By ANEEKA SIMONIS
A PAKENHAM student making headway in the state’s creative scene will exhibit his unique engineered art form at a highly esteemed exhibition at Melbourne Museum.
James Howell, who finished his secondary studies at Beaconhills College last year, has been handpicked to showcase his stringless laser harp design at Top Designs 2015 exhibition from late May.
The former systems engineering and design student said he was thrilled to hear his design would be showcased at the exhibit reserved for the best VCE works from across the state.
“Having always had a passion for music, I wanted to create something that could incorporate both electronic and musical elements, deciding to make an electronic instrument of some form,” James said.
“There are eight lasers which shine onto eight different sensors. When I break the sensor light path, it sends a message to my laptop which plays music through garageband.”
Museum Victoria CEO Dr Patrick Greene said just over 100 student exhibitions were handpicked for the long-running exhibition which is in its 15th year.
“The exhibition represents an amazing opportunity for students to exhibit their work in the museum and for visitors to get a look at the future of design in Australia,” he said.
James said designing his masterpiece made for a real learning curve.
“I had great difficulty researching, learning about and incorporating Arduino and MIDI protocol together in order for the instrument to communicate with the computer and GarageBand” he explained.
“It took a lot of hard work but I am happy with it.”
Top Designs 2015 runs from 21 March to 12 July. Entry costs adult $12, concession free.
