The Center for Transformative Media at Parsons The New School for Design will enter an exclusive teaching/research/innovation collaboration with Strandberg Guitars in the spring of 2014.

Collab microsite: http://futureguitar.tumblr.com/

Taught by Ed Keller [Parsons faculty] working with Ola Strandberg [other Parsons/New School faculty TBA], this collaboration will explore the future of electric and amplified guitar sound. Expanded and modified guitar designs as well as electronic sensor, gesture systems and pickup systems will be prototyped and tested.  Strandberg will donate three instruments to the collaboration; prototype instruments and technology will be featured in concerts and workshops [dates TBA].

The ‘Radical Future of Guitar’ is a Parsons MFADT collab open to students across The New School [and also open as an independent study]. The project is organized by the Center for Transformative Media, and is sponsored by CTM, Strandberg Guitars, & Mannes College of Music with additional external sponsors TBA.

To support continuing innovation, all software and hardware designs will be released under a Creative Commons license.

At the conclusion of this collab, all 3 of the guitars will be auctioned in a benefit event, with the proceeds supporting scholarships. One guitar will be donated to Mannes College of Music; one to Jazz @ The New School; and one guitar will be gifted to an outside musician, TBA.

Special guest artist appearances will be announced as the spring approaches.