This year, The Glasgow School of Art’s Christmas cards are a multi-faceted digital and physical response to themes of family, community, collaboration, tradition and innovation. A film, and specially printed cards from the GSA’s Caseroom as part of a year of events celebrating 60 Year anniversary, were presented at an event at the Reid Auditorium on the 9th December.
The short film A Christmas Dinner in 8mm, this year’s commission for the digital card, has been created by Harry Daniels, a Glaswegian filmmaker, musician and graduate of the MDes Sound for the Moving Image programme at The Glasgow School of Art. Daniels’ film is a continuation of his major project Coll, an in-depth study of his brother which examined isolation in the city and the lifestyle of those living within rural communities. A Christmas dinner on 8mm is a short portrait film in which Harry captures spending Christmas with his brother on the Isle of Iona. Nostalgic and poignant, the film illuminates the complex intertwining of childhood and adult memories of the festive season.
The physical card’s design is an artistic response to the Woodblock Printed Biosensors research initiative, designed to help create a low-cost, biodegradable soil sensor system to tackle food insecurity in Kenya, but which could be used anywhere in the world. This joint interdisciplinary research project was developed between The Glasgow School of Art, Strathclyde and Kenyatta Universities. The design takes inspiration from ancient art and design-based printing processes such as wood blocking. The motifs on the cards reference images from The Glasgow School of Art’s archives and uses key project motifs of corn, glass muller (for grinding ink pigments) and a bamboo barren (traditional hand printing tool).
These cards, produced by hand in the Caseroom by Edwin Pickstone, feature a design based on the Kenya research work by Edwin, Aoife McGarrigle and Caroline Wahome (Strathclyde/Kenyatta). The production of the cards is very much in the historical tradition of GSA printing processes, echoing the work of celebrated former staff members Douglas Percy Bliss (Director 1946–64) and Lennox Patterson (Deputy Director 1964–76). Both were responsible for the establishment of the Caseroom, a key student and community resource in the GSA, which will celebrate its 60th year in 2025 with an exhibition and events running throughout the year.
“We are delighted to share this year’s unique dual celebration of the season which are a true celebration of the past, present, and future of the GSA.” says Professor Penny Macbeth, Director of The Glasgow School of Art.
“This cherished annual tradition is more than just a seasonal highlight – it’s a reflection of the core values that define the GSA. Partnerships and cross-disciplinary work lie at the heart of what we do, and this year’s digital and physical iterations of our Christmas card not only showcase the imagination and skill of our graduates but also highlight the power of collaboration and celebrate the importance of both rural and urban communities. These connections emphasise the role of art and design in fostering dialogue, creativity and innovation across diverse settings.
“The cards each honour the enduring significance of our long-established traditions and skills while embracing the richness of our dynamic graduate work and research communities, from Glasgow’s urban dynamism to the unique perspectives offered by rural contexts across Scotland and across the world.”
“‘A Christmas dinner on 8mm’ is a short portrait film in which I explore the life of my brother, Coll Daniels, on the Isle of Iona over the Christmas period.” says Harry Daniels, a GSA graduate.
“Through Colls own idiosyncrasies and anecdotes, I hoped to touch on a universal experience. How are childhood memories compartmentalised and understood as adults, and how do we keep them as a part of us as we grow older? Christmas and Hogmanay are seen as a time for reflection on the year past and the year to come. The film becomes an individual’s pensive look at the changes in his own life and his feelings towards the future.”
View ‘A Christmas dinner on 8mm’ HERE (duration 6mins 24sec).
For further info 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 and 22,000 alumni across architecture, design, fine art and innovation and technology in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands).
About Harry Daniels
Harry Daniels is a Glaswegian filmmaker, musician and graduate of the MDes Sound for the Moving Image course at the Glasgow School of Art. Throughout his studies, he refined a style in his work, incorporating tactile elements – using analogue technology in both music and film – and exploring themes often surrounding working class communities and individuals. Harry’s practice focuses primarily on electroacoustic composition and sound design, and documentary filmmaking.
About Woodblock Printed Biosensors
Dr. Andrew Ward, Dr. Caroline Wahome, Dr. Ezekiel Mugendi Njeru, Edwin Pickstone, Aoife McGarrigle.
This joint, interdisciplinary research project conducted between the University of Strathclyde, The Glasgow School of Art and Kenyatta University, Nairobi, is working to create a low-cost, biodegradable soil sensor which can be made and used anywhere in the world. Conductive ink is made using ubiquitous materials such as egg, charcoal and seed oils, and printed with a hand-cut woodblock in the shape of a simple electrode, onto scrap or recycled paper. Soil samples are placed onto the paper, which has been treated with an enzyme which sensitises it to the concentration of a target nutritional element (such as phosphates or nitrates) in the soil. An electrochemical meter is then used to measure this signal and give the user a measure of the nutritional element in their soil.
Artist Statement
The ability to understand and measure key environmental parameters is important, but often relies on expensive laboratory infrastructure, making it inaccessible to smallholder farmers with low incomes. In this project we have been exploring whether processes borrowed from ancient woodblock printing can be used to create extremely low cost, zero-waste sensors that could be used in real time at the point of need. The project Towards Low Cost Soil Fertility Sensor Systems for Smallholder Food Security in Kenya is funded by an award from the EPSRC and was developed with the support of NERC seed funding.
