Postgraduate degree show opens

A skateboard made from grass, work inspired by Glasgow indie band Belle and Sebastian, and a lounger that encourages older people to snuggle up are highlights of a major art and design show. The annual Edinburgh College of Art Postgraduate Degree Show showcases the work of more than 50 graduating artists working in a range of disciplines including contemporary art, architecture, jewellery, interior design, costume, animation and illustration. Previous degree shows have launched the careers of Turner Prize and Bafta winners. Grass skateboards and tandem rockers. Design students have created an anti-consumerist board game, a bespoke prosthesis for amputees, and a bedtime toy that uses light, touch, sound and scents to help insomnia sufferers. Other highlights include Barry Liston's environmentally friendly Grasshopper skateboard. Ninety-five per cent of skateboards made in the US made from maple wood, which in 2008 overtook furniture as the main contributor to deforestation of maple trees, but Liston's board is made from renewable materials such as bamboo and hemp, both classified as types of grass.