For me designing the MK Low Whistle was a solitary affair: days, weeks, months and then years of slowly refining a process. When I did eventually start work on the Toob, MK’s chromatic whistle, I was working in exactly the same way that I always had been – on my own. It was while I was staring at the computer, racking my brain (and probably cursing a fair bit!) trying to get to the bottom of one design issue or another, that Brian stuck his head over my shoulder and started asking questions about what I was up to. By chance, he’d been working with the company 4C Design, who work along side me at the Design Hub in Glasgow. I was immediately impressed by how quickly he grasped the problems I was grappling with. Over coming months I was to learn of his unique mix of talents for Art, Maths, Music, Science and Design. Almost similtaneously he was working on projects in Architectural science – solving complex 3D on cutting edge architectural design in the Middle East and beyond, in music – coming up with a new musical notation, illustrating a slew of design ideas for various people, while at the same time taking time out to Dance (Tango) and play the fiddle at Glasgow’s Fiddle workshop. It was immediately obvious to me what Brian could bring to the Toob project through his appreciations and talents.
While we still have a long way to go in terms in developing collaborative working methods between ourselves and the music community, I feel we could be on to something with a huge amount of potential in years to come.