University News Last updated 20 May 2010
A metal robot made entirely of Nokia mobile phones was just one of the innovative designs created by a group of Birmingham City University students as part of a project with leading mobile phone distributor 20:20.
The group of MA Interior Design students used more than 11,000 unused mobile phones in a week long project which saw them design and make six installations, each one made from a different brand of phone.
Course leader Paul Bailey explains: “The opportunity for students to work on a rapid, externally facing, commercial project with a leading company like 20:20 Mobile has provide the MA students invaluable experience in harnessing their creative, managerial, and practical skills. The level of creativity in each piece shows the ingenuity of the cohort in connecting the ideals of re-using unusual discarded materials – such as dummy mobile phone handsets, and generating a series of unique spatial pieces which works with the 20:20 Mobile brand.”
21 year old Jay Hickman from Stourbridge was one of the 26 students involved in the project. He said: “ Working with 20:20 on the project was very rewarding, both in terms of working with a real client and the creative freedom allowed by the client in the process. The process from start to finish allowed us to design a piece which truly reflected our own take on the topic.”
Each of the six designs is currently installed across 20:20’s offices throughout the country. For more information on Birmingham City University and the MA Interior Design course please log on to
ENDS