Up Front 07/05

With no ‘Dorset Art Weeks’ this year, artists around the Bridport area are gearing up for ‘Bridport Open Studios’ at the end of August. There is no shortage of talent in the area and many have learnt their trade at Art College. Probably the most prestigious of these, London’s Royal College of Art (RCA), has been running their degree show since May. Although not always associated with ground-breaking technological advances, RCA design students have much to their credit. This year graduating students have designed and developed life saving equipment and medical apparatus that could potentially save thousands of lives each year. One innovation, however, has brought more than a few wry smiles. It is a urinal system that can help young men test themselves for Sexually Transmitted Diseases. The stigma of going to a STD clinic still persists and the increase of STDs in young people is rising. This urinal could be installed in pubs or clubs and is a confidential and private way of getting tested. The man would swipe his mobile phone along a scanner next to the urinal, this would register the phone’s number. The urine is passed into a chamber where a sample is collected and identified with the mobile phone number. Once the chamber is full, the samples are taken away by a laboratory to be tested – the person is then notified by a text message to say whether they are all clear or if they should seek medical advice. Be wary of anyone borrowing your phone in the pub.