Summer is upon us yet again and there has been a determined buzzing in the corridors and rooms of Gray’s School of Art meaning it is once more the week of the Degree Show.  20 – 27 June celebrates the magnificent 130 years of positive impact and inclusion Gray’s holds within the local community – and far beyond. Promoting and preparing the individuality of each student, the show is a rich culmination of the eccentric, the skilled, and the beautiful – not to be missed.

On entering the building we are immediately met with the works of the three dimensional design department. Stopping by the pieces created by Hannah Rachel Morrison a wave of emotions are brought to life by her sea-scape inspired vessels. As if on a beach-combing adventure, the collection of hand thrown ceramics with ethereal, shimmering pools of blue green glass collecting in their bases, alongside kiln formed glass vessels, evoke a sense of discovery and sentiment. It is incredibly difficult not to get hypnotised by a video set alongside the collection, showcasing the process of throwing on the potter’s wheel – reiterating the craftsmanship, skill and time that goes into each creation.

Hannah Morrison

As we move around each display, we embark upon the slick and well-oiled machine that is the product design department. Surrounded by innovative ideas, I was struck by an installation from Ross Marshall which focuses on upcycling and the responsibility of today’s designers. Constructed from re-purposed materials, the fun and quirky piece gently coaxes us into considering our impact on the planet as consumers and producers. With an element of art and design’s influence both present and future now at the forefront of our minds, we continue on to explore the labyrinth of the school’s corridors.

Carrying on through the building we finally come to the weird and wonderful world of sculpture. This section of the show is well worth exploring and is sure to surprise – there is even a car on display. Don’t forget to continue on across the courtyard where more students of Contemporary Art Practice display their hard work such as sculptor David Mitchell’s poetic representation of the beauty and intrigue of nature. Focusing on the nobility and strength of man, Mitchell’s work has a highly traditional feel. His busts are created using bronze, terracotta and plaster and each sculpture holds a strong presence in the room whilst revealing a vivid sense of the character it portrays.

Ross Marshall

David Mitchell

In the main hall, the Graphic Communication students serve up work that makes us laugh, cry and think twice. Work includes the charming illustrations of Holly Green. Aimed at children, Green has used her characters to beautifully tell a story and they come alive as decorative forms on a range of children’s products.

Holly Green

Be sure to save time for making your way to the top floor of the building where Painting and Fashion and Textiles can be found. I strongly recommend getting absorbed in the explosion of colour, life and narrative that fills each room and corridor. Be mind-boggled by the surrealist art and Rogue Taxidermy of Rebecca Gallacher; be intrigued by the patterns and depth of colour present in Erika Doy’s Bio:Morphology garments; lose yourself in the fluid vibrancy of Steven Tupper’s expressions where the smell of cut lino still fills the air…

Stephen Tupper

Erika Louise Doy

One of the final displays to be discovered was the work of Fine Art student Heather Macinnes. Each canvas conveys vibration, optics and a mathematical order of pattern – whilst also challenging intuition. These mesmerising sequences – created by scraping a layer of black ink away in part to reveal the colour underneath – draws the viewer in quietly. And in a similar way, this review barely scrapes the surface of what Gray’s has to offer this year. This inviting chocolate box of art and design welcomes you to come along and be inspired whilst celebrating the hard work and commitment put in by each and every student.

Heather Macinnes

Gray’s School of Art Degree Show 2015 continues until this Saturday 27 June in Aberdeen. Find out more information online here.

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Edinburgh College of Art is buzzing. It’s the press, family and friends opening of the 2015 Degree Show. I’ve got two hours, plenty of time to see it all I ambitiously think to myself as I set off in the direction of the sculpture works. I soon come face to face with a man walking around Jerry Maguire style in his undies.

“Did you lose a bet?” I ask nodding towards his lower half.

“No,” he replies deadpan, “I’m re-enacting a performance piece from second year.” He hands me a card with Nappy Man National printed on the front and walks away. It was Alan Trashmouth Records formerly known as Alan Kerr (he sold his name to a record company for £200). The RSA Contemporaries 2016 Selected Artist printed famous artworks onto toilet seats as part of his degree show installation. Does this draw attention to the commercialisation of art or is it more toilet humour gone awry? If you can buy an iPhone cover with Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers on it from the National Gallery, why not a Turner toilet seat?

Alan Kerr

The next work to catch my eye is Alice Chandler’s wonderfully composed installation. Reminiscent of Karla Black’s works, Chandler has used steel, plastic, fleece and paper in a playgroud-esque situation. She has a strong understanding of materiality, colour and composition and is also an RSA Contemporaries 2016 Selected Artist.

Rail and Cloth by Alice Chandler

Installation detail by Alice Chandler

Sky Su’s interactive video piece projected a CCTV-like image onto the wall of those in the room. The data was coded and a programmed delay caused a duplicate of yourself replicating your past motions. It is an enjoyable work and a rare moment of fun for art-goers amongst the passive experiential works. I begin to think of data and image in the digital age; ownership of an image and the reflected-self. Just as it was all becoming a bit too overwhelming for a Thursday evening, the image on screen began to scramble into oblivion. That was my cue to move on. So much more still to see.

I move onto the painters and stop at Karen Fleming’s work, remembering we’d featured it recently on Central Station. It is much more impressive in the flesh and I stand in front of it for some time. Another painter to check out is Sarinda Devine. She has created a small ‘world’ upstairs within a colourful and fun installation. It reminds me of the jungle in the Zebraface Random Acts by Kid Acne.

Karen Fleming

Sarinda Devine

Using a completely different style and technique, RSA Contemporaries 2016 Selected Artist Daryl Shaw McKee explores line and colour using a scientific process of experimentation. She translates 3D spaces into 2D paintings resulting in Tron-like cyber grids.

Daryl Shaw McKee

Finally, photographer Mark Osborne’s work has been selected for the ECA Art Collections Purchase Prize whereby the University seeks to acquire works that represent the artistic output of the art school. I would acquire it myself if I had the chance. I saw his potential a few years ago when he was featured on Central Station and it’s great to see how much his work has developed since then. His abstract photo series analyses light, space and form; presenting the photograph as a considered object for gallery display. The photography graduates also benefit from moving into a more senior role in the established ECA collective, SOFTBOX. This is an ever-expanding network maintained by ECA undergraduates established to encourage collaborative practice, share opportunities and assist with events.

Mark Osborne

The bell rings and I realise I am suddenly out of time. I regret not getting the chance to see the work from the school of design. However I did grab a publication of their work on my way out and it looks exceptional.

The Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show 2015 continues 11am-5pm daily until Sunday 7 June and includes two late openings on Wednesday 3 & Thursday 4 June from 11am-8pm. For more information, please visit here.

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“The degree show is an incredible moment when all this expectation kind of explodes and you witness all these new voices. It’s a fantastic manifestation – a kind of passing out parade of all the work and all the students.”
- Bob and Roberta Smith

Holly Warrener, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge

Steven Bode from Film and Video Umbrella talks of moving image work putting pressure on the appropriateness of the traditionally bustling and busy degree show, while Artes Mundi director Karen MacKinnon wonders if universities could be doing more to engage with their locality and to accommodate the work of students for whom the gallery is a problematic space.

Louise Hutchinson of S1 Artspace in Sheffield, meanwhile, suggests that the degree show needs to be approached more like a ‘proper’ exhibition – and that students really shouldn’t bother with those business cards.

One thing underpins all these thoughts – an excitement and curiosity about this time of year, as new voices emerge and futures take shape. Some of those voices can be heard in the guide’s Class of 2015 series, which provides a snapshot of current thinking from five final-year students, including Holly Warrener from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, whose work is featured on this year’s cover.

Also featured are the thoughts of practising artists, who recall their own degree shows – as far back as 1979 and as recent as 2014 – and share what the time meant to them.

Among these, Graham Fagen says the experience was similar to working towards an exhibition, even today. “You are flat out, nervous and unsure whether what you’re doing makes any sense at all – to anyone, even yourself,” he explains. Fagen is currently representing Scotland at the Venice Biennale. Read more from him on Central Station here.

Emily Speed says her degree show was when she really began to see the potential of her ideas: “I could see quite clearly that I was only just beginning to explore what I was really interested in and that I had a hell of a lot of work ahead of me,” she says.

The a-n guide is the perfect companion to the degree show season and to prepare yourself for what Bob and Roberta Smith describes as “a fantastic jamboree”.

View or download the a-n Degree Shows Guide 2015 online via Issuu here.

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Kim from Central Station gives an overview of a selection of works on show:

Entering the newly opened Reid building with a camera in hand and a notepad, Lesley Booth (GSA Press Officer) greets me and outlines where each programme is located. I head to the press launch where I get chatting to two journalists who seem mightily impressed that I’m here for the show; they reveal they’re actually here to try and interview a couple students on how the fire has affected them. I realise I’m in the wrong place and head downstairs to see the graduates’ work. On the upside, the Design students have the honour of being the very first to exhibit in Steven Holl’s specially designed building.

‘Speak & Speak Immediately’ by Lyndsey Smith

‘Saudade’ by Cliff Andrade

Aptly, I come across Lyndsey Smith’s photographs of journalists and can’t help but smile at the natural order of things. Cliff Andrade is another photographer who catches my eye with his photos of the island of Madeira, he explains his journey exploring heritage.

The typography is especially strong this year. Nicholas Davis presents ‘Life of a Letterform’ which challenges the perception of form in a refreshing way. Additionally, Zheng Li’s 3D letters and screen prints grabbed my attention with the letters themselves appearing to be in motion.

‘Life of a Letterform’ by Nicholas Davis

’3D Letters Photography’ by Zheng Li

Using the first perfect number as her starting point, Alice Rooney uses #6 to create systems dispersed across 6 sheets of acetate. Sean Mulvenna also uses systems, albeit in a very different way. Inspired by the Augurs of Ancient Rome (religious figures who interpret the will of the Gods by studying bird flight), Mulvenna has cleverly introduced a method of divining narratives.

‘Perfect Circle’ by Alice Rooney

‘Augur’ by Sean Mulvenna

Female empowerment and gender inequality is explored in both Franc González and Rachel-Jane Findlay’s works. González has scanned the female figure in 3D and returned it back into the physical world as an unrefined 3D print. Findlay’s study of female action heroes screen printed as movie posters reinforces the strength of the woman’s role.

‘Untreated Bodies’ by Franc González

‘The Development of the female action hero: Sarah Connor’ by Rachel-Jane Findlay

The Visual Communication department seems to be such a tight knit, organised bunch. They keep a regular blog, hold events and even have their very own Twitter page. Perhaps the lack of physical barriers (they work in an open plan studio) is a real advantage in growing together as a collective.

Catriona Clark

Nicole McCarron

Of the jewellers, I was particularly drawn to Catriona Clark and Nicole McCarron’s angular pieces and Kara MacAulay’s red seaweed-like necklace which hangs beautifully near Jordane Symington’s contrasting materials.

Kara MacAulay

Jordane Symington

The Fashion and Textiles work is not to be missed, in particular Michelle Ho’s futuristic prints and Catherine MacGruer’s geometric designs. As well as Laura Muir who makes kitting look cooler than ever with her ‘Knit, Knot, Knit’ merino wool creations.

Michelle Ho

Catherine MacGruer

Laura Muir

Each Fine Art graduate has a digital print hung anonymously in the McLellan Galleries. I ask Lesley for a floor plan, however none seems available at present and I sincerely hope the artists gain recognition for the public opening. Interestingly, in most cases, it is still possible to distinguish the painters from the sculptors, photographers and environmental artists. Below are a selection of prints I enjoyed.

Unfortunately, the Product and Interior Designers were still installing their work at the time of my visit, though I’ve since been told there’s much to see!

You can download a short guide to the show online here. A 214 page limited edition book of prints featuring each student print is available in The Glasgow School of Art Shop.

An open studio event for the Digital Culture programme takes place this Thursday 19 June from 10.00 – 16.00. Degree Show 2014 is open to the public until 21 June.

Words and photos by Kim Stewart.

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Central Station’s own Project Coordinator, Kim highlights a selection of works on display:

Wandering through the Glue Factory, I can’t help but notice how great a venue it is for a huge group exhibition such as this. Having been here several times before, I soon realise the material of the building stood out more than previously because so many artists have successfully created site-specific works, respecting and (in some cases) enhancing the fabric of the building.

‘Thigh Rack’ by Vigdis Storsveen

John Calcutt (MFA Programme leader) kindly gives me a brief intro to the show, showing me all the nooks and crannies the students have used to display their works. I immediately encounter Norwegian multi-disciplinary artist, Vigdis Storsveen’s large wax sculpture which hangs from the ceiling as you enter the building. Vigdis also has a ‘metal forest’ on display upstairs, resembling fragments from trestle tables.

‘Mercedes (café)’ by Maria Toumazou

Maria Toumazou’s work literally stands out with maze-like structures emerging from the walls. I am particularly drawn to the one pictured above as it holds an especially eerie quality in the darkness with beautiful contrasting textures – lambswool, wood and ceramic.

The unmistakable sounds of strong Québécois voices come from Sarah F. Maloney’s video piece – Gagnon-Ville you’re my Dearest. Maloney’s video explains the closure of Gagnon-Ville, a mining city in Québec which was completely torn down when the mines closed. This short piece becomes a melancholic ode to a city most have never heard of.

Jack Cheetham explores people as commodities using 3D printed ceramic models. An iPad sits on an unusual shelving unit and plays ‘fake’ CCTV footage of the models in a shopping mall along with the occasional tannoy announcement.

‘Asda made us great’ by Jack Cheetham

Installation by Fanny Wickström

Mangled and contorted forms in Fanny Wickström’s sculptures with enlarged genitalia and extra limbs is reminiscent of the Chapman Brothers‘ works. Mixing humour and the grotesque, green painted fingers grow from the ‘garden’ and a scrotum earring hangs from an oversized human ear.

Aniara Omann’s altered replica of an Easter Island Moai figure is slightly hidden upstairs. The imposing structure becomes somewhat less intimidating as a playfully raised eyebrow shifts the viewer’s first impression. Complimenting the figure in a bizarrely appropriate way are two videos which include Arnold Schwarzenegger discussing his life and body.

‘Real Bodies #2: Moai, raised eyebrow’ by Aniara Omann

‘Zabriskie’s Point Reversed.MOV’ by Emily McFarland

Emily McFarland’s reversal of cult film, Zabriskie’s Point approaches film as a ready-made, in a similar manner to GSA alumnus Douglas Gordon. McFarland reappropriates found footage by reversing the main explosions, crashes and fire elements in the film; creating a poetic composition.

Stephanie Burt’s mixed media installation is aesthetically titillating from every angle. Amazingly, Burt also succeeds in portraying the installation as an accident, with shards of glass on the floor and torn chicken wire across its frame.

‘Celine and Julie Go Boating’ by Stephanie Burt

‘for a bucket: your hand or mine’ by Kirsty Palmer

The building serves Kirsty Palmer’s work particularly well with her flaky, fragile sculptures mirroring the edifice’s degenerative qualities. Icelandic artist, Selma Hreggvidsdottir creates a “Shrine” inside the building, revealing and celebrating a neglected space with exposed brickwork and cobwebs aplenty. Selma highlights this again in the adjoining space where a video ‘through a keyhole’ plays in a room where a divider wall is papered with a white brickwork pattern.

On its surface, the Glue Factory still appears a bit battered and bruised from years of neglect. However, it’s precisely this history which makes it the perfect venue for this year’s MFA graduates who have the energy and diversity to bring this building back to life.

‘Shrine’ by Selma Hreggvidsdottir

The exhibition continues at The Glue Factory, 15 Burns Street, Speirs Locks, Glasgow G4 9SA until 22 June. A selection of works from MFA 2011-2014 is also on display at citizenM Glasgow until 28 June.

Words and photos by Kim Stewart

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Design and Architecture Degree Shows will be held in the newly opened Reid Building where the public will be allowed access for the first time since its opening. These shows will feature work from jewellery & silversmithing, textiles and fashion, communication design, product design, product design engineering and interior design. The MFA Degree Show will run at the Glue Factory from 12 – 22 June.

Due to recent tragic events at the Mackintosh building, Fine Art students will postpone their degree show. They will be represented in a specially-curated group exhibition at the McLellan Galleries featuring digital prints. A book will be available for purchase, featuring the prints and other works by GSA graduates.

The GSA Degree Show will run 14 – 21 June.

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The Time Based Art & Digital Film course can seem a little ‘out there’ for the first time degree show attendee, but a true highlight. It is a visual smorgasbord of goings-on. Step into ‘The Void’ of Ryan Esson – an unnerving mirrored infinity. You can’t be sure whether you’re in heaven, or in hell. Laura Corrigan presents SHUAIR – bottled and branded designer air– something seemingly impossible, yet the familiar glitzy campaign photos are disturbingly close to home.

Ryan Esson

The aforementioned Kickstarter film comes in the form of Corpach – a mystery thriller, with the teasing Prelude on show. This is a joint project between Jeppe Rohde Nielsen and Alan McIlrath. In 1975, a young girl goes missing from her small community in Corpach, the Highlands, after what seems to be a paranormal earthquake, the aftermath is devastating. What we’re given is already highly engaging, and we can only eagerly anticipate the feature length film to follow. The future bodes well for both the final film and the success of its creators.

Jeppe Rohde Nielsen

From Fine Art and Art, Philosophy, Contemporary Practices there is such a plethora of work you’ll be hooked for hours.

Molly McEwan’s blinking eye is daunting and uneasy. Her array of ceramic characters filling nooks and crannies are toy-sized and interacting like a giant game of chess. While you are drawn into their world, the eye watches over you, and it’s not clear if it’s protective or intrusive.

Molly McEwan

Lucas Battich has a simultaneous video and projection piece showing you every colour from the digital spectrum and plays over a 24-hour period. Another screen shows the generation of endless digitised colour variations of Josef Albers’ Homage to the Square. One after the other a new image is created, exploring how Albers’ investigations on colour theory could be continued in a contemporary format. We are left to question the reality of the art imagery we consume in today’s techno-centric culture.

Lucas Battich

Samantha Wilson demonstrates that drawing and painting are still an incredibly powerful medium. Her larger than life characters can be seen in a dizzyingly packed crowd, or in solitary, but each one is compelling. “It is the eyes that get you”, a fellow enthusiast remarks, and they really do.

Samantha Wilson

In the same room Jenni Bangs’ theatre-inspired ceramics are comforting and nostalgic. Having a background in performing arts herself, tokens of the stage can be deciphered from intimate objects that suggest the physical exertion on the performer’s body: while the artist relies on their hands, the performer must rely on their feet.

For the intrepid spectator, what is always intriguing is the selection of RSA award winners for next year. Lucas Battich, Samantha Wilson and the Corpach collaborative team of Jeppe Rohde Nielsen and Alan McIlrath are just some of the chosen few. After the huge successes that came to DJCAD graduates this year at the acclaimed New Contemporaries (the representing artists’ scooped up 7 prizes in total between them – the most of any Scottish art school), it’s been asked consistently if this year can match it. Yet, for the college and its students’, things have gone from strength to strength. The graduate show is outstanding, and these young artists have more than enough talent to not only defend and but champion DJCAD’s continuing triumphs.

The DJCAD degree show runs until 25 May. Further details can be found on the DJCAD Degree Show website. Check out our featured event about the show.

Images courtesy of DJCAD.

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For more events, see our Weekly Bulletin here.

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD) Degree Show 2012, one of Dundee’s cultural highlights and a celebration of emerging talent, takes place later this month.

Around 10,000 visitors are expected to visit the exhibition of work produced by nearly 300 final-year students from all 11 undergraduate programmes, including Animation; Art, Philosophy, Contemporary Practices; Digital Interaction Design; Fine Art; Graphic Design; Illustration; Interior Environmental Design; Jewellery & Metal Design; Product Design; Textile Design; and Time Based Art & Digital Film.

A series of lectures by some of the leading figures in the world of art and design will mark the beginning of the Degree Show season on Thursday, 17th May. Find information about the talks here.

This year’s Degree Show also forms part of the Ignite 2012 festival, a 10-day celebration of creativity and culture across Dundee, Angus and Fife.

Find out more about the Degree Show here.

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Browse through our event bulletin to find a happening near you.

As The Glasgow School of Art Degree Show 2010 opens, alumni talk about their memories of their shows.

A GSA-commissioned film by GSA alumni Cara Connolly and Martin Clark.

Central Station member Austin Yuill is a big supporter of graduate work and commented on our Facebook “I’m the chef at Glasgow School of Art and have bought something out of each of the last 6 degree shows I have been to (worked here for 7 years). I buy quite a lot here.”

We would love to hear your opinions on the subject. If you have never bought work – is there a specific reason why not? If you have, then leave a comment or photo telling us about your purchase and what it means to you.

If you’ve not had a read of our other Degree show blogs and reviews, here’s one check out.