Design Lecturer wins Innovation Award

London Met Senior Lecturer in Design, Marianne Forrest, has won silver in the category ‘Exceptional Creative Items Award’ during last night’s British Female Inventors and Innovators Network (BFIIN) Award gala evening, held at Café Royal in the West End.

Marianne was nominated for her work in progress called Transformations: A Way of Thinking, which is a series of timepieces created from resurrected refuse. The pieces are made of waste materials such as paper, plastics, wood, textiles and even left over food.

According to Marianne, her timepieces are a way of expressing the challenge of recycling without comprising the need for aesthetic and cultural activity.

‘The concept explores ideas of ordinariness and expendability, transforming materials into objects that question their origins and defies identification. The knowledge of the principle promotes thought and challenges perception,’ Marianne said.

‘There are exhibitions planned and a series of workshops within the community intended to highlight the possibilities for the process building awareness of the potential in this creative and cultural activity.

London Metropolitan University is a principal partner of the British Female Inventors and Innovators Network. The closing remarks of the evening, which also included a fashion parade, were given by the University’s Secretary, John McParland, who outlined the importance of organisations like BFIIN in helping women entrepreneurs, innovators and inventors contribute to economic and social growth.

‘London Met and BFIIN share common values and objectives based on opportunity and participation by those who have traditionally not been encouraged, or actively discouraged, from taking part in this area. The purpose of all of this being real personal achievement and social transformation,’ John said.

The BFIIN Awards, which were established nine years ago by the Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network (GWIIN), are annual prizes which recognise and promote creative, inventive and innovative products and ideas by UK women. The awards ceremony marked the end of a day that included showcasing inventions and a roundtable forum.

They featured 10 categories in total, including Best Business Idea, The Environment Award, and the main award Female Inventor of the Year 2007.

Founder Bola Olabisi, who has since launched the competition in Asia, Africa, Latin America and, most recently, Europe, said that the Awards were the most extensive platform for the recognition of women’s ideas and that the UK event was moving from strength to strength.

Speaking at the event, Bola said: ‘It was impossible for me to be a judge on the panel as every contribution was wonderful; every one will provide a better quality of life for people in the future.’

GWIIN is a global network that aims to increase the number of innovative women embracing enterprise. The organisation works with Government departments, leading industry experts, voluntary organisations, enterprises and educational institutions. Its goal is to find effective ways of bringing support, assistance, tools, advice and information to assist women in achieving significant growth in their businesses.

25 April 2007

Communications and PR Office