The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) Degree Show 2025 opens to the public from 30th May to 8th June across the GSA Glasgow Campus in Garnethill. The GSA’s Master of Fine Art Degree Show opens on 29 May to 8 June at The Glue Factory. The physical exhibition will be accompanied by an extensive digital showcase, which will be launched on 29th May.
Degree Show 2025 presents the next generation of creative graduates in what is Glasgow’s largest public visual arts exhibition, with over 840 students from across the GSA’s four schools—Fine Art, Design, Architecture and Innovation and Technology—exhibiting new work that addresses the contemporary challenges they will encounter as they embark on their creative careers. These challenges encompass a range of topics, including artificial intelligence and web3, identity and representation, climate emergency, and health and well-being.
The show not only celebrates the accomplishments of the graduates but also underscores the significance of creativity and innovation in addressing contemporary societal issues. From product design engineering, interaction design and architecture to painting and printmaking, the diverse range of work and projects on display showcases the students’ ability to address intricate challenges and push boundaries across disciplines.
“We are delighted to be welcoming the city into The Glasgow School of Art to experience the inspiring and dynamic work created by our graduating students,” says Professor Penny Macbeth, Director and Principal of The Glasgow School of Art.
“Degree Show showcases the innovative and explorative use of digital technology alongside analogue, craft, and the hybrid, playful spaces between. Across all disciplines, students are addressing societal issues and actively demonstrating the value of creative education and the importance of creative people in setting the pace, asking challenging questions, and offering positive solutions.
“One of the highlights of the academic year and the city’s cultural calendar, Degree Show transforms our campus into one of Glasgow’s largest exhibition spaces, reinforcing the central role the GSA plays in Glasgow’s creative supercluster, not only a place to view and engage with creative output but where work is developed and produced at scale. Together with the many graduates who stay in the city and our cultural and creative partners and businesses, this ensures Glasgow continues to be one of Europe’s leading centres for contemporary art and the creative industries.”
A Visual Agency’s Emlyn Firth (Visual Communication, 2000) worked with Edwin Pickstone in the GSA Caseroom in this, its 60th year, for a very special collaboration to design and print the branding for Degree Show 2025. The Caseroom is The Glasgow School of Art’s specialised printing and typesetting facility and is part of the School of Design. The Caseroom was established in 1964 by staff supported by Douglas Percy Bliss, director of The Glasgow School of Art from 1946 to 1964. The Caseroom was an integral part of Bliss’ vision for the GSA and has not only become a key resource for students and the wider Glasgow arts community, but also an important centre of printing and typesetting knowledge across the UK.
Medium, Method and Material: A strong focus on making, process, and material knowledge as a way of storytelling and connection.
Fashion Design student Tarika Kinney’s graduate collection Progeny celebrates the matriarchal lineage shaping the designer’s identity. It weaves memory, movement, and modernity, focusing on craftsmanship and the intimate relationship between garment and wearer. Each piece is made from deadstock materials, prioritising sustainability and embracing heritage while innovative techniques like heat pressing and knitting methods invite a deep connection with the garments, challenging fast fashion and promoting mindful design. Esme Lawton explores the intersection of sacred and secular through collections rooted in personal and cultural memory. Inspired by her grandmother’s heirlooms, Esme embeds familial narratives while emphasising sustainability. Particularly, the project reimagines Catholic dress, crafting multifunctional headdresses and accessories that marry historical influences with modern interpretations.
Painting & Printmaking student Mary Lydon’s vertical triptych of works symbolising death, life, and rebirth resulted from a year devoted to experimentation with symbols and traditional motifs. The works reflect the artist’s overlapping experiences of both personal and cultural trauma, blending traditional weaving techniques with contemporary issues. They embody her Ukrainian heritage, weaving grief and memory (one of the pieces is dedicated to a friend who passed during the works’ creation) into a complex narrative. MDes Communication Design student
Upasana Chadha’s project sheds light on the environmental crisis of ghost nets from industrial fishing, which kill 300,000 marine mammals annually. Her 100-page publication uses a mono-printed fruit net texture to symbolise the issue – an everyday object reimagined as the ghost nets that haunt the oceans – promoting empathy for whales and reflecting on how we might live in harmony with the oceans that sustain us.
Textile Design student Hannah Teale’s project Wild Adornment: Textile Tales of the Animal Kingdom reimagines animals through a playful lens, celebrating the connection between decorative design and nature. Inspired by the colours, patterns, and textures of interiors at Holmwood House and The Jackfield Tile Museum, Hannah has created a visual archive of motifs from Natural History exhibits at The National Museum of Scotland and Kelvingrove Art Gallery. These influences are expressed through characterful drawings translated into embroidered textiles using various techniques and processes. Each piece boasts bold patterns and curated colours, perfect for maximalist interiors and commercial spaces where design makes a statement, whilst prioritising slow design and responsible materials for longevity. MSA year 4 student Ethan Philips’s project Ghost Elements of Glasgow explores the interplay between traditional historic facades and modern design elements, focusing on repair and reconstruction, creating unique contrasts and unexpected spaces for museums and galleries. Building on existing traditions of architectural salvage and drawing inspiration from successful regenerative projects like Tate Modern and Battersea Power Station, the design emphasises the rich architectural dialogue between the past and present. However, it cautions against falling into pastiche for political or procedural reasons, advocating instead for a focus on preserving authentic elements from various architectural eras to enhance the project’s integrity and quality.
Sculpture and Environmental Art Student Maha Al Yousefi’s graduating project Openings in the Sanctuary of the Face – Oriental Voices examines the intricate relationship between identity and erosion, focusing on what is concealed versus what is revealed. The fragmented face embodies human memory, weathered by time, while an organic white structure resembles roots linking the internal and external. The openings symbolise traditional face coverings worn by women, transforming the veil into a vehicle for expression and self-definition. These layers evoke the sanctity of the female face, serving as a mirror of memory. The contrasting materials highlight the tension between fragility and resilience, inviting reflection on reconstructing identities from memories and the possibilities that emerge through openness.
Grief, Loss & Rebirth – Themes of mourning, personal loss, and regeneration finding expression across media.
Painting & Printmaking student Florence Maclennan’s work Tin Church (a tribute to her late father) is a multimedia installation designed to house diverse human experiences and serve as a sanctuary for the living and the dead. Incorporating mystical imagery, religious iconography, and classical architecture, it aims to create a liminal space that transcends conventional concepts of time. Inspired by Aboriginal notions of ‘The All-Together Time,’ the project seeks to communicate and understand grief and loss, using elements of religious experience to express Florence’s dedication to artmaking.
MSA Stage 5 student Emelie Christina Fraser’s thesis critiques the current architectural approach towards death through the lens of Porto, Portugal, noting a shift in societal attitudes, with over 57% of urban residents opting for cremation and euthanasia legalised. Despite these changes, death architecture remains largely segregated. Emilie’s thesis advocates for an integrated architectural response to mortality, questioning how design can support dying and reflect evolving perspectives on death. It proposes a spine wall to guide visitors and three-walled gardens for mourning and dignified death, promoting decay as a living process while embracing Porto’s wet climate for natural reclamation.
Sculpture & Environmental Art student Alexandra Smart’s multimedia installation aims to make sense of her fragmented and oftentimes confusing childhood. Alexandra explores the mythology and folktales of two homes, exploring her feelings of being neither Scottish nor Welsh, alongside my own family mythologies and archives— centred around a collection of teapots and embroidered tea towels related to her grandmother. Alexandra aims to immerse the viewer in her own daydreams, a world tinged with magic, grief, and nostalgia.
Political, Social, and Cultural Injustice – Works challenging systems of power, inequality, and societal norms:
Flod is a result of Fine Art Photography student Stina Aldén’s frustration with themselves, politics, their background, gender, and masculinity. This work stems in part from their ongoing project, Vegan Butcher. The recurring material, substance, and silver gelatin handprints are blood from their masculine upbringing and its interference with the artist’s current life. Flod is a gushing body of water trying to make sense of itself. BDes Sound for Moving Image student James Johnston’s project Epilepsy Through My Eyes aims to shed light on the often-misrepresented portrayal of epilepsy and seizures in film. Despite being a common neurological disorder, the condition is often stereotyped, leading to inaccurate representations. Through both this research and his own personal experiences with epilepsy, James has also created a short film that aims to convey an accurate depiction of a focal seizure, which is far more common in epilepsy than what films often depict as the experience of the condition.
Communication Design student Maya Chukwuma’s project Roots of Bias translates the lived experience of Afro hair into pattern and colour using simple vector motifs like braid paths and coil spirals. Layering and scaling these elements creates a rhythmic surface that balances intimacy and ceremony. Interlocking grids reflect the precision of cornrows, while sweeping curves represent the freedom of untamed coils, with negative space symbolising the scalp. The colour palette, inspired by cultural care, includes shea-brown and palm-oil ochre, suggesting the journey from tradition to self-expression. Maya’s tapestry illustrates Black hair’s evolution from regulation to reclamation, asserting that texture is heritage and adornment embodies power.
Product Design student Luke Aitken’s design project The Ethical Consumption Garden (ECG) imagines what spaces might have to exist to de-stigmatise and educate around drug usage but not encourage or romanticise it. The project imagines a future where the UK government legalises and regulates all drugs to protect the environment. This speculative design project proposes a facility that prioritises harm reduction, substance education, and features a community Opium Garden. Crafted from wood, fabric, and handmade materials, the ECG promotes a softer, more human environment, challenging conventional sterile spaces. It explores the notion of consumption as a natural behaviour, encouraging discussions on legalising drugs and their societal benefits. Sculpture and Environmental Art student Medeni Yanat has created kinetic shadow art that explores the interplay of light, darkness, and shadow, stemming from his own personal experiences with political trauma. Medeni’s project reflects a sceptical view of light-based truths, embracing a broader perspective through darkness. Influenced by his cultural background, Medeni incorporated motifs from the Whirling Dervishes ritual, using rotating display stands, light sources, and figures crafted from wire and paper mâché, enhanced by sound and scent. As a refugee in Glasgow, Medeni believes that embracing diversity, as exemplified by Sufism, is key to overcoming the ongoing conflicts in his homeland.
MDes Communication Design student Yueke Yin’s project Have a Seat at the Table explores gender through personal experiences of growing up in China. It highlights patriarchy’s impact on women’s lives and reclaims everyday stories as acts of resistance. Drawing from personal experiences as a Chinese woman, Yin focusses on three themes of representation: Relationship, Connection, and Gaze, with each critiquing traditional gender power structures. The project advocates for women’s empowerment and their fierce pursuit of a place at the table in society.
BSC Immersive Systems student Cole Hailstone’s research project, A’GENDA: A dress up game, explores modern ideas about gender and queer identity within video games. It looks at how digital avatars allow people to express their gender in different ways, contrasting two views on how games are designed. Cole wants to show how certain video games can promote queer identity and community support, unlike mainstream games that often support oppressive systems. To do this, Cole has created a “Dress-up Game” for a transgender and queer audience and will gather feedback on player experiences through a survey.
MSA Yr 4 student Calum Paterson’s thesis explores the relationship between film and the queer experience, particularly focusing on how spaces in the film All of Us Strangers reflect queer identities. By examining the film’s settings, Calum aim to highlight the everyday realities faced by queer individuals in society and how these experiences can influence architectural design. Today, many queer people still encounter challenges in accessing safe spaces, especially amidst the decline of queer venues. Through this research, Calum hope to raise awareness of the significance of personal narratives and the impact of the built environment on queer lives, illustrating the challenges faced by queer individuals in cis-heteronormative society. Interior Design student Jessie Orville’s project Shades, situated at 158 Argyle Street, redefines the beauty retail experience for mixed-heritage individuals, using inclusivity as its foundation. Shades creates a transformative environment where identity is celebrated rather than overlooked, shifting from a product-centric approach to a person-centred journey. Shades features personalised technology, on-site services with beauty advisors of shared heritage, and a tactile Swatch system, fostering community and education. This innovative space aims to empower customers by promoting confidence and identity discovery, while providing a prototype for a more inclusive beauty industry that embraces cultural storytelling and diversity.
Sustainability and Climate – Addressing the climate emergency, sustainability, and the natural world:
Iestyn Howorth, a BDes Product Design student, has created a prototype called Flok1 – The Wool Printer which transforms discarded sheep’s wool into 3D-printed forms. In Scotland, shearing sheep is more expensive than selling their wool, so it is considered a by-product of the meat industry. Flok1 challenges how materials, machines, and value are interconnected. By transforming waste wool into a local production source, it offers an alternative to synthetic fibres and industrial systems. Instead of centralised value extraction, Flok1 proposes new relationships between land, labour, and technology, providing an innovative solution for sustainable material use. Aisling Walsh’s Innovation & Technology Product Design project Unspun addresses global textile waste by merging Scotland’s heritage textile practices with new biomaterials made from flax and food waste. The yarn is made from natural ingredients, is soft and flexible, and can be composted after use, enriching the soil. What makes this project unique is the local system that connects farmers and artisans, promoting sustainable practices, and teaching traditional skills. The goal is to offer a local, low-impact alternative to synthetic fibers while preserving Scottish craft traditions and encouraging community connections.
Sound for the Moving Image student Tomasz Garb has developed a Max/MSP system to create real-time sonification of Glasgow’s weather, yielding continuous sound collages without defined beginnings or ends. The project utilises weather data from four seasons, highlighting anomalies. Key mappings include temperature affecting pitch, wind speed controlling volume, cloud cover influencing brightness, and humidity creating reverb. The system also features distinct compositions for sunrise and sunset, while visuals respond to wind and cloudiness. Aimed at illustrating the impact of climate change, this sonic artwork serves as a compassionate reflection of reality and can adapt to any location’s weather data.
MSA Stage 5 Student Hermione Butcher Knubley’s thesis aims to revitalise insect species through a redesign of Trindade Metro Station in Porto, turning it into a living laboratory and insect data research centre. Her innovative redesign includes underground spaces to enhance and reconnect habitats and support biodiversity, while above ground it will feature academic facilities and labs, supporting biological research and guiding sustainable policies in Portugal. Interior Design student Zhuoer Zhong’s project Journey of the Senses reimagines the river Clyde moored Renfrew Ferry venue as a high-tech, floating biomaterials education centre. The centre offers immersive, multi-sensory exhibitions that engage the senses of touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste. Visitors can explore and co-create through hands-on workshops, such as crafting mushroom brick panels, and enjoy performances in an underground exhibition space. Aimed at fostering ecological awareness and inspiring sustainable thinking, the centre encourages community empowerment through sensory learning. Every six months, the ferry travels between Glasgow and nearby cities to share knowledge and gather insights, returning with new materials and ideas.
Waste Fine Art Photography student Tom Gibson’s research-based project traces the unseen journey of garbage to reveal the global, complex, and often hidden systems of waste disposal. Through photography, mapping, and minimal sculptural elements, the exhibition follows several different types of waste from their points of origin to their final destinations. Each stream is visually documented through images of collection points, sorting facilities, and disposal or recycling sites, with accompanying maps that trace their often-international trajectories. The exhibition highlights the disconnection between disposal and consequence, challenging viewers to confront the afterlife of their consumption. By making visible what is usually out of sight, Waste invites reflection on individual responsibility, systemic inefficiency, and environmental impact. The work is observational rather than didactic, offering a stark and contemplative look at the material traces we leave behind.
Degree Show 2025 will be open from 30th May to 8th June across the GSA Glasgow Campus in Garnethill. The digital showcase will be available on 29 May from 5pm at gsa.ac.uk/degreeshow25
For further information, please contact press@gsa.ac.uk
NOTES FOR EDITORS
About The Glasgow School of Art (GSA)
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines. Our studio-based, specialist, practice-led teaching, learning and research draw talented individuals with a shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the world. Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the Foulis Academy delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an international community of over 3500 students and staff across architecture, design, fine art, innovation and technology in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands) and a thriving Open Studio programme delivering non-degree provision to over 1500 students annually.
