NEWS RELEASE: The GSA unveils autumn 2016 exhibition: “Whereabouts you are”

October 14, 2016
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Exhibition showcases work by ten PhD researchers
including sculpture, video, photography, performance, projects looking at
education and community engagement and a video game developed to help people with
autism.
The Glasgow School of Art today unveiled an
exhibition of work by ten PhD researchers across a range of disciplines.
Co-curated by Allyson Keehan (The Glasgow
School of Art) and guest curator Viviana Checchia (Centre for Contemporary
Arts), the exhibition explores the diverse research practices
of The Glasgow School of Art’s international PhD cohort. It brings together
researchers from disciplines across the fields of Fine Art and Design and poses
a number of questions about the role of arts and design practice in academic
research, its unique character, and its particular challenges.  The
exhibition runs in the Reid Gallery from 15 October until 10 November 2016.
By bringing their
work out of the studio and into the gallery, the group hopes to not only shed
light on the thought-provoking and innovative research undertaken at The Glasgow
School of Art, but to enliven the research through conversation with a new
audience.
“For the exhibiting researchers, pinpointing whereabouts you are is
about marking a particular moment in the research process, pausing to reflect
and take stock of their individual journey so far and to consider the next
steps,” explain co-curators Allyson Keehan and Viviana Checchia “In that spirit, rather than deferring the questions
posed by the exhibition, they will tackle them head-on through a series of
accompanying events organised in collaboration with the Centre for Contemporary
Arts.”

Eszter Biró (School of Fine Art)
observers how family
photographs and fine art photographs are capable of resonating on a personal
level. “Photographs can trigger memories,
evoke emotions and stir our imagination, forming narratives that I call
confabulation,” explains Eszter. “In
my research I observe how these form into oral storytelling contesting truths
and collective memory, filling in the space of missing stories and taboos.”
“I am missing family stories from both my
maternal and paternal grandparents,” she adds “Through their photographs I am
currently exploring the act of erasure, mapping the traces which are left
behind, and how these form into my confabulations.”
Her work for the
exhibition features photographs which she has partly erased using a rubber
together with the detritus from the erasure.

Jacqueline Butler
(School of Fine Art) combines
photographic techniques developed in the early 19th century – the photogram –
with 3D computing technology, creating fantasy landscapes in both print and
video formats. Drawing on the qualities of light and shade her work is
assembled through a combination of photographic darkroom printing and image
manipulation using computer software.
“I am fascinated by the early polar
explorations,” says Jacqueline. “My
work responds to photography archives of early Arctic expeditions, producing
images that map out an unfamiliar terrain, prompting the viewer’s imagination.”

Mirian Calvo (Institute of Design Innovation) explores the role and value of
different ways of empowering communities in local development. Her PhD research
is associated with Leapfrog, a £1.2 million three-year-funded AHRC
project. The research aims to design and evaluate new approaches to
community consultation. It is being undertaken by researchers at the Lancaster
University and the GSA working in close collaboration with public
sector and community partners.
Mirian’s installation takes the form of a series of
visuals which illustrate how she has worked on her research project with
communities of Mull and Iona. It is also the basis for starting a conversation
with a wider public. Visitors to the exhibition are invited to respond to the
visuals by answering three questions on a “Leapfrog” leaflet or to provide
general feedback on and specially designed feedback form.

In This is not
about…, Inês Bento Coelho (School of Fine Art) questions the nature of the work in a symbiosis
between performance, sculpture, and choreography. She says, “my research looks at choreography in the
visual arts, so I wanted to go back to the essence of this, and direct sculptural
movement in the gallery space”. In the work performers stand still, walk,
pause, and change direction: a living sculpture that moves across the space and
is never the same.
The performances
will be staged on Friday 14 October from 5pm – 7pm; Friday 28 October from 2pm
– 4pm and Thursday 3 November from 2pm – 4pm. A video Choreographic Actions  – a
poetic collection of rehearsals, tests, and conversations that happened during
the making process is on show in the exhibition. It offers a peek into the
backstage of Inês’s work.


In an investigation
into theories of the fold by Giles Deleuze and the materiality of painting, Allyson
Keehan’s  initial propositions are into the potential of folding structures. The
process of reducing materials to specific functions has led to a reorientation
of construction. In the exhibition she shows large-scale works where hinged
movable sections are in direct physical conflict with applied pressure from
armatures and stabilizers. These constraints establish the tension and the
extent of the movement of each piece.

Fiona Jane
MacLellan (Institute of Design Innovation). Fiona’s recent work is concerned with
equity in the delivery of education, and points to new schooling systems that
recognise geographic diversity. “This is
particularly relevant for the Outer Hebrides, with some of the top levels of
attainment paired with highest spend per pupil alongside its innovative
implementation of the Curriculum for Excellence,” says Fiona.
Fiona
will show The Centre of Learning in the exhibition. A short film in Gaelic
and English it presents within the context of the current day a short story set
in the near future. The vision plays out new perspectives, that communicate
ideals which challenge a dominant status quo.



Hanan Makki
(School of Simulation and Visualisation) combines art, science, technology and education in a 2D game
with a therapeutic purpose – assisting autistic children to communicate with
their surroundings and in the activities of their daily lives. In the
exhibition Hanan will show the development process of making the game including
design concepts, animations, and sculptures.
“The design of the game is inspired by the Arabic fairy tale Sinbad from The
1001 Arabian Nights, and combines the Islamic art with the aesthetics of
contemporary art,” says Hanan. “Its
development mixes artistic and game-engine platforms, such as graphics and 3D
software.”

Drawing on both
nineteenth and twenty-first century photographic practice, School of Fine Art
researcher, Catherine Weir’s work for Whereabouts
you are sees her turn the camera on herself for her first self-portrait.
Combining the long exposure times of early Victorian photography with the
constant refresh of today’s digital screens, Weir’s portrait, taken in natural
light, is animated by the recorded beat of her own heart, captured by an LED
pulse sensor which she wore on her ear. Somewhere between photograph and
computer program, her work probes the still-evolving forms of digital
photography, whilst also raising questions about the role and visibility of the
artist in the research process.

The idea for Dawn
Worsley’s artwork came from the fact that she also works with the GSA exhibition
teams as a technician but had been invited to be part of this show as an
artist. He installation – a triptych comprising text made from laser cut ply
wood, vinyl text and a visitors book – text aims to communicate the experience
of an exhibition through five voices. Voice 1: the artist is expressed in the
artwork; voice 2 (the silent voice) is the technician without whom the
exhibition could not be installed; voices 3 and 4 the critic (the more
challenging opinion) and curator (the more supportive opinion) in a dialogue which
is made of the vinyl generally used for exhibition interpretation text. The
final voice is the visitor whose free opinions are invited to be recorded in
the visitor book that forms part of the installation.

School of Simulation and Visualisation researcher, Polina Zioga’s, interdisciplinary background in Visual Arts and Health Sciences has influenced
her creative practice, which combines art, technology and science. For more
than 10 years her work and interest has centred on the field of arts and the
brain, leading to her PhD research on the use of Brain-Computer Interfaces
(BCIs) in audio-visual and mixed-media performances. In her earlier works,
Zioga started from an autobiographical point of reference, using medical images
of her own brain, MRI scans and digital angiographies, in order to create
imaginary landscapes, where she often inserts the image of herself. She
explores themes like metamorphosis, transformation, time and decay, while
gradually shifting from the personal to a social/ – which refers to a personal
and political entrapment – a network/web of fibres/arteries gradually appears
and grows silently, shutting her off from the outside world.
Ends
Further information:
Lesley Booth,
0779 941 4474
press@gsa.ac.uk
@GSofAMedia
Notes for Editors

The researchers
exhibiting are:

Eszter Biró (School
of Fine Art) was born in Budapest in 1985.
After finishing her studies in photography at the Budapest Service and Handicraft Vocational School on Práter Street and at
Novus Art School, she enrolled at the photography
department of Scotland’s Glasgow School of
Art in 2008. In 2009, she spent a semester at the San
Francisco Art Institute as an
exchange student. In 2012, she received her master’s degree from the Glasgow School of
Art, where she then continues her studies as a PhD
candidate in 2015. She worked at the Art and Relics
department of the Petőfi Literary
Museum for several years.
Between 2012 and 2014 she taught photography at Minerva Graduate High School. As a member of the Studio of Young
Photographers, she attended many
international workshops both as a participant and as a team leader; she gave two talks in the FFS Wednesday lecture
series. She was one of the curators of Photo/Book
exhibition, June 2015. Between
2013 and 2015, she received
the Pécsi József Fine Art Photography Grant.
Jacqueline Butler (School of Fine
Art) works with photography, video,
artist book, and writing and has a particular fascination with archives
and collections (both public and private). Currently undertaking a PhD at Glasgow School of
Art, her research considers what constitutes photography in the 21st Century, combining pre- photography principles with traditional and new
print technologies. Jacqueline’s
arts practice explores themes associated with analogue
photography, of loss and melancholia. She is a coordinator of FTN (Family Ties Network)) and is a Principal Lecturer in
Photography at Manchester School of Art, MMU. Jacqueline is an Executive Board Member of Open Eye Photography Gallery,
Liverpool, England.
Mirian Calvo (Institute for
Design Innovation) holds a Masters in Architecture and a Masters in Urban
Planning and Urban Design within the School of Architecture, University of A
Coruna, in Spain. After
working as an architect and
urban designer in several architectural practices, she moved to Glasgow where she did
a Masters in Design Innovation and Environmental Design within The Glasgow
School of Art. Currently she is conducting a fully funded PhD research that aims to analyse the impact of participatory design approaches in community
development, at the Institute of Design
Innovation, The Glasgow
School of Art. It is associated with Leapfrog, a £1.2
million three-year-funded AHRC
project that comprises collaboration between Lancaster University and GSA,
alongside public sector and community partners. Her past experiences
let her acquired a knowledge base
that complements her academic and professional formation. She has participated within
a team in a user-led project that aimed
to enhance and to strengthen the networks among 12 communities operating in the Gorbals area of Glasgow.
Inês Bento Coelho (School of Fine
Art) is a visual artist and researcher based in Glasgow. She is currently a
PhD Candidate at The Glasgow School of
Art supported by FCT
– Fundação para a Ciência e a
Tecnologia. Her doctoral project,
entitled ‘Choreography as a visual arts
method’, focuses on creating a new methodological framework to produce
installation work through choreographic strategies. In her
practice, Inês explores space awareness and perception
through installation, choreography, video, and
performance. She has received several
awards and honors, including the Postgraduate Welcome Scholarship
(GSA, 2014), and the Inov-Art Grant (Portuguese Ministry
of Culture, 2009)
Her work has been exhibited internationally since 2008. Inês holds a master in Fine, Art from Central Saint
Martins supported by the
AHRC (2013), and a BA in
Sculpture from the Faculty of Fine Arts Lisbon
(2007).
Allyson Keehan (School of Fine
Art) graduated from Byam Shaw School of Art (University of the
Arts London) in 2004 with a MA in
Fine Art, after completing a BA(Hons) Fine Art Painting in 2002 from Limerick School of Art and Design. Keehan has exhibited widely
including London, Berlin and
extensively through Ireland, including solo shows ‘Further
Complications of Hybrid Notions’ at the
Claremorris Gallery 2014 and Queen Street
Studios Gallery, Belfast
2012. Recent group shows
include the Annual Show Royal Hibernian Academy, Lonely Plant Luan Art Gallery
2015, Periodical Review#4 Pallas Contemporary Projects 2014, Winter Open RUA Red Dublin 2014. Keehan was awarded the Merit Prize in The Golden Fleece Award 2012, and the Arts
Council’s Bursary 2012. Recent residencies and fellowships include Cill Rialaig 2014, Ballinglen Arts Foundation 2013, the RHA Studios
2012 and Takt Berlin 2010.
Fiona Jane MacLellan (Institute for
Design Innovation) has studies at Glasgow School of
Art, Köln International School of
Design and ENSCI, Les
Atelier, Paris. At present she is based at Glasgow School of Art’s new
Creative Campus beginning a PhD on
the role of design in the future of education. With experience
in participatory action research,
digital prototyping, service design, future fiction and
innovation; her method of design
is human-centered with a touch
of fairy- tale.
Catherine M. Weir (School
of Fine Art) is a visual artist and researcher based in Glasgow. She holds an MFA in Computational Studio Arts from Goldsmiths, University of London; and a BA (Hons) in Photographic and Electronic Media from Gray’s
School of Art, Robert
Gordon University. In 2014, the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and
Humanities (SGSAH) awarded her an Arts and Humanities Research
Council (AHRC) Studentship to undertake PhD research at the Glasgow
School of Art, where she is currently in her second year.
Dawn Worsley (School
of Fine Art) is an educator,
curator, writer and flâneuse. She writes about
self and maneuvering within landscapes:
urban landscapes – with their grey strata of otherworlds; rural landscapes – where the soil and rocks are infused with millennia of human toil and travel; and interior landscapes – domestic spaces with their own
micro-geographies and private histories. Dawn has contributed to BBC
Radio Cymru, discussing art history
in context and commentating on current cultural issues.
Polina Zioga (Digital Design
Studio), based in
Glasgow, UK, born in Athens, Greece, is an award- winning multimedia visual artist, researcher and educator with teaching experience at University level. She is
affiliate member of national
and international organisations for the visual and new media arts and PhD Candidate at the Glasgow School of Art Digital
Design Studio (DDS) in
collaboration with the University of Huddersfield School of Art, Design &
Architecture and the University of Glasgow School of
Psychology. Her
interdisciplinary background in
Visual Arts and Health Sciences hainfluenced her
creative practice, which combines art, technology and science. Her doctoral
research, awarded with the Global Excellence Initiative Fund PhD Studentship,
focuses on the use of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) and application
development in real-time audio-visual and mixed-media performances and is
supported by MyndPlay. In 2014 she was awarded the NEON Organization Grant for
Performance Production for ‘Enheduanna – A Manifesto of Falling’ Live Brain-Computer
Cinema Performance (premiered in CCA Glasgow, July 2015), while in 2016 she
embarked on a new artistic research project in Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA),
awarded and funded by the SGSAH.
Hanan Makki Zakari (Digital Design
Studio) is a visual artist, was born and raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She was exposed to art from young
age through the art of pottery making and Arabic calligraphy. She completed her first degree
with a distinction at the Islamic
Arts Education of King
Abdulaziz University in 2007. During
her graduate study, she explored different art techniques and methods in drawing, printmaking, sculpture and
textile. Early 2008, she moved to London to enhance her skills and knowledge in
digital art by studying animation, graphics
and illustration courses. She awarded scholarships from King
Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program
in 2010 for postgraduate degrees as a result she studied a Pre-Master at University of the Arts London
and an MA Design Innovation at De
Montfort University and recently she is a PhD student at the Digital Design Studio of the Glasgow
School of Art. She aspires to combine art, science, technology and education to achieve her goal. Which led her to do
a PhD in video game for educational proposes.
Co-curator Viviana Checchia
Viviana Checchia works as Public Engagement Curator thanks
to the generous support of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Prior to joining CCA, Viviana produced a range of international projects. Most recently,
she curated the Young Artist of the Year Award 2014 (YAYA) at the A.M. Qattan
Foundation in Ramallah, which took the form of a
long-term project that extended beyond the parameters of the exhibition space to include a
series of online workshops and panel discussions. This collaborative spirit
also informed her work as a
curator on the 4th Athens Biennale,
which won the 2015 European Cultural
Foundation Princess Margriet Award for Culture. Her
programme bridges the gap between exhibitions and communities and
operates in the wider social context of the city.
Under her direction public
engagement projects will reach beyond CCA’s walls to initiate
research groups, community garden activities, food and
environmental projects, and urban re-imagination workshops, among other initiatives. Such activities not only draw upon the vibrant culture
of our city, but also
aim to link art and artists to local movements for social
change. Such alliances can
contribute immensely to the daily experience of life in
Glasgow.

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