has been inspired from books and films such as Brave New World, 1984 and Brazil.

'The idea behind a public access CCTV system is that anyone can see what the cameras are seeing as they’re recording us anyway,' said Lee. 'These would mostly be local, but cameras from anywhere in the world could be accessed.

'During the course of my research, I spoke to the Police and they said there was virtually no chance of being allowed to pick up to a real camera network as there is a huge amount of legislation and red tape they have to deal with, which make public observation unfeasible.

'The prototype picks up publically accessible webcams from all over the world and is more of a discussion piece to spark debate about CCTV as there are three million Government cameras and another one million private cameras in this country.

'We really are the most watched nation on earth, but it seems like we've just got used to it. There are still questions about privacy that need to be answered though, and these will continue to grow as the CCTV network continues to spread. I'm interested in where we go next. Is there something CCTV can be used for other than just trying to prevent crime?'

Professor Tracy Mackenna, Acting Dean at DJCAD, paid tribute to Lee, and all other students who exhibited this year.

'This year's Degree Show has been an enormous success, and is a celebration of our students’ talents and achievements,' she said. 'It demonstrates their readiness to take up all kinds of creative opportunities so that their insights will be communicated to others.

'DJCAD prides itself on its unique links with industry and other partners, aiming to enrich people’s lives through the values of art and design. Our graduates are world-class artists and designers who occupy prominent positions in the creative industries around the world.'

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