Ben Q FP785 Monitor: Turning Your LCD Into A Work Of Art

Fashion designer Roberto Cavalli took some time off from dressing Shakira and the Spice Girls to design Ben Q’s FP785 Monitor. However, it should be noted that the actual art work appearing on the monitor belongs to Giuseppe Castiglione[1688-1766] an Italian designer who often fused Chinese art into his creations. The result of all this is an absolutely fabulous LCD monitor that was appropriately displayed beside other Castiglione paintings at this years KES.
The FP785 is 17″ with a 1280 x 1024 resolution. A response time of 6ms. Two built in 2W SRS speakers and D-Sub/DVI dual inputs. There will be two differnt designs available for the monitor. The production is limited to 1,300 units of each design and every monitor will come with a special mouse pad and certificate of authenticity. There is no word on the price yet, but it wont be cheap.

Although Ben Q’s FP785 is a very limited edition it represents the slow shift occurring in electronics design. A few years ago the design of any consumer electronic usually had to do with its shape and color. Increasingly artists are being brought in to collaborate on the design process. Many of these projects remain exclusively available to wealthy consumers but the idea is steadily becoming mainstream. In North America it is still limited to a few colour changes and celebrity promotion as is the case with the U2 iPod and Pink’s PSP. The Korean market has recently seen the entrance of more elaborate artist collaboration on electronics, including the Samsung MZ60 PC and Andre Kim’s line of LG appliances. With the success of these early ventures collaboration projects on electronics designs will only become more common.