The Glasgow School of Art has gifted a work by one of the “Phoenix” artists to the Scottish Parliament Art Collection it was announced today, 14 October 2015. It’s ok to fail, a video work by Lydia Levett, which was made at the iconic St Peter’s Seminary, Cardross, was selected from the artworks which were shown in the Phoenix Bursary exhibition at the GSA earlier in the year.
Screen shots from It’s
ok to fail, a video work by Lydia Levett
which is being gifted to the
Scottish Parliament Art Collection
Scottish Parliament Art Collection
“It’s a huge privilege
that my work is to be part of the Scottish Parliament Art Collection,” says Lydia who was one of a hundred
artists impacted by the fire in the Mackintosh Building who were able to make
new work through support from the Phoenix Bursary programme. “I was amazed to learn that my video had
been selected as the work which the GSA was to gift to the collection.”
that my work is to be part of the Scottish Parliament Art Collection,” says Lydia who was one of a hundred
artists impacted by the fire in the Mackintosh Building who were able to make
new work through support from the Phoenix Bursary programme. “I was amazed to learn that my video had
been selected as the work which the GSA was to gift to the collection.”
“Without the Scottish
Government the Phoenix Bursary programme would not have been possible,” says Professor Tom Inns, Director
of The Glasgow School of Art. “I am
delighted to be able to present this artwork to the Scottish Parliament on
behalf of the GSA in recognition of the all the support that the government has
given to the institution and the artists over the last 18 months.”
Government the Phoenix Bursary programme would not have been possible,” says Professor Tom Inns, Director
of The Glasgow School of Art. “I am
delighted to be able to present this artwork to the Scottish Parliament on
behalf of the GSA in recognition of the all the support that the government has
given to the institution and the artists over the last 18 months.”
Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick MSP said” “This gift represents
a significant addition to the Parliament’s art collection and a unique
opportunity to celebrate the many positive outcomes achieved through the
Phoenix Bursary Scheme.”
a significant addition to the Parliament’s art collection and a unique
opportunity to celebrate the many positive outcomes achieved through the
Phoenix Bursary Scheme.”
It’s OK to fail was inspired by R. Buckminster
Fuller’s first Geodesic Dome which was made from venetian blinds in the 1940s. Despite
hopes of utopia and reform which inspired Fuller, an innovator and architect, the
first project was ultimately a failure. However, at the time he reassured his class at Black Mountain
College in North Carolina that “failure is part of the process of
inventing, and success is achieved when one stops failing’. Since the
1960s Geodesic Domes have been created in many places across the world ranging
from self build housing solutions to the massive Biosphere in Montreal and the
EPCOT Center at Disney Land Florida
Fuller’s first Geodesic Dome which was made from venetian blinds in the 1940s. Despite
hopes of utopia and reform which inspired Fuller, an innovator and architect, the
first project was ultimately a failure. However, at the time he reassured his class at Black Mountain
College in North Carolina that “failure is part of the process of
inventing, and success is achieved when one stops failing’. Since the
1960s Geodesic Domes have been created in many places across the world ranging
from self build housing solutions to the massive Biosphere in Montreal and the
EPCOT Center at Disney Land Florida
Screen shots from It’s ok to fail, a video work by Lydia Levett
which is being gifted to the Scottish Parliament Art Collection
Lydia’s film was shot in St Peters Seminary, the Andy MacMillan-Isi Metzstein design for a project which had similar dreams to those of Fuller and which has met a similar end. The film looks at the hopes of process yet leaves questions surrounding the definitions of failure or success.
It’s OK to fail will now be added to the Parliament’s collection which includes work by leading Scottish artists including Ian Hamilton Finlay, Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, Christine Borland, Alison Watt, Callum Innes, John Bellany, and Thomas Joshua Cooper.
Ends
Notes for
Editors
Lydia Levett
Since
graduating from The Glasgow School of Art in 2014 Lydia has been awarded the
Glasgow Print Studio Award and been selected for RSA New Contemporaries. As
part of the Phoenix Bursary Scheme she undertook her residency at the Whisky
Bond in Glasgow. Her work has been featured in a number of exhibitions including
‘Coalesce’ at Glasgow
Print Studio;This Gift Feels Like It Has Been Touched A Lot’ – a Solo Show, Nomas*
Projects in Dundee; ‘Forms of Exchange’ Solo Show (5th in series of
5 solo shows with the collective ‘Perm’) at The Old Hairdressers in Glasgow;
and RSA New Contemporaries at
Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh. She has also undertaken a 2-month
residency at St Ninians High School, Kirkintilloch.
graduating from The Glasgow School of Art in 2014 Lydia has been awarded the
Glasgow Print Studio Award and been selected for RSA New Contemporaries. As
part of the Phoenix Bursary Scheme she undertook her residency at the Whisky
Bond in Glasgow. Her work has been featured in a number of exhibitions including
‘Coalesce’ at Glasgow
Print Studio;This Gift Feels Like It Has Been Touched A Lot’ – a Solo Show, Nomas*
Projects in Dundee; ‘Forms of Exchange’ Solo Show (5th in series of
5 solo shows with the collective ‘Perm’) at The Old Hairdressers in Glasgow;
and RSA New Contemporaries at
Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh. She has also undertaken a 2-month
residency at St Ninians High School, Kirkintilloch.
Scottish Parliament Art Collection
The
Scottish Parliament Art Collection includes painting, sculpture, photography, textiles,
mixed media work and installations. Works look at themes of the environment, in particular the impact of
humanity and politics on the landscape and
the identity and history of Scotland and its people.
Scottish Parliament Art Collection includes painting, sculpture, photography, textiles,
mixed media work and installations. Works look at themes of the environment, in particular the impact of
humanity and politics on the landscape and
the identity and history of Scotland and its people.
St Peter’s Seminary, Cardross
St
Peter’s Seminary, Cardross is one of the most important pieces of modernist
architecture in the UK. It is the masterpiece of architects Andy MacMillan and
Isi Metzstein designed during their time at the helm of the Gillespie Kidd
& Coia practice. Commissioned by the Catholic church as a seminary in the
1960s it never reached the capacity 100 students due to the decline in numbers
of candidates for the priesthood and moves to a more community based approach
to training. By the 1980s the seminary was closed and for a few years it was
used as a drug rehabilitation centre, but by the end of the decade the building
had been abandoned. Over the years number of proposals were put forward for the
future use of the building which continued to decline to the extent that by
2007 it had been put on the 20th century society’s buildings at risk
register. In 2010 Glasgow based NVA unveiled plans that would see the remains
of the seminary stabilized with some of the site restored. This project is
ongoing.
Peter’s Seminary, Cardross is one of the most important pieces of modernist
architecture in the UK. It is the masterpiece of architects Andy MacMillan and
Isi Metzstein designed during their time at the helm of the Gillespie Kidd
& Coia practice. Commissioned by the Catholic church as a seminary in the
1960s it never reached the capacity 100 students due to the decline in numbers
of candidates for the priesthood and moves to a more community based approach
to training. By the 1980s the seminary was closed and for a few years it was
used as a drug rehabilitation centre, but by the end of the decade the building
had been abandoned. Over the years number of proposals were put forward for the
future use of the building which continued to decline to the extent that by
2007 it had been put on the 20th century society’s buildings at risk
register. In 2010 Glasgow based NVA unveiled plans that would see the remains
of the seminary stabilized with some of the site restored. This project is
ongoing.
R.Buckminster Fuller
R.
Buckminster Fuller spent much of the early 20th Century looking for ways to
improve human shelter. After the WWII, his efforts focused on the problem of
how to build a shelter which is so lightweight, it can be delivered by air.
Shelter should be mobile which led to his experiments to reinvent the Geodesic
Dome. Almost 70 years on from him initial the experiments kits are now
available across the world for self-assembly housing.
Buckminster Fuller spent much of the early 20th Century looking for ways to
improve human shelter. After the WWII, his efforts focused on the problem of
how to build a shelter which is so lightweight, it can be delivered by air.
Shelter should be mobile which led to his experiments to reinvent the Geodesic
Dome. Almost 70 years on from him initial the experiments kits are now
available across the world for self-assembly housing.
Geodesic Domes
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles (geodesics) on the surface
of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that
have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure.
of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that
have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure.
Famous
Geodesic Domes include:
Geodesic Domes include:
- La
Biosphere: created for Expo 67, Montreal World Fair - Cinesphere,
Toronto - South
Pole Dome - EPCOT
Center Disney World, Florida - EcoCamp
hotel, Patagonia