Issue 14 The magazine of The Glasgow School of Art FlOW ISSUE 14 Cover Image: Richard Wright. No Title (05.10.09) 2009. Gold leaf on wall. Dimensions variable. Installation view Turner Prize 2009, (winner), Tate Britain, London, 2010. Courtesy of The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow, Gagosian Gallery, London/New York, and BQ, Berlin. Photo Mike Bruce. >BRIEFING Top for Student Destinations The GSA has been ranked first We√come in Scotland for graduate employment and in the top Welcome to Issue 14 of Flow. In this edition we celebrate our past and our future, looking back at the 10 overall in the UK. centenary of the Mackintosh Building and what the future holds for the GSA campus of tomorrow. In the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) First We are delighted to report that Glasgow City Council has just given the green light to our plans for Destination statistics for a new building opposite the Mackintosh Building. We believe the plans for the new building address all the 2008/2009, the percentage of needs of a 21st-century art school and will create an inspiring environment in which to work, study and visit. GSA students leaving with first In Future GSA Rory Weller looks at these plans for the redevelopment of the campus and what promises to degrees from full-time courses be a new and groundbreaking chapter in the history of the School. was 96% with a response rate Of course at the heart of the campus, and considered in the approach to the new building, will remain of 80%. This places GSA first Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s masterwork, the Mackintosh Building. The School celebrated the centenary of out of a total 18 institutions in the Building with a year of events starting December 2009, including the Centenary exhibition and Ray Scotland and joint 6th out of Mackenzie’s accompanying book – The Flower and The Green Leaf – extracts of which are contained herein, 157 UK institutions. that reflected on the work and experiences of the staff and students who studied and worked here when the Director Seona Reid, said: “GSA graduates are highly building was completed in December 1909. creative so it is not surprising And from our Mackintosh heritage to the students of today – our newest graduates are proving to that they are able to make the be as successful as their predecessors such as the cover artist 2009’s Turner Prize winner Richard Wright. successful transition from Destination statistics from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) now rank the School as one of higher education to the best in the UK for graduate employment. Despite the difficult current economic climate this does not employment. They tend to look surprise me – our graduates are and always have been highly enterprising, creating their own opportunities, beyond traditional graduate thinking very much ‘outside the box’ and utilising professional networks developed over their time here at sector opportunities and, the GSA. In this Issue’s Making Waves we take a look at just some of the enterprising ways in which our new because they are also very entrepreneurial, they are able blood are making their mark on the world. to create their own opportunities, building their Professor Seona Reid CBE, Director careers around their practice and the extensive professional networks developed during their Contents ∂ ONLINE time at the GSA.” Welcome 2 Just a reminder that the School has a presence on various social media and websites that will keep you up to date with news, New Chairman Making Waves 3 successes and events day to day. These channels will be integrated Flow is pleased to announce the appointment of Philip Rodney, GS≤A News 6 and linked to the new GSA website, due to be launched during the next academic year over the next few months. Partner and Chairman of Future GS≤A 7 Burness Solicitors, as the new YouTube Chairman of the Board of Art is the Flower… 10 Video and film available free to view from a range of GSA Governors. He succeeds leading GS≤A News 12 activities. Subscribe here: international businessman www.youtube.com/glasgowschoolofart Alumni News 13 Professor Nick Kuenssberg OBE, Facebook who stood down as Chairman Development, Donors & Sponsors 15 Keep in touch with friends and the School’s goings-on: in June 2010 after nine years. Mackintosh 100 16 www.facebook.com/glasgowschoolofart Philip is one of Scotland’s leading lawyers. Specialising in Twitter media and entertainment law, Come tweet with us at: www.twitter.com/gsofa product liability and dispute Flickr resolution, he brings a wealth For downloadable images of the School, departments, artwork etc. of knowledge, experience and www.flickr.com/glasgowschoolart networks in a number of fields of strategic importance to both New Estate the GSA and the creative Published by: Our new urban campus will form a consolidated, cohesive and industries sector. The Glasgow School of Art, 167 Renfrew Street, identifiable presence on Renfrew Street centred around the Glasgow, United Kingdom G3 6RQ Mackintosh Building. Work is planned to start after the end of Students Stick With the GSA Telephone: +44 (0)141 353 4500 Academic Year 2010/11. Figures released by the Higher www.gsa.ac.uk www.gsa.ac.uk/campusredevelopment Education Statistics agency Edited by: Kirsty L Barr and Scott Parsons have ranked the GSA top in Copywriting: Kirsty L Barr GSA Hub Scotland for student retention Design and production: Marque GSA Hub is a social network for the GSA’s wider community of for the second year in Printed on: 90gms Tauro students, staff and alumni. It is a two-way conversation between succession. Our drop out rate of © The Glasgow School of Art, 2011 you and other members of this community, where you can keep 3.3% is significantly lower than An electronic version of this publication is available at up to date with events at GSA and beyond, and also; promote the Scottish average of 9.3% www.gsa.ac.uk/flow exhibitions or performances, find collaborators, create interest and UK average of 7.9%. Our If you require a copy in an alternative format please contact the groups, travel to other dimensions, keep in touch with fellow position places us in the top Marketing & Communications Office on: +44 (0)141 353 4710 alumni, start discussions and more. Joining up is more simple 10 of UK institutions along with or at [email protected] than online banking or buying a book from amazon, just go to: Oxford, Cambridge universities, Charity Registration Number: SC012490 http//:gsahub.ning.com the Royal College and Royal Academy of Music. 2 WELCOME ISSUE 14 FlOW 1 Ruth and Leah Black, silversmith and jeweller. Making waves HAVING SUCCESSFULLY CELEBRATED THE CENTENARY OF THE MACKINTOSH BUILDING, THOUGHTS TURN TO WHAT THE FUTURE WILL BRING FOR GSA ALUMNI. FLOW TALKED TO TOMORROW’S ENTERPRISING NEW BLOOD WHO CHALLENGE THE LIMITATIONS OF THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CLIMATE AND HAVE FOUND NEW AND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO MAKE THEIR MARK. The GSA makes a huge contribution to the Leah Black, award-winning silversmith and jewellery cultural, social and economic life of Scotland designer behind family collaborative and ‘pop-up’ shop and its national and international reputation. The Gin Palace. Black showed at Collect at the Saatchi Gallery in May 2010 and has just launched a new, The GSA contributes culturally: innovative custom jewellery website at > By helping to transform Glasgow from a www.strikeyourpose.co.uk post-industrial city to a vibrant cultural capital. > By establishing the reputation of Glasgow, How healthy is the Scottish art scene in this and Scotland in general, as a worldwide centre economic climate? for the visual arts. It is positively blooming! I actually feel that as we were starting up with The Gin Palace, and as I was setting up The GSA contributes socially: my jewellery business that this is a very exciting time for > By making sure that the GSA buildings, art/design/craft in Scotland, maybe it’s just because I am collections, summer schools, exhibitions and immersed in it right now, but I feel that the recession has classes are not only available to students given the creative industries a boost and those emerging and staff – but are also accessible to the from art schools are better at creating more opportunities public as a whole. for themselves rather than relying solely on those that > By encouraging students and staff to already exist. interact and work with the local community. > By educating generations of people to How did you come to form The Gin Palace? 1 understand and appreciate arts and culture. My sister Ruth and I had a dream of opening a design gallery in Scotland – she studied fashion design and we felt, years The GSA contributes economically: ago that there was a lack of places for designers to show and amazement!), a dramatic power cut, and a steadily busy > By helping to fuel the creative industries sell their work in Scotland. Once I graduated from GSA, we Saturday and Sunday, again with lots of sales, and interest in Scotland through its graduates and through sat down and discussed whether we thought it would work. in designers works from interior designers, architects and its research and innovation. At the beginning our end goal was to open a permanent buyers. We were ambitious and it was hard work but what > By developing graduates with highly-refined space, ‘A Design Hub’ encompassing a gallery, a shop and a we have found is that now people are approaching us with creative skills and abilities. GSA graduates don’t cafe bar.