Issue 10 The magazine of The Glasgow School of Art FlOW ISSUE 10 Cover Image: There will be no miracles here, installation view at Mount Stuart. Nathan Coley Photo:Kenneth Hunter >BRIEFING Hot 50 We√come Design Week magazine has put the GSA into its HOT 50 honours list of people and Welcome to Issue 10 of Flow. organisations that have made a significant contribution Nathan Coley’s work, pictured on the front of this issue of Flow, makes a bold declaration – There to design. will be no miracles here. However, the word miracle is derived from the Latin word miraculum The magazine describes the GSA as a leader in the meaning ‘something wonderful’ and had we commissioned Nathan to produce a similar piece of field of design education and work for the School, he could have boldly declared There are miracles here – there is ‘something commends the School for wonderful’ here. engaging in ‘socially relevant design rather that just creating We try to share the ‘something wonderful’ that is The Glasgow School of Art in every issue of Flow a product’. and this issue is no different, sharing with you the successes and achievements of our students, SIE Success for Red Button alumni and staff, but also some of the challenges that the School is facing and the creative ways For the fourth year in succession, in which we are addressing them. This issue looks at scholarships and the co-curriculum.Through GSA students have won prizes our responses to these challenges, we are not only building on our tradition of access, but are in the Scottish Institute continuing to produce graduates who are professionally orientated and socially engaged. for Enterprise National Undergraduate Business As you read this issue, think about the wonderful, think about the School and think about how Plan Competition. Third year Product Design you can be part of something wonderful at The Glasgow School of Art. Engineering students, James Brown and Nicky Pang – and STOP PRESS! Glasgow University’s Amanda TURNER PRIZE NOMINATION Young – from Red Button Design, Environmental Art graduate, Nathan Coley (1989), has been nominated for the 2007 Turner Prize won the first prize of £16,000 for for his solo exhibition at Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute (cover), the public installation, Camouflage an innovative Reverse Osmosis Church, at Spain’s Santiago de Compostela and his contribution to a group exhibition at the Sanitation System (ROSS). ROSS is a water sanitation, Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade.The winner will be announced on 3 December 2007. transport and storage device specifically tailored to suit the SCOTTISH DESIGN AWARDS demands of poverty stricken Congratulations to GSA graduates Gareth Hoskins, Robin Lee,Alan Dunlop, Craig Wilson, Lynn developing countries and enables Devine, Janice Kirkpatrick and Ross Hunter of Graven Images, and Emlyn Firth and Stuart Gilmour individuals to collect water and of Stand, who all walked away with awards on the night. sanitise it for drinking or bathing. This is the second year in succession that GSA students have won first prize and the CONTENTS PAGE fourth in a row that GSA students have been placed Welcome 2 in the top three. Making Waves 3 OBE for architecture GS≤A News 6 professor Egalitarian Education for the Talent of Tomorrow 7 Professor Colin Porteous, Senior Researcher in the Mackintosh Tackling the Vocational Vacuum 10 School of Architecture, has been GS≤A News 12 awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours list. Colin was Alumni News 13 honoured for his services to Donors and Sponsors 15 architecture. Events 16 Olympic Medals Unveiled The 2008 Olympic Medals have been unveiled by their designer, Published by: The Glasgow School of Art, 167 Renfrew Street, Professor Xiao Yong, of partner Glasgow, United Kingdom G3 6RQ institution The Central Academy Telephone: +44 (0)141 353 4500 of Fine Arts in Beijing – with www.gsa.ac.uk which the GSA operates a joint Edited by:Wry Poetic and Liz Breckenridge international programme. Copywriting:Wry Poetic Made of gold and jade, the Design: Third Eye Design medals symbolise nobility and Print: Beith Printing virtue, and represent traditional Printed on: 90gms Tauro Chinese values of ethics and © The Glasgow School of Art, 2007 honour. Noble and elegant, the An electronic version of this publication is available at www.gsa.ac.uk medals are a blend of traditional If you require a copy in an alternative format please contact the Chinese culture and Greek Marketing & Development Office on: +44 (0)141 353 4710 or at [email protected] Olympism. 2 WELCOME ISSUE 10 FlOW 1 Hotel Ross Watkins 2 Ross Watkins Making waves A GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART EDUCATION INFORMS ITS STUDENTS WITH A UNIQUE LEARNING EXPERIENCE. FLOW CAUGHT UP WITH FIVE GRADUATES WHO HAD THE CHANCE TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL WITH THE SUPPORT OF A SCHOLARSHIP. The GSA makes a huge contribution to the cultural, social and economic life of Scotland and its national and international reputation. The GSA contributes culturally: > By helping to transform Glasgow from a post-industrial city to a vibrant cultural capital. > By establishing the reputation of Glasgow, and Scotland in general, as a worldwide centre for the visual arts. The GSA contributes socially: > By making sure that the GSA buildings, collections, summer schools, exhibitions and classes are not only available to students and staff – but are also accessible to the public as a whole. > By encouraging students and staff to interact and work with the local community. > By educating generations of people to understand and appreciate arts and culture. The GSA contributes economically: 1 2 > By helping to fuel the creative industries Name: Ross Watkins What difference has being awarding a scholarship in Scotland through its graduates and through Programme: Textiles (2003), made to you? its research and innovation. 3D Motion Graphics (2005) The scholarship paid my entire postgraduate fee – without it > By developing graduates with highly-refined Current role: Edit Assistant at IWC Media I couldn’t have even come close to raising the funds to study creative skills and abilities. GSA graduates don’t Scholarship: GSA Postgraduate Bursary the course I wanted.The course was £3900 per year for two only become artists, designers and architects they years. I was awarded £5000 per year so it also gave me a also become successful business professionals, What’s your favourite part of your current role? chunk of money each year for subsistence. My job was set out community leaders, civil servants, teachers and My job revolves around supporting TV editors and directors for a graduate in a course in moving image production. Being government ministers. at the post-production stage. I enjoy having a hand in the on the postgraduate course is the number one reason I got programme-making process as it all comes together.When this job. The GSA contributes educationally: programmes come in we digitise the tapes into the Avid > Through research that influences world culture system. It’s an excellent job for learning and being thrown What advice would you give students receiving by generating new knowledge through creativity in the deep end, this job is definitely the best way to get in a scholarship? and conceptual thinking. to being an editor. Once you get the scholarship you should want to do it justice. > By maximising the benefits to both staff and You should be spurred on by the faith that others have shown students by making the most of potential links What do you think The Glasgow School of Art’s in your work. between teaching and research, ensuring the contribution is/has been to Glasgow and beyond? content of our programmes are continually The Art School has drafted hundreds of talented young updated and enhanced. people into the creative industries and of these people, > By developing new programmes at postgraduate most will remember things like school trips to the Open level which provide opportunities for progression Day or Degree Show as the moment they thought it was from undergraduate study, through postgraduate possible to consider making artwork for a living. I think the to doctoral study. role the Art School plays in the first place is to get them hooked on this idea early enough. What is your fondest memory of the GSA? The street parties are definitely right up there although it seemed to rain every year and still does.That, and a certain fellow textiles student setting the fire alarm off trying to do an all-nighter in the print studio, much to the delight of the janitors at the time. MAKING WAVES 3 FlOW ISSUE 10 3 Remember Karla Black 4 Karla Black 5 El Campillo,Ronda Charlie Jamieson 6 Charlie Jamieson 4 3 56 Name: Karla Black Name: Charlie Jamieson Programme: BA(Hons) Fine Art - Sculpture (1999), Programme: DA Sculpture (1974), MFA (TCU, 1976) MPhil Art In Organisational Contexts Current role: Painter, Photographer,Actor (Still 2000, MFA 2004 Game,Blake’s 7), President of Paisley Current role: Artist Art Institute and Chairman/ Scholarship: West of Scotland Postgraduate co-founder of the Aspect Prize Scholarship, Hope Scott Trust Scholarship: Haldane Scholarship Scholarship, Robertson Trust Scholarship. What is your favourite part of your current role? What’s your favourite part of your current role? What is your fondest memory of the GSA? Just being able to concentrate fully on making work in My main thrust is painting, I just can’t paint enough. Half The early 70s were a riot, compared to today it was a very my studio and on-site in galleries for exhibitions. It feels a year ago I wasn’t selling anything so I had this backlog non-PC world which made it very amusing.