The Glasgow School of Art Degree Show 2014

• Product Design Engineering student unveils innovation for fire-fighters
• Fine Art students work shown in specially curated exhibition
• Poet Ian McMillan pens work specially for the GSA
• Limited edition book to help raise funds to support students
• London exhibitions for architecture and design graduates confirmed
• Further details of Mackintosh Building Fire Fund to be announced next week

Against at what one point seemed insurmountable odds the GSA launched its 2014 Degree Show today, 12 June 2014. Featuring work by over 500 graduating students from the Schools of Architecture, Design and Fine Art alongside the Master of Fine Art exhibition, The Glasgow School of Art’s annual showcase was a day of celebration for the institution.

“Degree Show is the high point of the year for any Art School,” says Professor Tom Inns, Director of The Glasgow School of Art, “but this year it has taken on a whole new complexion for the GSA.”

“This is a particularly exciting occasion for our Design School graduates who are showing work for the first time in the award-winning Reid Building. Their showcase of creativity ranges from exquisite jewellery and textiles, through cutting edge illustration and graphics to innovations for health, education and the emergency services that will make a tangible difference to our lives.”

“Our Stage 5 Architecture students have this year explored themes and ideas based on readings of European cities and, working with John McAslan and Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, our Stage 3 students have developed proposals for Dunoon and Benmore Gardens.”

“Today is a particularly special day for our Fine Art students for whom an exhibition of digital prints has been specially curated by GSA staff in McLellan Galleries. The showcase has ensured that this talented group of artists are fully represented in Degree Show as part of the campus-wide celebration.”

Among the many innovations unveiled by the GSA’s Product Design Engineering students at Degree Show 2014 was Salamander, an innovative environmental sensor and optical head mounted display for use by fire-fighters designed by 28-year old Glaswegian, Kevin Moody. The product, developed over several months, has taken on an added resonance following the recent fire in the Mackintosh Building.

“For my project I wanted to address a live issue for the emergency services,” says Kevin. “Fire-fighters face many dangers when they enter into a burning building not least among them being temperature and proximity of objects.”
Having spent time with B shift at Cowcaddens Fire Station to understand more about the challenges faced by the fire-fighters Kevin developed Salamander.

“To counter the dangers that they face during operations Salamander monitors the temperature and proximity of objects around the user and displays this information on a transparent display within their eye line,” explains Kevin. ”This provides updates on the environment while maintaining a full field of vision and keeping the hands free.”

“Firefighters operate in very challenging environments where they often face significant hazards, but have absolutely no visibility. Whether tackling a fire or conducting search and rescue operations teams in breathing apparatus rely on their skill, training and technology to save both people and property from heat, smoke and flames,” adds Cowcaddens Station Manager, Eddie Finnieston.

“Advances in technology will always interest emergency responders around the world and the crew at Cowcaddens were happy to share their experiences with Kevin as he worked on his design. On behalf of everyone at the station I would like to congratulate him on completing his course and wish him the very best as he embarks on his career.”

Features of Salamander

Active Scan: 
Activated by setting the sensor to the horizontal position. Monitors the environment around the fire-fighter and displays the temperature of objects and the distance of them on the HUD

Passive Scan: 
Activated by setting the sensor to the vertical position. Monitors the ceiling of the room and alerts the user when it reaches critical temperature

Backdraft: 
Measures door and window temperatures to determine if firefighting will trigger backdraft.

Flashover: 
Monitors smoke temperature at ceiling level to detect impending flashover conditions and alerts user.

Hidden fires: 
Detects hidden heat sources in building cavities and furnishing to reduce risk and determine fire source.
Meanwhile, as GSA staff unveiled a special exhibition of digital prints by the 102 Fine Art students who were most impacted by the recent fire in the Mackintosh Building, Seen Through Smoke a work penned by acclaimed poet, Ian Macmillan, was released. McMillan was at a meeting of the Academy of Urbanism with Professor Brian Evans of the Mackintosh School of Architecture when news of the fire broke and has written the poem especially for the GSA.
A limited edition book featuring all the prints in the Fine Art exhibition has also been produced by the GSA. The proceeds of the book sale will go towards supporting the students impacted by the fire. All the students’ digital prints will also be for sale.


The Glasgow School of Art Degree Show 2014 is sponsored by Burness Paull with match funding from an Arts & Business New Arts Sponsorship grant.
Philip Rodney, Chairman, said “Burness Paull is delighted to be headline sponsor of the Glasgow School of Art Degree Show 2014. It is wonderful news that despite the terrible fire in the Mackintosh Building Degree Show is going ahead. “
“It is an important event not only in the calendar of the School, but of the whole Glasgow community. The organisation of the show in these circumstances is a real testament to the resilience, energy and optimism of staff and students.”
“The Glasgow School of Art is a world-class institution. Its graduates consistently achieve the highest accolades in a diverse range of creative fields. We are proud to be associated with it.”
At The Glue Factory the latest cohort of students to graduate from the programme that has produced three Turner Prize winners since 2005 and two of the current nominees unveiled an exhibition of video, multimedia, sculpture, painting and drawing. The exhibition is sponsored by CitizenM Glasgow and a small selection of video works by past and present MFA students will also be on show in hotel.

The GSA also confirmed today that graduates from a number of architecture and design programmes will once again show work in London after Degree Show.

• Stage 3 Architecture students will show their Degree Show work at the Rag Factory, Shoreditch from 10 – 13 July.

• Communication Design graduates will be will be holding an exhibition of work from 26 June – 28 June at Club Row, Rochelle School, Arnold Circus, London E2 7ES

• Fashion graduates and Textiles graduates will participate in New Designers in The Business Design Centre, London N1 0QH from 25 – 28 June 

• Interior Design graduates will show work at Free Range where last year a GSA graduate won the Best New Interior Designer award. They will be featured in the Interiors and Architecture showcase at the Truman Brewery from 11-14 July.

The Glasgow School of Art 2014 Degree Show in the Bourdon Building, Reid Building and McLellan Galleries is open to the public daily from 14 – 21 June (Saturday/Sunday 10am – 5pm; Monday – Thursday 10am – 9pm; Friday 10am – 7pm).

The MFA exhibition at The Glue Factory is open to the public from 12 – 21 June. 10am – 6pm daily.

Ends

Further information, interviews and images:Lesley Booth
0779 941 4474 
press@gsa.ac.uk

Notes for Editors

Ian McMillanDescribed by The Guardian as “a force of nature,” Ian McMillan is one of the UK’s most high profile poets. He is currently a poet-in-residence for The Academy of Urbanism and Barnsley FC, and has been English National Opera’s poet, UK Trade & Investment Poet, Yorkshire TV’s Investigative Poet and Humberside Police’s Beat Poet. McMillan hosts the weekly show The Verb and Proms variation Adverb

Product Design Engineering Alumni from the GSA have gone on to play key roles with leading international companies including Apple, Dyson, Amazon-Kindle, Dell, Jaguar-Landrover, and Philips with others establishing award-winning consultancies such as Meso Design and 4c (designers of the Queen’s Baton http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-24461095).

Burness Paull is a major top-tier commercial law firm serving a domestic and international client base from Scotland.

The New Arts Sponsorship Grants scheme incentivises businesses to sponsor the arts in Scotland. It is funded by the Scottish Government and administered by Arts & Business Scotland. An arts organisation receiving an eligible business sponsorship can apply for £1 of funding for every £1 of sponsorship. The funding goes towards additional arts activity, for which the sponsor receives additional business benefits. www.aandbscotland.org.uk