Activating Edges and Shadow

Resolving the Western M8 Corridor in Glasgow

Glasgow’s City Centre has the majority of its area devoted to roads and parking. In order to prioritise social and spatial justice, Glasgow needs to manage its walkability, safety, sustainability and quality of public spaces and places. This is how the city will be able to tackle current challenges, as well as creating robust infrastructures which allow flexibility for future needs and uses.

The lack of quantity and quality of public spaces across the stretch in study creates a hostile place to be. The traffic of motor-vehicles dominates the surrounding areas, leaving pedestrians to dark underpasses or bridges, neither being DDA accessible. In order to enhance quality of life and attractiveness, Glasgow needs to promote healthy lifestyles through its surroundings. The control over noise and air pollution is also essential to create welcoming and pleasant spaces for people. Increasing the amount of open green spaces which also work as connectors between neighbourhoods could transform the city boundaries and shadows from hard & dead, to soft & vibrant places.

Could the activation of the M8 Motorway corridor in Glasgow resolve its unjust, segregated and car-dominated city fabric? This is the current thesis aim when activating the West M8 motorway corridor in Glasgow.

‘Edges’, through the knowledge from Kevin Lynch (1960), this author understands the M8 corridor as the fragmented edge of Glasgow, segregating and isolating neighbourhoods and uses. Therefore, when ‘activating edges’, new purposes and uses are introduced to the M8 corridor, ‘stitching’ the urban fabric and aiming to transform it into a uniting seam.
‘Shadows’, in this context, being the forgotten undercroft spaces from the M8 corridor, having the understanding of the great spatial qualities inherent to these spaces with the intention of also integrating them back to the urban fabric.

The research for this design project includes three main methods: expanding knowledge through key literature; analysing case studies; and utilising methods of engagement with citizens from the areas adjacent to the M8 corridor.

Important concepts from Henri Lefebvre (1971), Edward Soja (2010), David Harvey (2012), Richard Sennett (2006), Christopher Alexander (1977), Jane Jacobs (1961), Jan Gehl (2010) and Kevin Lynch (1960) have been noted. The case studies selected have similar physical settings to the current proposed site, which means, case studies of car-dominated barriers between neighbourhoods or between city and river. Lastly, a community engagement study gathering public opinion over urban settings was undertaken in Anderston, one of the neighbourhoods next to the M8 corridor. This study was made in partnership with the community centre ‘The Pyramid’ based in the same neighbourhood. This study utilised of an online map of the neighbourhood, where citizens could add comments at locations which they felt needed improvement. The project created by the Glasgow City Council called ‘Connecting Woodside’ was used as a key reference.

As a result of this investigation, this research found how important open spaces are to deliver greater justice within urban environments and how the human dimension should be a priority when coming to urban design. It also found how adaptability, flexibility in program, relationship to its surroundings and placing essential amenities are important to deliver density, and therefore diversity to the chosen site. Lastly, this design proposal has answered successfully, within its own means, the research question: yes, it is possible to achieve better justice, integration and pedestrian-friendly city fabric through the activation of the M8 Corridor in Glasgow.

However, there are points in which this proposal could be further developed. This author understands the need for deeper community involvement. The current research, due to COVID-19, could not deliver the full picture through its current methodology. This author also understands the degree of importance of topics such as gentrification and policies in order to truly deliver justice within cityscapes, therefore, further studies are necessary in order to implement this proposal to Glasgow’s urban fabric.

The ‘Other’ Playground: An Interactive and Heterotopic Right to the City

This project speculates about the exercise of the public’s right to play in the city through an interactive three-dimensional design proposal. Developed out of a rich understanding of the host space, the project combines the ideas of community gardens and sculptural playgrounds, to convert a previously in-between, overlooked or interstitial space in Glasgow into a site of rich cultural activity.

Through embodied experiences of play, the design aims to engage and stimulate an interaction amongst the local population and the site; improving and enhancing the relationships between the body and the urban fabric, whilst giving the users a voice to celebrate their own imagination and creativity.

Based in Possilpark, the project takes advantage of growth opportunities and embraces innovative ways of working to develop a model for finding sustainable, attractive and economically viable ways to re-engage interest in lost and forgotten civic spaces. Until around 1870 Possilpark was no more than a mansion house and home farm with few residents.

Since the 1950’s Glasgow, as with many cities across Scotland, has seen the demise of its industrial sector. The inter and post-war period was the most traumatic for the industries and although Glasgow clung onto being the “workshop of the Empire”, by the 1990s most of the engine shops were derelict and the shipyards reduced to wasteland. The most rapid deindustrialization took place during the 1970s and 1980s, with many of the traditional industries drastically shrunk or completely closed down. Although many initiatives promised revival, a shift towards a new service-oriented economy emerged to replace traditional heavy industries. This left many Scottish cities peppered with derelict spaces and industrial wastelands.

Possilpark was unable to avoid this pattern of urban decay, and today 100% of residents live within 500m of vacant or derelict land. The district is also one of Scotland’s most deprived areas with 15% undeployed.

The site is located on the intersection of Allander St and Barloch St in Possilpark.

Previously supporting the east corner of a tenement block, demolished in 1970, the stalled space currently functions as a car park.

Along with the scale and derelict condition of the space, which provided a huge canvas for the project, the fundamental reasons for choosing the site was its location in Possilpark and the area’s social demographic context. At the epicentre of one of Glasgow’s poorest neighbourhoods and running parallel to Saracen Highstreet, the site provided the opportunity to benefit an extremely diverse and deprived community.

The site, as with many streets throughout Possilpark, had become an avenue of anonymity, rather than a place of rich culture and activity. After visiting the site and talking to local residents it became apparent the traditional sense of a community had broken down. The increased transience of people in and out of Possilpark had developed a situation of people living in close quarters to each other but operating very isolated and separate lives. This ultimately breeds fear, contempt and frustration, bringing on a sense of alienation and powerlessness within the community.

This observation drove the development of a community based, public spaces project. These spaces are important assets to the urban fabric, providing people with opportunities to come together and engage with the community. When successful they can become a ‘self-organising public service’ for everyone in the society to participate in, learn from and to help create local attachments.

In Topographies of Contemporary Architecture Ignasi de Solà-Morales says architecture has gone silent. However, have we in fact just become deaf to the spaces around us through a lack of interaction and embodied experiences of play?

Relying less on visual stimulation and targeting a wider range of sensory stimuli the proposal shows how adding something new and enhancing the existing can positively change the way we experience and interact with the built environment.

The visuals explore the finer details of the design, whilst showing the inhabited capacity and tactile nature of the space from four different perspectives. To represent the demographic of people in Possilpark the images are populated with a range of figures, of varying heights, body shapes and abilities. These figures animate the design; suggesting how the space could be used and the rich variety of experiential goals the design can yield.

The project did not explore the technical details and specifications of the designed objects; how they would be made and what they would be made from, however, the visuals suggest a pallet of materials and textures which would achieve the goals of the space and design.

A conscious decision was made to crop the images and shape the field for view. Stepping away from a rectilinear frame not only avoided traditional presentation aesthetics, in line with the motifs of the project but also listened to David Hockney’s criticism of ‘traditional’ photography’s static field of view, revealed during early research into collage. Furthermore, the use of organic shapes to frame the visuals playfully focuses the attention on the designed space, drawing the eye into the centre of the space and reducing the attention given to the surrounding buildings.

After graduating from the Glasgow School of Art in 2019 with a first-class in BA (Hons) Interior Design, I am extremely proud to have completed my masters of Architectural Studies at the Mackintosh School of Architecture.

Having spent the last two summers interning at Interior Visions in Thailand and Waldo Works in London, I’m currently looking to widen my knowledge and experience within the growing discipline of design and architecture.

Clutha is one of Glasgow’s first bars and has long witnessed the development of Glasgow. Over the years, the disrepair brought about by history has become an obstacle to the development of Clutha, and many problems have gradually surfaced. The project will start with an in-depth analysis of the historical context of the site from the historical culture of the area where Clutha is located, and find the uniqueness of Clutah. While analyzing the regional conditions, the unique network of Glasgow’s music development was analyzed, making the project have a good internal music network system architecture and become the core of the new Clutha. Next, the project reconstructed the function and form of the building from each floor in turn, incorporating a richer space and Clutha’s unique musical attributes into a limited space, thereby building the new Clutah into an emerging music and cultural center in Glasgow.

The following study explores a new form of urbanism that can take over the Glasgow city center. The study is based on observations and modeled with reasoning studying theories that back the reasoning. The study looks at modeling an architectural form that amalgamates architecture and play using an array of curated elements, thresholds and functions. The study is developed in 3 stages:

Stage 1: Observations The observations collected have been collected post exhaustive exploration of Glasgow’s city center, especially its history, culture and development over time. The site was analyzed for its land use, junctions, accessibility, density, pedestrian and vehicular traffic, larger city connections as well as the differences in elevations. These observations culminate in raising a series of questions. These questions, in turn help in pointing our certain obvious issues with the urban fabric. The lack of open to sky spaces, the rising levels of density, the lack of breakout spaces and the diminishing centers of public assembly. Conversely, the observation couples with questions helped the analysis of site in terms of identifying its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Moreover, the observations, lead to the exploration of play as an architectural element. The observations prove to be an important stage of our study as they are notes to fallback on and model design developments from the perspective of children and adults, in adherence to their movement and activity across the site.

Stage 2: Literature Primary and secondary data collection was all done in adherence to references and citations that have explored similar strategies in similar situations to create new forms. The study of literature culminates in the analysis of site that provides us with a formidable hypothesis – architecture and play can be amalgamated to create an urban form. The urban form itself is developed from experiments around expansion and contraction of spaces that respond to changing vision cones. The composition and organization of architectural elements is curated to efficiently engage user groups and functions. Furthermore, the parameters set for data analysis emerge from the surrounding buildings and site barriers, thrusting the study us to adopt and iterate Stallan Brand’s design proposal.

Stage 3: Modeling parameters The architectural language is developed as a result of user movement, site massing, and composition of the form. Plot divisions, accessibility, and functions give an order to aesthetics and design. The massing itself is a response to the urban fabric. It is an attempt to play with surfaces that integrate seamlessly into one another and the streetscape. The urban form generated as a result of design development addresses the notion of play at varying thresholds. It imbibes the childlike wonder of being in spaces, exaggerated through modeling of masses, portals, and thresholds in accordance with a user experience that looks at users to develop their own navigation system based on the order the form adopts from materiality and color. It is an attempt to curate scales such that it creates a paradigm shift in the way we look at Glasgow’s urban fabric.

Conclusion

The form is majorly modeled to be an open public space that curated movement by instilling a sense of navigation on its elements. The entire form can be collectively viewed as a coming together of the smaller kits of parts and engage with one another at varying scales. Each part has a certain role to play in hosting children and adults and activating multiple functions using materiality and color.

The integration of play through the urban form is rooted within the response the form offers by opening up its ground plane and terraces (both of which are internally connected as well). The permeable nature of the built form, in terms of both structure and the skin, develops from contracting and expanding spaces based on the site parameters and the surrounding built form. Furthermore, distinct circulation blocks double as navigational nodes that engage users and help them develop a sense of wonder through navigation.

The attempt is to create a new sense of urbanism amidst the city center, one that is more inclusive and active in its approach and management of users, that provides breakout spaces at varying scales and forms to develop niches that can best activate the structure in terms of aesthetics and functionality. There is a careful consideration given to threshold treatments and their engagement with the user is particularly curated to create memorable experiences through exaggeration of scale and modeled features such as furniture, walls and openings. Holistically speaking the urban form is an experiment that stemmed from the observations of Merchant city’s urban fabric. It is an attempt at bringing curiosity back into the users by appealing to everyone’s sensibility, vision and movement to narrate a sequence of urban play.

The most important point of urban building is its response to the urban environment, culture, and history. The main purpose of urban building is to better integrate the building into the surrounding environment, maintain the continuous urban streetscape, create attractive architectural spaces, while also contribute to the creation of a beautiful and harmonious urban environment.

This portfolio is mainly about the design of an urban building for health and well-being located on Clyde Street in the city center. Start from the urban background scale to the specific block scale, discussing the selection of site and the potential of the site. Then, by introducing the site research, analyzing the current problems of the site and possible causes, and providing certain solutions to these problems. These research lead to the selection of the program. Finally, combined with the analysis of the urban context, a design scheme is proposed.

Sushmitha Srihari is a Postgraduate student at Mackintosh School of Architecture. Through the work experience as an architect, she believes the built environment is the key element which shapes the city and its people. At GSA, she has been learning the concepts of Urban design and their applications in today’s world.

The research and design project is focused on urban issues such as i) tension between the future of markets as a city-wide ‘destination’ versus neighbourhood or local amenity ii) Importance of socialising space in the city. The research conducted shows the study of 19th C market building typologies in the UK and Socialising patterns or usage of markets in the daily lives of the people.

This project studied and combined sociological, historic and architectural research to envision one of the most complex spaces in the urban fabric – the market place. Each of these aspects can define and impact the local economy and trade as well as how public open spaces are perceived. The project is aimed to understand how to successfully regenerate the market place as a lively functional and economic community space in the urban setting.

The cities are looking to reuse their heritage buildings with new factions and purposes in order to give new life to these abandoned spaces. By using an area of the postgraduate diploma thesis that needed development this research aims to find methods and establish a better understanding about the use of interior spaces for the regeneration of heritage factory buildings by analyzing the work of Antony Gormley through his exhibitions Antony Gormley in Royal Academy of Art and Model in White Cube. The diploma thesis was located in the abandoned Can Ricart Factory in Poblenou, an old industrial area of Barcelona full of historic factories.

Using different mediums, this study analyses and determine knowledge from the work of Antony Gormley. Books, journals, lectures, videos, documentaries, research papers, diagrams, plans, and sections assisted this research with the appropriate knowledge. Structured in two sections, this research introduces the two shows of the artist, followed by their evaluation and comparison of the two with Can Ricart which assisted with strategies for the regeneration of the interior spaces of the factory.

Antony Gormley firstly studied archaeology, anthropology, and art history at trinity college, Cambridge. Then, he traveled to India which inspired his artistic theories. Afterward, he returned to England to continue his studies in art. In his studies, he focused on sculpture at the Central School of Art, Goldsmith’s College, and the Slate School of Art.

He is known for his artworks that explore the connection between the human body and its spatial surroundings. He wants to make you think about your position and the room you are in and in relation to his work. He says that ́art is no longer about power and privilege, but about participatioǹ. Most of his artworks are human figures, which he cast from his own body with various materials such as plaster, concrete, and iron. Some of Gormley’s works explore the relationship between old heritage sites or buildings, his contemporary artwork, and the viewers.  Few shows that explore this relationship are; Antony Gormley in Royal Academy of Art, London (2019), Sight in Delos Island, Greece (2019), Model in White Cube Bermondsey, London (2012-2013) and Still Standing at state Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg (2011-2012).

This study investigates the following two shows, Antony Gormley (2019) and Model (2012-2013). His Royal Academy show was the most recent work by the time of the research and was easy to visit and explore. The Royal Academy show was in the Burlington House building which was built in 1868 by Sydney Smirke. The visit to the show took place on the 26th of October where a further understanding, observing, and sensing of his artworks occurred. On the other hand, the white cube show was in an old industrial warehouse which was build in 1970 and transformed by Casper Mueller Kneer in 2011 into a contemporary art gallery. The medium that was used for the understanding of the show was mostly through videos due to the fact that was ended in 2013. The two exhibitions were similar in overall spatial size that I want to explore for Can Ricart and both are placed within buildings.

The Antony Gormley show was held in the Royal Academy of Art and included a non-chronological retrospective artwork from the 45 years of the artist’s work. According to the artist, one of the goals of the show was to exploit the entire volume of the Royal Academy in a way that made the viewer’s journey through it exciting. One of the characteristics of this show is that there is no story behind but only the story of the viewer that brings with him.  According to Martin Caiger Smith, the show binds together Gormley’s most recent and previous work, which emphasizing on his general and continuing concerns on how we experience the elemental natural world, with who we are, as bodies moving through space and time, and how we relate to the man-made environment we have to create in our environment.

The Model show that was held in White Cube, testing the physical possibilities of the gallery space. This ambitious show investigates our experience of the body through architecture, and of architecture through the body. In this show, a dialogue between extension, expansion, and the scale of the body is taken as a variable throughout the installation of objects. Unlikely, the Royal Academy show here the viewer can choose the pathway he wants to take. Additionally, in this show, the artist uses weathering steel and iron for his artworks. The use of these materials unites the various sculptures and gives the impression of one continuous artwork.

Revealing Peripheral Space: An analysis through drawing of threshold spaces  across the buildings of the Maiden Lane Estate

The goal of this research project was to explore the threshold spaces within housing which are peripheral to the dwelling spaces themselves. The analysis is focused particularly on public housing, or council housing, in London. This analysis was undertaken as a series of drawings which isolate these peripheral spaces across several development stages of the Maiden Lane estate in London. By abstracting these spaces from the housing blocks the aim was to reveal the various types of threshold spaces present and their arrangement across the different development phases.

The estate had originally been planned as one large development, designed by Benson and Forsyth, but was realised in three different phases. Phase one was a reduced version of Benson and Forsyth’s original plans, built by Camden Council and completed in 1979. Phase two was also designed by a team from Camden’s architect department but without Benson and Forsyth. This phase was overseen by Daniel Usiskin and was completed in 1983. The third and final phase of the estate is much more recent, completed in 2017 by PRP architects with Camden Council as the client.

Each phase of the development has been categorised by the house or block typology. The block have then been drawn in plan, isolating only the peripheral spaces and layered across different storeys. These plans have formed the templates to produce a set of axonometric drawings, coloured coded to show the various types of threshold space, along a scale of public to private. These drawing highlight the differences in spatial design across the different phases of the development. The resulting drawings provide a comparative study of the earlier and later phases of the project. Shown here is a selection from the complete set of drawings. The accompanying design report can be found via the link below.

The rapid development of the global civil aviation industry has led to a surge in the number of airports. Airport departure hall consumes a lot of energy throughout the year due to their large size, complex function, busy business and long operation time. Among other functions the energy consumption for artificial lighting and air conditioning is one of the main factors leading to high energy consumption in the terminal. Skylight lighting, as a common way of lighting, is also different from ordinary buildings when it is applied to departure halls. At the same time, there is a special relationship between the energy consumption of air conditioning and the energy consumption of daylighting due to environmental conditions in low latitudes, and skylight lighting has a better energy saving potential in low latitudes. In view of this, this paper studies and analyzes options of skylight design for a typical airport departure hall form and layout. Based on the study of the design of departure halls and the theory of natural lighting design, the elements of daylighting design of skylights of the departure hall are summarized, and the natural lighting effect of the three skylights are discussed.

Menswear designer Wentian Song released a mono-material Menswear range for his Master collection at the Glasgow School of Art.

Being inspired by melting ice caps and the effect this is having on the planet, Wentian Song explored different forms of primary research by freezing garments and different objects, such as silicone blocks, few pins and photos, which related to his secondary research where he looked at historical photographs of workwear.

With consideration of maximizing the recycling of garments and making garments more easily degradable, Wentian Song applied mono-materiality into his design, by using straps and knots in his garments instead of traditional buttons and elastic bands.

In order to maximize the application of mono-materiality, Wentian Song deconstructed a pair of second hand suspender trousers and removed the original trouser legs to the armholes and sewed them into an oversize jacket. Then he sewed the pocket linings as a high collar along the neckline of the jacket. Similarly, after he got a first idea, he continued to do the second one and the third one until he got the oversize silhouette and the street look balance that he want.

Where it was necessary to use multiple fabrics, removable elements were designed by using buttons and zippers on the hem to connect the linings instead of sewing them together directly, this is so the components could be removed so the jacket could be recycled more easily.

Yasmine Amani is a textile artist and expert embroiderer, specialising in hand embroidery and embellishments. In her work, she combines traditional hand intensive embroidery methods with contemporary and current concepts, aiming to entertain and captivate the viewer. She has previously worked on commissions for the BBC, including embellishing a jacket which was worn by Susan Calman on BBC Scotlands’ Hogmanay.

Inspired by iconography and the decorative opulence of Faberge eggs, Yasmine Amani’s Master’s project looks to turn the chicken into the icon of the 21st Century. Inspired by films such as ‘Chicken Run’ and ‘Marie Antoinette’, she aims to reimagine the chicken with a new found sense of sophistication, glamour and grandeur.

Through a limited palette and material choice, subtle changes in the differing tones, weights, textures and transparencies of ribbon can be detected, echoing the beautiful plumage found in chickens. Influenced by designers such as Simone Rocha and Valentino, her fashion visualisations aim to manifest a sense of importance in its wearer.  With an emphasis on volume, her textiles are integral to mirroring the voluptuous qualities and plumage of the chicken, adding to the overall impact of the garment. Additionally, with the exclusive use of hand embroidery methods, she creates the look and feel of a sumptuous body of feathers throughout her collection, elevating the once humble chicken to a level beyond its popularity as meat.

Yasmine practices responsible methods in her work by using second-hand materials wherever possible, sourcing these through Ebay, charity, thrift and vintage shops. Additionally, by exclusively using hand embroidery methods in the making of her textiles, this excludes the need and use of machinery for the whole textile process. Furthermore, due to her style of embroidery, it would be hoped that the longevity of the item would span out many years and cherished by whoever it remains with.

The designer graduated from Master of fashion and textile in Glasgow school of art. With the main direction of silhouette design, her design is focusing on the relationship between human body and clothings and balancing traditional tailoring elements with dramatic design ideas to achieve the purpose of both wearable and conceptual design.

The name of the project is “Body in desire”, which came from the story of lustful people transformed into monsters in the anime “Devilman Crybaby”. Therefore, the designer used the change of human bodies in desire to combine with the elements from traditional tailoring jackets to present the influence from desire to human bodies by the hyperbole and abnormal silhouettes of the design work.

The designer thinks that everyone is equal in front of desire, there is no difference of gender, age, nationality and body shape, thus, she wanted to do gender less design with not only oversized clothings, but the garments structure that independent from human body, so the visual effect won’t be influenced by human body shapes. Therefore, all the datas came from different body shapes with various sized, height and genders, so the prototypes were also tried on various bodies to achieve the most balanced result.

Gaultier asked a famous question: “What is masculinity and what is feminization? Why shouldn’t men show their vulnerability and sensitivity, and women shouldn’t show their own intelligence and strength?”

This is a fashion series about gender fluidity, the designer hopes to finds a balance between the hard characteristics of masculinity and the soft characteristics of femininity, combining the two and displaying them in clothing.

In her development process, she used the basic suits bought from charity shops to transform the human body, combining two different color suits to produce deformation, to create new silhouettes and structure. She added to these suits by creating some extra features such as historical sleeves, ruff collars draped sections to the front, side, back, to combine with other structures and enhance the sense of design. She explored the characteristics of masculinity and femininity on a body through dress up exercises to investigate the blending of these two characteristics, from this she extracted the most successful elements to generate collage work and initial design ideas about cut, shape, color, fabric and silhouette.

Her design allows people in the current society who are afraid to express their true selves to express their bravery in the public with more confidence through dressing.This designer hope she can break through the public’s traditional solidified thinking about gender, through rejecting gender labels, and moving towards a wardrobe of gender freedom.

Sa Cheng, also called Selah, is consider fashion is an art. It is a concept that can be interpreted in various ways for each individual, which, for her makes it fascinating – everyone has a different style. For some people, self-expression is difficult, having an individual style gives these people the ability to show their personality and beliefs and this intrigues her. Her interest in fashion has grown year after year through her development of expressing herself with different styles.

She always consider that beauty is not static and it can be displayed with different forms. What our designs convey most is our value. She is aiming to overthrow the traditional definition on fashion and provoke thinking of the real world in others’ mind through her designs. Structure is an important design element in her design, and different silhouettes are created through different permutations and combinations.

Her interest in fashion fuels her creativity and determination and she is excited to improve the technical skills she already has and to combine her love for fashion with knowledge of marketing and merchandising. She wants to delve deeply into the fashion world, increasing her growing curiosity and knowledge. The skills she has built on her own through her profound interest in the area and her skills.

By studying politics, she has a deeper understanding of the economy and its impact on fashion. For example, she found that due to a year of protests and demonstrations that led to a decline in Hong Kong’s economy, the overall profit of the fashion industry declined. This is very insightful because it reveals how the economic uncertainty of Hong Kong affects the fashion industry, and the fashion industry depends on consumer confidence and material demands. In addition, her research on philosophy helps she to understand human nature, so we are naturally eager to create art forms and make our ideas practical.

As a member of a generation who criticizes the indifferent and lack of inspiration, studying fashion is now more important than ever, because her determination to create timeless and influential things has become stronger and stronger. She thrive in a dynamic environment where she can reach her full potential, and she believes that the vision of becoming a major contributor to fashion will be realized by studying at university. Here, she will be able to fully cultivate her creative passion and finally realize herself.

Shanxu Cong, also called Vivien.

As a women’s wear designer, she is concerned about women’s freedom and protection, and she also explores the development of underwear style structure to convey women’s pursuit of free life attitude.

In her opinion, the sexiest moment of a woman is the moment when she comes home, takes off her clothes one by one and lies lazily in her delicate bedroom. With this in mind, she conducted an in-depth visual photographic investigation of the process of undressing.

This is the moment to show the beauty of the female body line, but it is not limited to age and figure. The structural change of folds is a good way to express these body lines. She loved the wrinkles, whether they were in the fabric of clothing or on human skin, and she didn’t see anything bad with them. Just like she loves everything about herself.

Manwei Ou is a womenswear designer who graduated from MDes Fashion and Textile of Glasgow School of Art. Inspired by the curtains blowing in the wind of Gabriel Lester’s installation , the designer decided to research the concept of frozen in time and space and experiment with capturing old clothing in the mid-air through photography.

These images selected from the impressive shape of thousands of pictures lead to a sensitive collection of twisted, flexible silhouettes dresses and hats. The shadow cast by the clothes on the wall in the photo also contributed a lot to this collection.

The work refers to revoke the warm memory and the unforgettable moment of urban people, as well as the concretization of personal abstract emotions, second-hand garments’ rebirth. Time is unstoppable, but we had this moment.

Currently, the fashion industry is one of the most wasteful industries in terms of resources. Most brands launch new products at least twice a year or more. Garments are losing their value through time because popular trends are always changing. Chao’s designs are inspired by the traditional Japanese patchworking techniques, such as “Boro” and “Sashiko”. Those techniques link to the traditional Japanese aesthetic “Wabi-Sabi”, which embraces imperfection, incompleteness, and impermanent beauty. Chao uses “Boro” and “Sashiko” techniques and the concept of “Wabi-Sabi” to repurpose textiles, deconstructing and reconstructing garments to give new lives to old pieces of clothing. This practice can produce numerous designs, giving a new life and purpose to otherwise disregarded clothing.

I created a new Collection with the interests and the feelings of mine which inspired by sound and silence and focused on the whole process of design through the studies at GSA. I became a surface led student and focused more on textiles in the whole year. I did much more textiles works than before and got much more than my expectation after the whole year studying in GSA. I explored the working method of fashion design and created my personal aesthetic.

I was inspired by the Artist, Film and Muse research project a lot. The muse in this project of mine is Brian Eno who works as a musician. Music gives me a fascinating world in my life, and I would like to create a relationship between music and clothes for a long time. So I was really excited to start this project. The project I was working on is to translate music and sound into garments. It was a pretty exciting project but with many difficulties, and I created a relationship among the sense of hearing and seeing by my own understanding of music and garments.

My project consists of three parts, sound part, visual part and the part of “sound” and “silence”. Throughout this project I undertaken  an in-depth research. In my previous project I took little time on research，so the outcomes were limited by my limited views. In this project I did research by the whole time in stage 1 and got much more than my expectation. So my work in stage 2 was making a selection of stage 1’s works to further my project, instead of continuing working difficultly with the limited ideas. I explored the sound materials and silent materials in stage 2, and I found flexible foam which is interesting to work with it on garments. It was my first time using an untraditional material on fabrics and it was an exiting start for my future projects.

Yu Xie is a photographer from China. His works focus on how do we look at the current social situation and its impact on individuals? We re-examine our way of life from the perspectives of individuals, habits, groups, urban structures, international news, etc. Explain, embody, analyze and criticize what is applicable to the individual’s emotions, the connection with the group, and how the individual can explore and respond to the next potential crisis in the context of the individual or the relationship between the individual and the urban development.

INNER CITY

In this project, he initially focused on an exploration of the ubiquity of architecture and urban objects within the city. Through constructed image making his project has morphed into a wider critique of how we see cities and the symbols within them. The images explore liminal or transitional spaces and their meanings are interpreted through his subjective perspective. His hope is that the viewer looks at the world he have constructed, and sees a world of absurdity, fiction, reality and fantasy. Something that is both familiar and unfamiliar, unnerving and uncanny. An inner city born of my observations and imagination.

Normal

After the covid 19 outbreak and subsequent pandemic, the whole world seemed to stop, but in the wider expanse of history, what has felt like forever, has in reality been just a few short months. Time did not stand still. His life and the world changed quietly. His room effectively became his world as he gradually crepts towards his new normal. This normal was uncertain but not unfamiliar. The objects and space were effectively the same, but how he viewed them had changed. Through his camera he sought to try and make sense of his surroundings and state of mind. Using primarily still life, his photographs look for clues and explore metaphor through the daily narration of his new normal life.

I have a deep passion for trying to tackle the climate crisis. I consider it my way of contributing to that, by acting as a communicator and advocate for the greatness of change and alternatives that lie ahead of us. As an Illustrator, I want to utilise the ability of art to tap into people’s emotions and reach their guts – to influence a decision-making process and to motivate people to fight apathy and to find perspective. What I personally like so much about art, as a tool, is that it can easily be used to show a way of growing out of, instead of fighting against, whatever has to be changed. This follows the principle that whatever you give your attention to will expand. It is the perfect possibility to generate a new reality by feeding people‘s imagination – making something that might be yet invisible visible. “Homo sapiens rules the world because it is the only animal that can believe in things that exist purely in its own imagination, such as gods, states, money, and human rights.”, says Noah Yuval Harari in his book “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind”; hence, all systems on our planet earth (except for the ecosystem) once were just ideas in someone‘s mind who then acted upon them, convinced others of the ideas‘ strength, and therefore created a new reality. With all of my projects, I aim to contribute to creating such a new reality; one that is not based on exploiting people and planet, but one that is built on social, sustainable, and equitable values.

If this made you curious about more: Chrysopoeia is my recently launched caboodle of work where I will showcase all of my future projects.

I am a multidisciplinary artist utilising skills in Film Making, Photography and Visual language as my primary method of storytelling. Adhering to an underlying ethical code within my practise is a required part of acting responsibly as an artist, designer and a consumer, something I needed to be keenly aware of, given the sensitive nature of my work. This is no longer a choice or privilege, but a commitment everyone carries with their actions and Communication Design challenges me to ensure these values are upheld.

For the film “Mektub” I followed the animal welfare organisation “Ims’one Project” based in Morocco who seek to vaccinate, sterilize, tag and release street dogs as well as house the most vulnerable in the region. The documentary highlights the general situation facing street dogs in Imsouane, Morocco, and the attempts by local animal welfare organisations to introduce legislation combating the inhumane mass culling by authorities as an attempt to control their population. Woven alongside the issues facing dogs is also the personal portrait of Fran Belle, founder of “Ims’one Project”. Fran has to care for them as humanely as possible with limited resources, relying often on little more than her own relentless determination and immense self sacrifice.

Compared with the undergraduate study of visual communication in a comprehensive university, the postgraduate study of graphics in Glasgow School of Art has brought Renyu Tian a greater space to explore and professional perspective.

The exit of graphics is not limited. Renyu believes that the information conveyed by graphics is diversified and can be very personal. When expressing views on some social phenomena, such as the infodemic and the conceptual change of marriage to modern people, she is more inclined to start from her senses and feelings.

Yingjie is a graphic designer. He usually uses illustrations and typography to reflect the concept of his work. Sometimes he will use almost crazy methods to achieve his goals. Some of the concepts of his works may seem naughty or even lazy, but he hopes that the audience can find something deeper behind these.

After coming to GSA, he focused on exploring more interesting things and concepts that people usually don’t notice easily, and try to use crazy ways to transform these concepts into his works. ‘Films in 1994 ’ is a good example.

As a Chinese, he understand the environment and current situation of Chinese art. He especially admire the artists from the 1970s to the 1990s. They worked hard to find their own artistic value and dared to fight for their purpose under the circumstances that the social environment changed very quickly. The spirit of confrontation is very worthy of the current artists to learn. Yingjie is also attracted by this spirit and hopes to make a work to commemorate it.

email: yingjiezhou1220@gmail.com

Xiaoxin Wang is an illustrator and visual designer from China. She is currently working as a freelance illustrator. She explores the use of comics to tell stories about what happens around her. She uses irony and humor to take us into a surreal space. Her work aims to give the reader an emotional identity. She was shuttling back and forth between reality and the surreal.

Xiaoxin graduated from Hubei Institution of Fine Arts with a degree in Visual Communication Design before completing her GSA master’s degree.
“My works focus on the study of all kinds of emotions brought by the society. Through the observation of the people around me, I find that some of the pressures brought by the community are very subtle by looking at these stories and adding some emotional content. It is the most exciting thing to let the work wander between the real and the surreal. “

Giorgia Tonolo is an Italian Graphic Designer mainly interested in editorial design. She graduated at IUAV University in Venice in 2018. She has also experimented professional life for a year in Italy, where she learnt to deal with clients.

She is organised and determined, she offers refined and minimalistic design projects, based on a clear structure. During her master at the Glasgow School of Art, she experimented more, trying to break the mold. She changed her way of thinking, by starting designing and thinking through the making. As a matter of fact, this year helped her experiment with new printing and binding techniques. She experimented even more in her last project. Starting from a science experiment she made, she made some mould grow and then she decided to recreate their texture and shapes through the embroidery, learning it by making. This experimentation lead to the realisation of a fabric poster and a small publication.

She worked on different topics, from daily psychological obsessions to moulds and science to common and anonymous objects. She changed her approach to the graphic design field, by focusing more on conceptual works, based on a strong visual language. In the future, she would like to deepen the type design field, as part of her passion for book design.

THE AMAZON IS ON FIRE. SAVE AMAZON.

In recent years, Coronavirus, Australia fire, dramatic temperature change and amazon rainforest destruction rate have returned to their peak. The frequent occurrence of disasters on earth made me start to think about human beings and the environment. How to balance the relationship between human and nature? How can the situation of the “future” not be worse than that of the present?

My topic is about the deforestation of Amazon rainforest. The number of fires in the Amazon rainforest increased 30.5% in 2019 from the previous year, while deforestation rose 85%, according to recent data released by Brazil’s space research agency INPE. The Amazon rainforest is far away from our lives, but its roles the lungs of the earth. Where would we be without it? My project is to make a publication–THE AMAZON IS ON FIRE( bilingual edition in Chinese and English)–to make more people aware of Amazon rainforest.

“The Fire” does not only fire in the Amazon rainforest but more importantly, the amazon is in a state of emergency and need of rescue right now.

Jiayi Cai was born in Guangdong Province, China. She studied fashion design and garment engineering in China before completing the Master of Design in Photography from Communication Design at the Glasgow School of Art.

After graduating from university, she decided to come to the UK to study fashion photography. In stage 1 and stage 2, she devoted herself to finding her visual language and working hard to learn to create narrative fashion photography works.

She works across disciplines, her practice is process-led, trying various methods and techniques to develop ideas. She likes to dig out the relationship between fashion and humanities and create emotional works on this basis.

Urszula is a multidisciplinary designer-maker with background in film and photography who is currently based in Glasgow.

She graduated with BA(Hons) in Interior Design from The Glasgow School of Art in June 2019 and continued her education at Master level. 

Some of her interests include mid-century furniture, brutalist architecture and exhibition design. Her approach to design focuses on experimentation and playfulness aiming for bold, minimal yet multilayered outcomes. 

The undertaken project explores the potential of adaptive reuse of architectural structure, a brutalist car park located in the centre of Glasgow, by integrating new technologies in proposed new function of an exhibition space.

The research focused of hyperreality and digital technologies in context of contemporary art and design practice and how these can positively affect the physical spaces of a building and allow for effective and multidisciplinary user experience. Extensive examination of contemporary practitioners allowed for forming possible visual outcomes of proposed multisensory environment. Experimentation with various digital interfaces was concluded in speculating exciting, multi-layered environment.

Exploration of the chosen architectural space resulted in proposal focused on flexibility and adaptability of a space and allowed to form a narrative that takes into the account the original function of the building.

Appling digital technologies combined with temporary special design allowed for the dialog between the space’s digital and physical elements that have a possibility to be adapted to a variety of architectural typologies.

Glenda Annokye is an Italian/African designer. She began her academic career studying product design at Brera Academy in Milan.
Following a few years living in Scotland, she decided to pursue MDes in Interior Design at Glasgow School of Art. Glenda drew inspiration for her design from her everyday life with the aim of enhancing people’s lives. During her master’s degree, Glenda continued to inspire the interface between product and interior design with a design of a tile that was able to capture vibrations from steps. The idea behind this project was to create a space where people could see what is usually not possible to see. In her latest project, she created a pod for enabling people to spend time isolated with their thought, for a few minutes or hours per day. The idea was to tackle the negative association with solitude and integrate this state of complete isolation into our lives in a positive way.
This project was created, mostly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has changed our lives and encouraged us to consider how people can cope with being isolated and how isolation can be beneficial creatively and spiritually.

In the future she sees herself living in the UK pursued her career as a designer
Another area that she hopes to explore in future projects is incorporating elements of her African heritage into her design.

glenda.annokye@gmail.com

Parasitic Pods for urban nomads under high-density digital society.

with the development of high density and digital society, the proportion of urban nomads will gradually increase. As a designer, I reckon that we need pay more attention to this group of people, what I want to do is creating a new parasitic pod concept as a utopia vision for urban nomads to fit their unique lifestyle, and concern their internal emotions. Through these pods, they might boost physical contact with others as well as get to know the sensations of themselves. The most interesting process in this project for me is that I regard parasitic pods as communication medium with movable and foldable structure, engaging with origami design.

Plastics, Habits, Space

The theme of the project is how people’s behavior and habits affected people’s living space under the background of plastic pollution. Due to people’s lack of awareness of environmental protection, as well as a large number of factories manufacturing plastic products, online shopping, takeout, and the impact of tourism, people’s life is full of plastic waste, how to deal with plastic waste has become a first-class problem, if not handled well, It will seriously invade the homes of animals and human beings and pose a threat to life. Most of the daily necessities are made of plastic, so it can be said that people’s living habits are basically people’s habits of using plastics. However, people’s bad living habits are easy to lead to environmental pollution——disposable consumption habits. So, architecture should take responsibility for the natural and social cultural environment, people’s consumption habits should be changed. The project analyzed the changes of family environment and living habits under the background of plastic pollution from 1950 to 21st century. Through the research, finding out how the plastic and living habits affect the living space, discovering the trend of the change, and speculate what people’s living habits and living space will look like after 20 years.

We live in an era of a stable economy and rapid development of science and technology, but we have to admit that the society we live in is a profoundly differentiated society, with a series of issues such as gender, race, class, and religion that are not in harmony with the current world.

In this project, I will take gender differentiation as my main research direction. As is known to all, gender inequality is very common in Asia, especially in China, and it does not match the current world civilization. Chinese women from the 1930s and 1940s are the main subjects of this study. Analyze and consider the phenomenon of the existence of such problems and the deep causes of such problems. And combined with the theoretical research and related design to put forward their own ideas and substantive solutions to the gender differential society. Moreover, as a relatively vulnerable group in society, I would think more about space design from the perspective of women. I will bring the “female perspective” into life and design, and explore the female emotions contained in it to interpret the female power. I will design several large experience Spaces so that people can have an “immersive” experience through devices and space design.

“The Ideal Woman” is designed as an exhibition and experience gallery for women, which is a place for people from all walks of life to know about women. I hope that through the space design and the internal function of the space everyone focuses on sexism instead of turning a blind eye to it or even treating it as the norm.

Space is an indispensable part of film narrative, which is a factor that cannot be ignored when people talk about narrative. The space narrative of  film is a creative method based on the selection, processing, and creation of space. The purpose is to highlight the role of film space, use space as the main means to promote film narration, and ultimately construct a complete narrative work. This project seeks to analyse the construction of film narrative composed by film space through the film In the Mood for Love(Wong Kar-wai, 2000) to deliver an understanding of the embedded emotional experience in interiors.

Introduction

This film mainly tells the story of the two protagonists Chow Mo-wan(Mr. Chow) and Su Li-zhen(Mrs. Chan) who find that their spouses have an affair and start to imitate what might happen between their spouses, and finally both fall in love. As a regular subject of melodrama, director Wong Kar-wai and the chief editor William Cheung give this boring theme an attractive vision in terms of the featured shooting perspective. Through the analysis of the film spaces and related events, it is clear that with the development of the plot of this film, each space represents a special state of emotion and composes a causal relationship with the other. This spacial allocation also contributes to the discontinuity in film, which results in the chaos of the identification about their relationship and the film-featured connection between space and experience. Comparing to real life, this connection can be regarded as the habit which is constituted by a series of continuous experience. In the film, in contrast, this connection is composed of familiar objects in a fractured way(Walter Benjamin, 1935).

In terms of space demonstration, compared to architecture, sculpture, opera, and dance which can all be concluded as the art in space, film can be seen as the first art about space and can guarantee a very complete control of the space(Marcel Gabriel, 1992). With the use of editing techniques, montage, and full-length shot for instance, what the film ultimately shows is the connection between spaces based on the narrative principle, and through the control of time to help viewers can more clearly understand the priorities between events. This is why film is different from other art forms, people can experience the presence of space and time at the same time. In film narrative, the flow of time must depend on the combination and change of space, so as to obtain formal existence. It is precise because of the connection of the frames that the temporality in the film must be established in space and thus embedded in the narrative (André Gaudreault, Francois Jost, 2005). From the perspective of interior design, the significance of film In the Mood for Love is that it offers a tone for each film-space to assist the development of the narrative, which provides a direction for studying the unpredictable meaning of spaces and the development of the relationship between the two protagonists in different periods.

This project first discusses the definition of film space from the duality of film and the division of film space based on different prerequisites. Its purpose is to convey the role of space in the composition of film narrative. Then, based on the research and analysis of film space, discuss the difference between narrative space and spatial narrative, as well as the methods and meanings used in film. Then, it is the interior design model produced by the author based on the understanding of the space in the movie In the Mood for Love and the connection between them. This part mainly conveys how to transform the space arrangement with movie characteristics into real space arrangement and the contribution of existing interior design theory. In the final summary, the author expresses the relationship between film research and interior design and the potential for future development through cultural and theoretical aspects.

Aastha Bangia is a young motivated architect and designer from New Delhi, India. During her five-year long bachelors in architecture, her design process and research always mainly focused on exploring the gender-neutral aspects of spaces. She staunchly believes that the most important element that has to be considered in any space is the “user” and thus, a well-designed space evolves from consideration of emotions of the user. Since a space consists of various aspects ranging from physical elements such as form, furniture, texture etc to environmental – such as light, temperature etc, each element we add knowingly or unknowingly has a directly proportional impact on the users that occupy the space. The balance between these elements and the interaction amongst them needs to be maintained in order to gain the optimum output/experience of the space.

This can even be seen in her recent GSA Stage 3 Research Project where she investigates the idea of a completely new domestic setting that challenges as well as questions the orthodox norms, stigmas and functionalities assigned to our everyday life spaces. Her project aims to highlight the fundamental aspects and characteristics that make a space optimum, gender-neutral or balanced, and positive in terms of experience all pertaining to interiors. Some may call it a “feminist approach”, while the research aims to coin it as a more “holistic” approach towards designing spaces.

She explores the possibilities of merging the exteriors and interiors. The side concept focuses on the “bringing the outside indoors” and blurring the idea of these “boundaries” to some extent. This is done for the following reasons:
1. Metaphorically, if the outside world is considered for men and the indoors for women, what would happen if one can’t differentiate between the two?
2. It has been scientifically proven by various psychologists and designers that the closer one is to nature, the happier they are. This raises the question of what would happen if the blurring of these two mediums leads to a more positive user-experience and a healthier mental state for the ones occupying this space?
Discussions have been made regarding the influence of individual physical entities of an interior space (like color, texture, form, empty spaces, etc.) and the attributes that make it “gender-neutral”. Individual effect of each factor on human emotions must be taken into account for creating better user experiences.

This project is just an attempt at using all this knowledge and exploring a design possibility that is free of any bias. The sole purpose is to generate awareness about the importance of interiors to be both emotionally friendly and gender friendly. As designers of the new era, it becomes our responsibility to create spaces that are more sensitive in all aspects. Thus, both emotions and gender inclusive design that encourages its users becomes a paradigm that should become the linchpin of any construction. A need for development of an intervening set of design tools which will facilitate by providing step-by-step information, guidance and direction is highlighted through this project.

Introduction 

The Re-Building project is looking into how interior design can act as a therapeutic space for those struggling to live a happy life due to a traumatic event they have experienced. This space teaches people resilience towards trauma and helps them develop protective factors to allow a healthier response to traumatic events in the future. This space focuses on empathy and experience to promote healthy emotions and behaviours. In a physical term, Re-Building is used to renovate old, unwanted, damaged, or abandoned buildings. In an emotional term, Re-Building is a safe zone where people can identify the effects of a traumatic event and learn how their body needs to respond through a natural and safe release of energy to build resilience.

Aims and objectives 

The first aim of this project is to build resilience in people through a therapeutic encounter with the interior of the selected building. This research developed through several experiments of expression and gathering of feedback from both human and computer-generated software to understand how human emotion can be translated into an inanimate object.

Plato, the Philosopher, once said that there is a metaphysical realm of Ideal Forms. These Forms are universal and unchanging. Based on this, the second aim of this research is therefore to pursue the meaning of the Ideal Form and more specifically the Ideal Form of Interior. To do this, it was important to start this research by gathering insight on ornamentation, beauty, purpose, function, form, evolution, and future of any building to highlight the important factors in each of these categories.

The objective was then to create ornamentation of the human emotion so that both human labour and human emotion can contribute in the construction of the Ideal Form of Interior and to discover if Interior design can come closer to the Ideal Form by implying that function follows human needs and form follows human behaviour.

Trauma 

A traumatic event is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience through an emotional shock or a physical injury and there are three key therapy types for this. Somatic experiencing therapy focuses on bodily sensations, rather than thoughts and memories about the traumatic event. By concentrating on what’s happening within the body, there can be a release of trauma related energy through shaking, crying, and other forms of physical release. Cognitive-behavioural therapy helps people to process and evaluate their thoughts and feelings about a trauma. And finally, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing incorporates elements of Cognitive-behavioural therapy with eye movements or other forms of rhythmic, left-right stimulation that can “unfreeze” traumatic memories.

For Erika, it is important to highlight the potential in old and abandoned buildings to avoid further damage to the environment as sustainability should be the bases of all future designs while maintaining the design variety of the past. Throughout each of her projects, Erika has the passion to make a difference by learning about personal issues of the public and tackling them one by one using interior design to create awareness with the aim to stimulate people to live and socialise in an emotionally healthier way. She aims to continue discovering new ways to help people through the adaptation of designs of the past, maintaining that the user’s well-being and happiness is a priority.

As a designer, not only should be able to find problems, these problems may be hot spots around or be hidden dangers in the future. But also should provide an optimized solution, which meets the engineering conditions and the user-friendly experience.

This project aims to deal with the excessive stress and mental problems suffered by people as a result of self-isolation during the epidemic. This product adopts a wearable camera module to provide motion-sensing interactive games to help people increase indoor activities, reduce stress, and increase social contact.
The hardware of the product consists of two parts: a band with a sensor and power supply and a camera module that can work independently. When the user wants to play the somatosensory interactive game, first use the camera module to connect the projector. After successful pairing, open the band, put the camera module at a suitable place, and then close the band to select different motion modes to play the game.

This product is for special people in a special period (self-isolation, single person in the city closure period), so the use scene is indoor, at the same time, it needs to cooperate with the projector, TV screen, and other equipment to obtain the best user experience.

I am a recent graduate in the Product Design Engineering master course. Having a background in Production Engineering and Management I am familiar with technical issues and I have developed strong problem-solving skills. However, I have always been more interested in people and nature than in machines and production lines. Being a Product Design Engineer gives me the opportunity to fulfil my passion which is to solve problems but with a more creative and human-centred approach.

This year at the Glasgow School of Art I learned a lot about design thinking and design processes and gained valuable skills for my next steps. As a member of the Covid-19 class, we faced practical limitations, but it was an opportunity to show flexibility and creativity and find alternative ways to complete our projects.

This project was based on my particular interest in sustainable design and a problem arising due to Covid-19 pandemic. This is the Personal Protective Equipment and the terrible consequences that this waste has on the environment. More specifically mask waste adds to the already existing plastic pollution, as it contains plastic layers. ECO UVmask is a reusable sustainable mask which offers high protection, focuses on human needs, has a portable case where it can be easily stored and sterilised and after its disposal does not remain in the environment.

I have always had a natural urge to find and attempt to solve problems. I have this desire to just try and make things a wee bit better, which can be frustrating, but I believe it’s healthy.

I completed my undergraduate course in Production Engineering and Management at Strathclyde University. After giving a strong foundation in engineering and design, this course then focused on optimising manufacturing systems, and process improvement. I have worked with various manufacturing companies, from the automotive industry to the drink industry.
However, I was always an extremely creative child – constantly drawing and painting. I started to realise that I was missing something, as I wasn’t able to find many ways to be creative in manufacturing. I began to recognise there may be a way to remedy this, as well as advancing my prior education. This Product Design Engineering course has, I believe, come at just the right time. It has allowed me to further develop skills I already possessed, as well as open my eyes to aspects of design I could never have imagined.

This course has given me the confidence to say that, if you put any situation at all in front of me, I can come up with some kind of improvement. From using empathy, being able to make connections, find a root cause, problem solve, co-create with users, ideate and rapidly create concepts, and build, test and iterate, I now have this box of tools that I will carry with me.

All I hope is that I keep moving forward. As it is the process of identifying problems and finding creative solutions that I enjoy, I am not fussy about a particular company, industry, or direction – so long as the ethos of the space I end up working in aligns roughly with my own.

My major project, RIPPLE, is a dynamic cushion with incremental haptic feedback for sedentary behaviour. It could trigger the user to get up from seat regularly through the gradually rising bumps from its surface. Compared to the current way of reminding (such as phone alarm), this kind of ambient feedback is likely to interrupt the workflow of the user.

To achieve this function, I developed a non-electrical structure with air cell, flow control valve and foam spring. When the user sits on it, the seat will drop with the air released slowly. After a certain time, the seat will contact the bumps, which provide an incremental stimulation to the user. After the user gets up, the air cell will rebound with the foam spring inside, inflating air and return to the original height.

is a British Product Design Engineer with a background in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, whose MSc final project is titled ‘Designing For The Homeless‘.

It was identified that the Glasgow housing crisis is particularly affected by two key problems; a poor perception of the homeless by the public and homeless sleep deprivation. The negative connotations surrounding the homeless population and a resulting lack of human contact makes it difficult for them to get the support they need. Sleep deprivation is an unrecognised concern for most homeless people. Rough sleeping is mentally, physically and emotionally draining, and the constant exposure to noise leads to ailments like insomnia that further impacts the homelessness stigma.

Introducing Caraid; a system that utlises RFID technology and white noise sleep therapy to address these issues. An associated service was designed which sought to change the way the public interacts with the homeless, by encouraging empathy and initiating contact.

I am a MSc Product Design Engineering student originally from Toronto, Canada. I have a bachelor’s degree in Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo and over 3 years of work experience as a Software Developer and Systems Engineer. Before starting my master’s degree at the Glasgow School of Art, I spent the past year and a half leading a cross disciplinary design team – specializing in designing websites, mobile and desktop applications. It was during this employment that I found myself more interested in design and user experience.

For my MSc Major Project, I worked in collaboration with the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery to develop a museum display case to tackle the issue of displaying light-sensitive objects in the presence of natural light. Through stakeholder discussions and a user centered design approach, the Setaka Smart Display was created. The final product uses two types of smart glass technology as well as an integrated IoT system to protect artifacts from both natural and UV exposure.

More examples of my past project can be found at: https://www.thanuree-pathiranawasam.net/

If you are looking for full time hires for September 2020, be sure to email me at: tppathir@gmail.com

Current prices of prosthetic legs cost between £3,000 to £50,000. For adults, a new prosthetic leg is needed every 2-5 years. Furthermore, lower limb amputees normally have several legs for different purposes. Amputees spend an average of £100,000 extra in their lifetime compared to non-amputees due to their limb loss and adaptations to their lifestyle.

Prosthetic feet are mass manufactured products, which are usually still expensive. Patients don’t usually get feet which are optimal for their biomechanics due to lack of analysis and budget constraints on clinics.

3D printing has been at the forefront of prototyping for many years now, but it has seldom been used in final production. For my final project, I explored opportunities where 3D printing could be used as an actual manufacturing solution. 3D printing is a solution that can lower the cost of prosthetic feet, whilst also tailoring each foot to the patient, leading to better walking mechanics and rehabilitation. This project explores a workflow that can be conducted to quickly adjust a foot framework for each patient to suit their individual needs.

Product design engineering has allowed me to apply my technical skills from my traditional mechanical engineering degree to solve problems through design. Moving forward, I am excited to continue developing my skills in design engineering and I’m actively seeking roles or research opportunities in mechanical design.

Nowadays, people concern more about environmental problems. In this project, I focused on two main problems, the first one is the decline of bees, the second one is the biophilic urbanization. In the early stage, I did some research about bees’ decline, such as the reason of it, where it happens and how large influence they will cause. The result is not good because nearly all over the world people suffer this problem, can it may lead to some bigger problem such as the shortage of food because about 80% of planted food is pollinated by bees. Another topic I focused on is the biophilic urbanization. Cases in Singapore and US proved its possibility, even urban agriculture can also be achieved in a biophilic city. These two points connected together when I was thinking the pollination the urban area, will urban environment suit for bee to live in? I did some other research about that, and in fact, bees can get better life in the urban area according to the research. So I decided to design a product which can enhance the biophilic feeling and also give bees a home in the urban area.I picked bench as the form of the product at the beginning, then I tried some ideas to discover the possible solution. After choosing an idea, I began to optimized it, I considered about its structure, material, the user experience and if it good for bees. During this period, I build the 3D model for simulation and testing. I met a problem when designing a connection component, because there were so many obstacles need to be avoided and the structure should not block the sunshine for the plant, so I used generative design to build the component, and I felt really happy with the solution it provided. The result of the simulation was quite good, it proved the structure of the bench could be safe enough when being used in an outside environment.

My product, the InnerStrength body protector, aims to deal with the issue of impact injuries in amateur cricket. Within the context of modern batting, where the hard ball is hit powerfully more often, an opportunity was identified for a product that provides torso protection for both batting and fielding. The product (although of use to all cricketers) is targeted towards less-experienced players, with the aim of reducing the anxieties and vulnerabilities associated with facing fast, short bowling, and fielding close to a power hitting batter. The growing popularity of women’s cricket influenced the decision to have different gendered versions of the product in terms of size, especially as the so-called unisex gear on the market is often not an ideal fit (although more work needs to be done to further tailor the design for women cricketers).

The design process took a lot of unexpected detours, whether finding inspiration from spacesuits or the impenetrable skin of honey badgers, it was exciting to apply knowledge and ideas from a wide range of areas and apply it to the greatest sport in the world (cricket). The challenge of creating body protection was made harder due to the context of use including both batting and fielding – the full range of body motions to consider, from full length diving to vertical jumps, are too long to list.

Thankfully, throughout the process the GSA inspired human centred design techniques learned over a year of intensive study helped greatly in solving the small, medium and large problems that inevitably arise within a 12-week design time frame. The Design, Build, Test philosophy, allowed me to explore a range of design concepts efficiently and make calculated evaluations which ultimately fuelled the direction of the final product. This approach and the methods involved, is definitely something I hope to take forward into a career of design.

In solidarity with those embroiled in complaints against GSA we present a collaborative piece of writing that came about as part of a conversation responding to Fred Moten and Stefano Harney’s text ‘The university (last words)’ and our own experiences of the institution.

This text is available to listen to as a special edition of the Art Writing Soft Shell podcast here.

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hang on can’t hear back in a sec 
Radically detach
Rejecting the gowns the dress
I think just stop paying
the feedback is the grades / collective feedback takes its place
If we accept
experience economy
Access to your peers
in a pragmatic way
undermine value of credential
What is required
Using the university as a hermit crab shell
university as hermit crab shell
university as a hermit crab shell
occupy
carapace
Any kind of shell
something useful that can be carried off
steal from the university
Access to each other
beep
you’ve all been expelled
refusing
refusing to end
Refusing the discipline
sticky question
extracted as currency
extracted from you as the university’s currency
Submit awful work
Do your best work in secret amongst each other
do your best work in secret
then you lick it
the university as guard of resource
University as guard to be undermined
break down barriers of access
Disperse them outwards
I can let anyone into a zoom
physical barriers
Robin Hood it
What they hold
authorship
people on the inside giving away for free
Intellectual property
how are those entangled
Property ownership authorship
property ownership authorship
Collective authorship
complicity
Talked out of it by submission
voices that join in with each other
hierarchy of work
Work rises
hierarchy of work
What it means to have an art practice
arts ed capitalises on “my work”
the privilege of being paid to work/research
academics rise
Individuality of submissions
Read by a higher reader
even if working as a collaboration
the individuality of submissions
can’t submit as one
Property–>value
the labour isn’t equivalent
From the beginning we are learnt to say ‘my practice’ ‘my work’
You go in holding this thing
disrupt and defer
the language of “my practice”
a practice of individuation
language of practice is the language of funding applications
we don’t present without names
We don’t present nameless
Naming as a form of violence
naming as ossifying
fixing to commodify
Acknowledgement as first step
Overcoming our complicity
my work/my practice,
What could it become
many many terms
Different ways to conceptualise it and put it into language
what role does language have in all of this
a manifesto
manifesto as movement to a different language
language of movement of criticism
Instead of floating through it
what we understand collectively
our own our practices
maybe just not paying
if you’ve got a problem you assume there’s a specific solution to that problem
Step outside – the potentials get bigger
meet in the car park
Stepping around the problem
increasing surveillance of students
Restriction of access
ways to work around that
movement around the campus is documented
Not a given that that’s okay
surveillance – it’s not a given that that’s ok
you start at group and end at solo
whole artist trajectory is group show towards solo show
start at group and end at solo
Art – start in group move to solo / it’s all pushed that way / it’s a tradition – proponent of larger apparatus of making solo
a larger apparatus of making solo
Abolish the solo show!
(Dorothea Lange, at her big moma retrospective, insisted on including her assistant’s work in it)
Presented to a student, to take part in – take part, scoop
student paying for the conversation / staff being paid to ‘give the conversation | taking part is the language of the university
Conscientious and active students paying
often not lines defined by the students themselves
this weird accountability thing
Its not a mutual thing
staff student ‘relationship’
the beginning of being solidified
We’re in the beginnings of being solidified
the early fizzy stages
it didn’t feel fun anymore
The work, my work, a unit of work
play
Resisting articulation or end
the structures that make things not fun anymore
Sustained practice (SH)
fun and play as subversive strategies
What about anger
what about anger
Anger within play
Play assumes we’re happy
where is anger within play
an indulgence
pastoral care as pull / indulgent
someone to care what you’re doing
you can’t show anger bc you’re getting pastoral care
It puts you in a clinch
play as in mess with it
Other ways to be antagonistic within the structure
it ultimately benefits the uni
Never made the actual work
withheld the work
benefited the course – won prizes
To not make the final product
it is very slippery
that’s not really the fucking point
The inconvenience of anger
the inconvenience of anger and of not playing
Of not giving back
Inconvenience of giving something back that’s not palatable
Not playing
Not user friendly
how do people think it’s different and why
remove reference to it
The institution are uncomfortable so trying to remove reference to them / keep it in house
the idea of looking back
Alumnus are used
alumnus – they let themselves be used
that doesn’t make any sense chronologically
University relying on complacency on a more giant body of students
university relying on complacency of larger body of students
like business does
I’ve just got to get through this
the individuation of it
I’m gonna carve this time out
I’m going to carve this time out
the sacrifices people have made
the sacrifices people have made
money/time
Relies on the sacrifices
A bind
competition, apathy
Some people aren’t in a position to reject it
powerless within that
to be in a specific place
What can we do as a group to disrupt or reject that
on a day to day basis
habitual things
Habitual actions
What habitual things over a long term force change
the privilege to be able to protest
the privilege to be able to protest
it’s about access as well
access to these thought processes
Access to these discussions
organising outwith the institution
Brief moments of interactions have sometimes been more worthwhile than 2 hr seminars
that spontaneous conversation that arises
the stuff that’s around the institution the para
is probably most valuable
The stuff that’s around the institution /the para part of the institution
Those spaces, they’re spontaneous
there’s something and it’s a bit sideways
make the structure make less sense
Let it go let it stop being property
how you articulate where your position in the university is
How you articulate what your position in the university is
what agency or organisation could look like
Let the property go
can ‘an organisation’ not have property
divert you from your aims are usually the three p’s: property, prestige, power
digital exclusion
Who’s left behind
The shifts that have had to happen
Necessary adaptation
false sense of agency
fob us off
Property when it’s not investment
property when it’s not investment
GAS – things are housed there
can an organisation or an institution be a free entity if it doesn’t have property?
keeping that space safe
is the issue not with the property but who controls the use of the property?
How do you make an open and radical accountability process?
a radical accountability process
those issues come up very much in the virtual space
not as free as the university would like you to believe
Property is theft
property as a thing or a space that can be collectively owned
property as something you own and others don’t (property is theft)
it is a long change
decentralising who holds the power
it didn’t just appear as we know it now
Rely on a common thought
I’m such a good product of capitalism
how much I’m a good product of capitalism – following through a structure –
radical complicity
Underpass learning
nowhere to gather
what you fund to keep going
the whole text is an echo in a way

Collectively authored by the current and continuing 19/20 Art Writing MLitt cohort.

IMPORTANT LINKS :

www.pauseorpayuk.org
www.alt-d.online
gsashowcase.net/louie-tyssen/
gsamfa.net/

In solidarity with those embroiled in complaints against GSA we present a collaborative piece of writing that came about as part of a conversation responding to Fred Moten and Stefano Harney’s text ‘The university: Last words’ and our own experiences of the institution.

This text is available to listen to as a special edition of the Art Writing Soft Shell podcast here.

hang on can’t hear back in a sec
Radically detach
Rejecting the gowns the dress
I think just stop paying
the feedback is the grades / collective feedback takes its place
If we accept
experience economy
Access to your peers
in a pragmatic way
undermine value of credential
What is required
Using the university as a hermit crab shell
university as hermit crab shell
university as a hermit crab shell
occupy
carapace
Any kind of shell
something useful that can be carried off
steal from the university
Access to each other
beep
you’ve all been expelled
refusing
refusing to end
Refusing the discipline
sticky question
extracted as currency
extracted from you as the university’s currency
Submit awful work
Do your best work in secret amongst each other
do your best work in secret
then you lick it
the university as guard of resource
University as guard to be undermined
break down barriers of access
Disperse them outwards
I can let anyone into a zoom
physical barriers
Robin Hood it
What they hold
authorship
people on the inside giving away for free
Intellectual property
how are those entangled
Property ownership authorship
property ownership authorship
Collective authorship
complicity
Talked out of it by submission
voices that join in with each other
hierarchy of work
Work rises
hierarchy of work
What it means to have an art practice
arts ed capitalises on “my work”
the privilege of being paid to work/research
academics rise
Individuality of submissions
Read by a higher reader
even if working as a collaboration
the individuality of submissions
can’t submit as one
Property–>value
the labour isn’t equivalent
From the beginning we are learnt to say ‘my practice’ ‘my work’
You go in holding this thing
disrupt and defer
the language of “my practice”
a practice of individuation
language of practice is the language of funding applications
we don’t present without names
We don’t present nameless
Naming as a form of violence
naming as ossifying
fixing to commodify
Acknowledgement as first step
Overcoming our complicity
my work/my practice,
What could it become
many many terms
Different ways to conceptualise it and put it into language
what role does language have in all of this
a manifesto
manifesto as movement to a different language
language of movement of criticism
Instead of floating through it
what we understand collectively
our own our practices
maybe just not paying
if you’ve got a problem you assume there’s a specific solution to that problem
Step outside – the potentials get bigger
meet in the car park
Stepping around the problem
increasing surveillance of students
Restriction of access
ways to work around that
movement around the campus is documented
Not a given that that’s okay
surveillance – it’s not a given that that’s ok
you start at group and end at solo
whole artist trajectory is group show towards solo show
start at group and end at solo
Art – start in group move to solo / it’s all pushed that way / it’s a tradition – proponent of larger apparatus of making solo
a larger apparatus of making solo
Abolish the solo show!
(Dorothea Lange, at her big moma retrospective, insisted on including her assistant’s work in it)
Presented to a student, to take part in – take part, scoop
student paying for the conversation / staff being paid to ‘give the conversation | taking part is the language of the university
Conscientious and active students paying
often not lines defined by the students themselves
this weird accountability thing
Its not a mutual thing
staff student ‘relationship’
the beginning of being solidified
We’re in the beginnings of being solidified
the early fizzy stages
it didn’t feel fun anymore
The work, my work, a unit of work
play
Resisting articulation or end
the structures that make things not fun anymore
Sustained practice (SH)
fun and play as subversive strategies
What about anger
what about anger
Anger within play
Play assumes we’re happy
where is anger within play
an indulgence
pastoral care as pull / indulgent
someone to care what you’re doing
you can’t show anger bc you’re getting pastoral care
It puts you in a clinch
play as in mess with it
Other ways to be antagonistic within the structure
it ultimately benefits the uni
Never made the actual work
withheld the work
benefited the course – won prizes
To not make the final product
it is very slippery
that’s not really the fucking point
The inconvenience of anger
the inconvenience of anger and of not playing
Of not giving back
Inconvenience of giving something back that’s not palatable
Not playing
Not user friendly
how do people think it’s different and why
remove reference to it
The institution are uncomfortable so trying to remove reference to them / keep it in house
the idea of looking back
Alumnus are used
alumnus – they let themselves be used
that doesn’t make any sense chronologically
University relying on complacency on a more giant body of students
university relying on complacency of larger body of students
like business does
I’ve just got to get through this
the individuation of it
I’m gonna carve this time out
I’m going to carve this time out
the sacrifices people have made
the sacrifices people have made
money/time
Relies on the sacrifices
A bind
competition, apathy
Some people aren’t in a position to reject it
powerless within that
to be in a specific place
What can we do as a group to disrupt or reject that
on a day to day basis
habitual things
Habitual actions
What habitual things over a long term force change
the privilege to be able to protest
the privilege to be able to protest
it’s about access as well
access to these thought processes
Access to these discussions
organising outwith the institution
Brief moments of interactions have sometimes been more worthwhile than 2 hr seminars
that spontaneous conversation that arises
the stuff that’s around the institution the para
is probably most valuable
The stuff that’s around the institution /the para part of the institution
Those spaces, they’re spontaneous
there’s something and it’s a bit sideways
make the structure make less sense
Let it go let it stop being property
how you articulate where your position in the university is
How you articulate what your position in the university is
what agency or organisation could look like
Let the property go
can ‘an organisation’ not have property
divert you from your aims are usually the three p’s: property, prestige, power
digital exclusion
Who’s left behind
The shifts that have had to happen
Necessary adaptation
false sense of agency
fob us off
Property when it’s not investment
property when it’s not investment
GAS – things are housed there
can an organisation or an institution be a free entity if it doesn’t have property?
keeping that space safe
is the issue not with the property but who controls the use of the property?
How do you make an open and radical accountability process?
a radical accountability process
those issues come up very much in the virtual space
not as free as the university would like you to believe
Property is theft
property as a thing or a space that can be collectively owned
property as something you own and others don’t (property is theft)
it is a long change
decentralising who holds the power
it didn’t just appear as we know it now
Rely on a common thought
I’m such a good product of capitalism
how much I’m a good product of capitalism – following through a structure –
radical complicity
Underpass learning
nowhere to gather
what you fund to keep going
the whole text is an echo in a way

///

Collectively authored by the current and continuing 19/20 Art Writing MLitt cohort.

IMPORTANT LINKS :
www.pauseorpayuk.org
www.alt-d.online

In solidarity with those embroiled in complaints against GSA we present a collaborative piece of writing that came about as part of a conversation responding to Fred Moten and Stefano Harney’s text ‘The university: last words’ and our own experiences of the institution.

This text is available to listen to as a special edition of the Art Writing Soft Shell podcast here.

///
     hang on can’t hear back in a sec
Radically detach
Rejecting the gowns the dress
I think just stop paying
the feedback is the grades / collective feedback takes its place
If we accept
experience economy
Access to your peers
in a pragmatic way
undermine value of credential
What is required
Using the university as a hermit crab shell
university as hermit crab shell
university as a hermit crab shell
occupy
carapace
Any kind of shell
something useful that can be carried off
steal from the university
Access to each other
beep
you’ve all been expelled
refusing
refusing to end
Refusing the discipline
sticky question
extracted as currency
extracted from you as the university’s currency
Submit awful work
Do your best work in secret amongst each other
do your best work in secret
then you lick it
the university as guard of resource
University as guard to be undermined
break down barriers of access
Disperse them outwards
I can let anyone into a zoom
physical barriers
Robin Hood it
What they hold
authorship
people on the inside giving away for free
Intellectual property
how are those entangled
Property ownership authorship
property ownership authorship
Collective authorship
complicity
Talked out of it by submission
voices that join in with each other
hierarchy of work
Work rises
hierarchy of work
What it means to have an art practice
arts ed capitalises on “my work”
the privilege of being paid to work/research
academics rise
Individuality of submissions
Read by a higher reader
even if working as a collaboration
the individuality of submissions
can’t submit as one
Property–>value
the labour isn’t equivalent
From the beginning we are learnt to say ‘my practice’ ‘my work’
You go in holding this thing
disrupt and defer
the language of “my practice”
a practice of individuation
language of practice is the language of funding applications
we don’t present without names
We don’t present nameless
Naming as a form of violence
naming as ossifying
fixing to commodify
Acknowledgement as first step
Overcoming our complicity
my work/my practice,
What could it become
many many terms
Different ways to conceptualise it and put it into language
what role does language have in all of this
a manifesto
manifesto as movement to a different language
language of movement of criticism
Instead of floating through it
what we understand collectively
our own our practices
maybe just not paying
if you’ve got a problem you assume there’s a specific solution to that problem
Step outside – the potentials get bigger
meet in the car park
Stepping around the problem
increasing surveillance of students
Restriction of access
ways to work around that
movement around the campus is documented
Not a given that that’s okay
surveillance – it’s not a given that that’s ok
you start at group and end at solo
whole artist trajectory is group show towards solo show
start at group and end at solo
Art – start in group move to solo / it’s all pushed that way / it’s a tradition – proponent of larger apparatus of making solo
a larger apparatus of making solo
Abolish the solo show!
(Dorothea Lange, at her big moma retrospective, insisted on including her assistant’s work in it)
Presented to a student, to take part in – take part, scoop
student paying for the conversation / staff being paid to ‘give the conversation | taking part is the language of the university
Conscientious and active students paying
often not lines defined by the students themselves
this weird accountability thing
Its not a mutual thing
staff student ‘relationship’
the beginning of being solidified
We’re in the beginnings of being solidified
the early fizzy stages
it didn’t feel fun anymore
The work, my work, a unit of work
play
Resisting articulation or end
the structures that make things not fun anymore
Sustained practice (SH)
fun and play as subversive strategies
What about anger
what about anger
Anger within play
Play assumes we’re happy
where is anger within play
an indulgence
pastoral care as pull / indulgent
someone to care what you’re doing
you can’t show anger bc you’re getting pastoral care
It puts you in a clinch
play as in mess with it
Other ways to be antagonistic within the structure
it ultimately benefits the uni
Never made the actual work
withheld the work
benefited the course – won prizes
To not make the final product
it is very slippery
that’s not really the fucking point
The inconvenience of anger
the inconvenience of anger and of not playing
Of not giving back
Inconvenience of giving something back that’s not palatable
Not playing
Not user friendly
how do people think it’s different and why
remove reference to it
The institution are uncomfortable so trying to remove reference to them / keep it in house
the idea of looking back
Alumnus are used
alumnus – they let themselves be used
that doesn’t make any sense chronologically
University relying on complacency on a more giant body of students
university relying on complacency of larger body of students
like business does
I’ve just got to get through this
the individuation of it
I’m gonna carve this time out
I’m going to carve this time out
the sacrifices people have made
the sacrifices people have made
money/time
Relies on the sacrifices
A bind
competition, apathy
Some people aren’t in a position to reject it
powerless within that
to be in a specific place
What can we do as a group to disrupt or reject that
on a day to day basis
habitual things
Habitual actions
What habitual things over a long term force change
the privilege to be able to protest
the privilege to be able to protest
it’s about access as well
access to these thought processes
Access to these discussions
organising outwith the institution
Brief moments of interactions have sometimes been more worthwhile than 2 hr seminars
that spontaneous conversation that arises
the stuff that’s around the institution the para
is probably most valuable
The stuff that’s around the institution /the para part of the institution
Those spaces, they’re spontaneous
there’s something and it’s a bit sideways
make the structure make less sense
Let it go let it stop being property
how you articulate where your position in the university is
How you articulate what your position in the university is
what agency or organisation could look like
Let the property go
can ‘an organisation’ not have property
divert you from your aims are usually the three p’s: property, prestige, power
digital exclusion
Who’s left behind
The shifts that have had to happen
Necessary adaptation
false sense of agency
fob us off
Property when it’s not investment
property when it’s not investment
GAS – things are housed there
can an organisation or an institution be a free entity if it doesn’t have property?
keeping that space safe
is the issue not with the property but who controls the use of the property?
How do you make an open and radical accountability process?
a radical accountability process
those issues come up very much in the virtual space
not as free as the university would like you to believe
Property is theft
property as a thing or a space that can be collectively owned
property as something you own and others don’t (property is theft)
it is a long change
decentralising who holds the power
it didn’t just appear as we know it now
Rely on a common thought
I’m such a good product of capitalism
how much I’m a good product of capitalism – following through a structure –
radical complicity
Underpass learning
nowhere to gather
what you fund to keep going
the whole text is an echo in a way
///

Collectively authored by the current and continuing 19/20 Art Writing MLitt cohort.

IMPORTANT LINKS :
www.pauseorpayuk.org
www.alt-d.online
gsamfa.net/

I, as a graduating student at the Glasgow School of Art, wish to express support of Pause or Pay and G$A MFA campaigns. Pause or Pay demand Visa extensions, pastoral support and financial compensation for the loss of teaching and access to facilities due to 2019 and 2020 UCU strikes and Covid-19.

I call upon you, practitioners of the art industry, to join the fight against universities and governments that are perpetuating inequality and a lack of diversity. When you look at our work, throw your usual assessment criteria out the window and instead look with real empathy and care. Remember that an online grad show is not appropriate for everyone. Please use your platform to boost those who are disadvantaged. Do everything you can to strengthen the future of our art world.

EMERGING COMMONS

www.emergingcommons.com

emergingcommons@gmail.com

https://www.instagram.com/emergingcommons

Emerging Commons, initiated by myself in 2020, is an ongoing independent project that facilitates community empowerment through multidisciplinary curatorial methodologies intersecting with social policy, urban planning and land reform. The project works primarily outside of traditional art venues and favours [semi-]public outdoor spaces.

My interest in curatorial practices comes from a wholehearted belief in the potential of art to transform toxicity and inequality in our societies if only art was better incorporated in all our policies, politics, industries, businesses… In many ways I align with the Artist Placement Group, but replacing the “incidental person” with a caring, politically engaged and self-reflexive curator who facilitates the strengthening of the relationship between art and life.

The scale of societal issues can be overwhelming, but it was adrienne maree brown’s book emergent strategy (2017) in combination with studying through the peak of the Covid-19 lockdown that shone a light on the power of bringing activism closer to home. brown describes an emergent strategy as a “self-help, society-help, world-help” set of principles focusing on simple interactions to create complex systems, in which strong relationships are everything. Therefore, during my studies I focused on relationality within the curatorial by examining how the curator may navigate the social dimensions of facilitator, participant and place, by situating my research within the spaces I inhabit in my day-to-day life in Glasgow.

The core of Emerging Commons aligns with brown’s conception of an ’emergent strategy’ through empowering ground-up processes that focus on decision-making and movement-building through curatorial methodologies of decentralisation and interdependence to create more possibilities for inclusion, diversity and transformative democracy. The project offers a non-hierarchical framework to mobilise participants in becoming the authors of their own empowerment. The project will constantly grow and change, and resources and knowledge will be shared for communal benefits following open source models.

POLLOKSHIELDS EAST COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT STRATEGY

Since the end of 2020 the focus has been on developing a proposal for a community empowerment strategy for Pollokshields East, a borough in the southside of Glasgow where I live. The strategy has been spurred by two devastating fires in 2019 and 2020, destroying residential flats and shops on Albert Drive and Kenmure Street (colloquially known as Albert Cross). A community empowerment strategy will help to not only recover from the fires but to tackle issues in the wider area.

A community empowerment strategy for Pollokshields East proposes 3 curatorial methods:

1) community hub and exhibition space;

2) online community map;

3) walking exercises in the Pollokshields East area.

For a community empowerment strategy for Pollokshields East there has been research undertaken on the social dimensions of curatorial practices. The way in which the curator navigates the socio-political nexus of facilitator, participants and place becomes key. Theories of ‘community assemblages’ examines the politics and processes of grouping elements together to form or create a “community” within the curatorial encounter. Theories of ‘the commons’ describe an extension of the historical definition – the communal sharing of resources and knowledge for mutual benefits – whereby the commons is a process of giving voice and creating space in the curatorial.

I completed my Masters of Curatorial Practices in Contemporary Art in January 2021 through the extended study option, and will be pursuing the realisation of a Pollokshields East community empowerment strategy henceforth.

CURATOR BIOGRAPHY

emergingcommons@gmail.com

Grace Thomson (they/them) is a curator, artist and personal development coach originating from Melbourne, Australia, residing in Glasgow, UK (with Australian/British dual citizenship). In 2015, Grace completed their BA of Fine Art at Monash University, Australia. In January 2021 Grace graduated from the Masters of Curatorial Practices (Contemporary Art) at the Glasgow School of Art. Grace is passionate about grassroots endeavours through co-founding Artmeet Artist Run Initiative and co-directing RuntLink Artist Run Gallery. Grace is committed to equality and diversity through working in the Fair Access department at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Selected education and training: Masters of Literature in Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art), Glasgow School of Art and University of Glasgow, UK; Bachelor of Fine Art, Monash University, Australia; Double Diploma of Marketing and Management, Open Training & Education Network, Australia;  Sparqs Student Representative Training; Scottish Mental Health First Aid Training; Grade 8 Saxophone, Australian Music Examinations Board, Australia.

Selected experience: Transitions Coach, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, UK; Class Representative of Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art), Glasgow School of Art, UK; Founding Member, Artmeet ARI, Australia; Chairperson, Runt/Link Gallery, Australia; Work Experience, WaveParticle, UK; Transitions Mentor & Guidance Administrator, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, UK; Gallery Assistant, Libby Edwards Galleries, Australia;  Curator, Looking at people looking or not looking at art more or less 1 mile from here, Glasgow UK; Workshop Facilitator, Dreams and Aspirations, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow, UK; Artist, The Maker, Space Tank Studio, Melbourne Australia; Artist, 2014 MADA Now, Monash University, Melbourne Australia; Curator and Artist, Recreational Aesthetics, Artmeet ARI, Melbourne Australia; Artist, Open for Inspections, Artmeet ARI, Melbourne Australia; Artist, Link Wall, Runt/Link Gallery, Melbourne Australia.

Joe Henry is an independent artist and curator based in Glasgow, Scotland. Joe’s work centres around music and art, developing more recently work that emerges as an interwoven meditation on healing through art and music.

His research investigates collaborations between, musicians, composers, poets, writers and photographers, curating and producing artwork that interweaves film and sculpture, music and video. Recent exhibitions and film work include:

Amy Winehouse by Charles Moriarty,(Dublin CHQ Building, May 2018);
The Lost Warhols by Karen Bystedt (Brown Thomas, Dublin, Oct 2018);
LCD Soundsystem by Ruvan Wijesooriya & Joe Henry (Guinness Storeshouse, Dublin, June 2019, and SWG3 Glasgow, October 2019);
Basquiat by Roland Hagenberg (Dublin Art Source, RDS, November 2019 and Sal Fine Art, Dublin);
Healing in a broken world, short film (Glasgow School of Art and the University of Glasgow, Postgraduate Degree Show, August 2020).

Expanded Attitudes is a publication developed collaboratively between curator Hannah Benassi and artists Sean Ellcombe, Naomi McClure, and Masaki Ishikawa. Reflecting on the isolation of lockdown and the restrictions imposed by Covid-19, this publication provides a space for three contemporary painters to reflect on previously completed projects and share new experimental developments of their practices. Focusing on the expanded field of painting and its different working processes, Expanded Attitudes presents a variety of work from linear drawings to three-dimensional models. This publication chronicles the artists’ creative processes during the pandemic while considering changing identities in contemporary painting.

Hannah Benassi is an artist and curator based in Edinburgh. Receiving her BA (Hons) in Fine Art from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Benassi has exhibited her work in Dundee, Edinburgh, Kelso, and London. Continuing her studies in Curatorial Practice at The Glasgow School of Art and the University of Glasgow, Benassi’s practice is concerned with contemporary painting in the expanded field, where she focuses on providing curatorial contributions to the development of the artists’ practice. Recently curated exhibitions include: My Truth is your story, co-curated with Shalmali Shetty and Yihang Hu, The Britannia Panopticon (2019), Beyond the Conventions of Painting, Salt Space Gallery (2020); and the digital publication Expanded Attitudes (2020). Working independently and collaboratively with artists and curators, she has also worked for Patricia Fleming Projects in Glasgow assisting the curatorial team with Anne Colvin’s interconnective residency When does a second become a moment? (2020).

Creating communicative spaces through collaborative methods of practice, my curatorial projects perform a levelled working dynamic between artist and curator. My curatorial research stems from my practice as an artist where I explore the changes in contemporary painting to examine how curators are responding to the expansive developments of the artform. Shifting between artist and curator, my curatorial methodology engages in prioritising the working process of the artists and to contribute to the development of their painting practice. Providing a loose framework at the beginning of every collaboration allows me to support interdisciplinary approaches to painting where my aim is to connect with the explorative practice of the artist and their unique identities of contemporary painting.

Instagram: @hannahbenassi

Beatriz Lobo (b. 1994, Brazil) is a curator, museologist and researcher. An enthusiast of non-hierarchical thinking, she believes in the equality of ideas and non-linear ways of composing and organizing them. Interested in performance art as a form of critique, and guided by a theoretical approach, she works under an intersectional feminist framework. Her most recent research investigates strategies to decolonize the curatorial through Brazilian art practices.

Beatriz holds a BA (Hons) in Museum Studies and her professional experience extends from community-based museums to private collections. For more information, please refer to the website.

DISSERTATION TITLE

Performing Refusal: Lygia Clark’s practice as a decolonial tool within the curatorial

ABSTRACT
Although decoloniality has been a prominent topic in the arts since the 1990s, the major studies and publications on the topic have been led by institutions from the Global North. Despite the increasing amount of exhibitions by artists of colour and other minorities, the internal structures of these institutions are still white-male dominated. This paper introduces Brazil’s political scenario since the 1960s and, under the Black Feminist Poethics methodology, discusses strategies of decoloniality within the curatorial field. By building a parallel between Lygia Clark’s practice and conceptualising refusal aligned with the Practicing Refusal Collective, it proposes refusal as a generative tool. Finally, the research is brought to a contemporary context, presenting the COLERE Project, a curatorial initiative that has emerged to perform the theory and methodology discussed in this very paper. It concludes the fundamental importance of people of colour and other minorities to lead discussions that concern themselves. Ultimately, this paper demonstrates that visibility is not power, suggesting alternative ways of working in the arts, going beyond exhibiting unprivileged artists, and placing them in a role of knowledge production and decision-making instead.

Grace Jackson is a curator and writer from Toronto, Canada, currently based in Glasgow, UK. Presently, Grace is completing her Master of Letters in Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art) at the Glasgow School of Art and the University of Glasgow. Her research interests include queer theory; alternative and ephemeral forms of archiving; and curatorial practices based on hope, disappointment, and uncertainty.

Previously, Grace was the director of the Toronto gallery The Zwig Foundation Collection from 2017-2019, where she organised artist talks, community events, and alternative curatorial programs that intended to enliven a static collection with new perspectives and discursive forms of looking and learning. Additionally, she was editor-in-chief of discount magazine, an artist-run publication based out of Toronto from 2015-2018. With discount, Grace led the organising, fundraising, and publication of two successful issues that brought together international artists based on varying themes. Grace completed her BFA in Art History with distinction at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada in 2015.

PROJECT SUMMARY

VIDEO ~ From My Bedroom to Yours: Art History Lessons from an Absolute Nobody and EXTENDED ESSAY ~ Unruly forms of Care: Preserving Humility as a method of Curatorial Resistance

This curatorial project takes the form of both essay and video, using the work of artist Vaginal Davis to unpack traditional curatorial strategies of care.

Vaginal Crème Davis is an LA-born, Berlin-based artist whose artistic practice spans a vast and untameable array of media. Throughout her work, she has applied unpredictable styles, techniques, themes, and venues making her difficult to define or pin-down. Her lengthy career destabilizes notions of gender, race, sexuality, and linearity, as she fluidly moves between progressing forward and returning back to old habits and ideas. As Dominic Johnson explains, “Davis’s personas reject the internal counter-cultural mandate to refuse self-criticism, instead problematizing the functions and assumptions of normative trends within the margins,” (Johnson, 2001). Her conceptual lectures, zines, and drag performances not only move away from standards imposed by mainstream culture, they further seek to undermine standards more generally. Davis continues to challenge her viewers to look for alternatives to current circumstances and new possibilities that are not always evident elsewhere.

Famously described as employing a form of ‘terrorist drag’ by José Esteban Muñoz in 1999, Davis imposes unruly and eccentric concepts upon her audience, often even radicalising ideas that already appear unconventional (Muñoz, 2018, 93). In 2003 Davis explained to her interviewer:

“When it comes to performance art, I am more interested in the failures than the so-called successes. I have never cared for entertaining anyone. My performances may have elements that some may find entertaining, but that’s not my main purpose.” (Bregman, 2003)

Gaining a clear understanding of Davis’s goals is not necessarily possible, as her intentions with each project vary enormously. However, determining the purpose of her work, or trying to grasp it entirely is perhaps beside the point. Davis invites us into a space in which we are not necessarily privy to what is going on; however, we are together in collective discomfort, sharing an uncertainty about how we should feel or what we should think. Angry, messy, humorous, and unkempt, yet always intelligent and thoughtful, Davis’s work activates the politics of her own body, as well as the bodies, spaces, structures, and oppressions that surround her.

Further, Davis’s work offers a powerful avenue through which to explore practices of curating, and therefore caring for art. My video project seeks to both present the work of Vaginal Crème Davis, while also experimenting and exploring avenues of curation that are antithetical to traditional standards of white cubes and academia. Following from Jack Halberstam’s concept of the ‘queer public intellectual,’ the project seeks to undermine boundaries between academic and community-based forms of learning, blending them together and demonstrating their validity harmoniously (Halberstam, 2003, p. 363). The extended essay examines institutionalised curatorial methods that seek profit and cultural capital above the interests of the artists they work with and seeks to demonstrate how Davis’s work is inherently in opposition to such goals. Divergently, the art historical video diary intends to offer a unique counterpoint to institutionalised curating and writing about art. Inspired by Davis’s anarchic and nonlinear practice, curator Grace Jackson comes to us via webcam, taking us through three disparate works by the artist. From the confines of Jackson’s bedroom, we have the opportunity to engage with personal and sensory interpretations of Davis’s work that are indeed bound by fact, yet also by ephemera. The project seeks to demonstrate the fluidity necessary within authentic forms of care, asking us to consider how each artist can offer new ways to interrogate curatorial practices.

Curator’s Biography

Jiaying Cao is a curator and designer from China, currently living in Glasgow. She is adept at turning concepts into reality, and likes to explore different forms, genres and media in both curation and graphic design. She is currently interested in film-making and has also created and participated in the shooting of several short films. Recently, she has been conducting research on curatorial activities in different professional fields, exploring productive ways to present artworks to the public.

She holds a BA in Information and Communications from Shih Hsin University in Taiwan (2019). Recently curated exhibitions include: Monologue: an exhibition about solitude co-curated with Tingzhen Zhang, Weizheng Huang, Weidong Zhuang and Yongru Chen in December 2018 at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei; Authority & Freedom: Testing the Context, co-curated with Beatriz Lobo Britto, Pui Ying Chan, Kehan Liu and Marianne Vosloo in October 2019 at M8 motorway pedestrian underpath, Glasgow; and the Online project Dia-Logue, August 2020.

Curatorial statement

My curatorial methodology is based on interview and expanded dialogue. I seek to explore how interviews and online interactions serve to promote art and enable it to reach a wider audience, establishing through these my own curatorial framework.

Most of my curatorial projects include two elements: interactivity and interviews. Interviews have the potential to communicate core ideas about artworks, while interactivity encourages expression and sensory experience. I actively use these two methods to close the distance between art and the audience

Through the practice of interviewing I can learn more about artists and their practices,  have a symbiotic exchange and influence on one another. The format of the interview allows the artist’s voice to be heard, giving the audience a closer understanding of the ideas and intention behind their artworks. Additionally, through the process of interviewing, I can learn about other people’s curatorial experiences, and subsequently through an iterative practice, continually review and find the most suitable curatorial methods for myself.

This interaction with artists and curators builds the internal framework of my curatorial practice. Interactivity can attract audiences to engage with curatorial projects or exhibitions, and through this interaction, the audience is not only a viewer, but also, part of the exhibition experience, hopefully allowing the audience to be completely immersed in it. In turn, breaking the stereotype that art is untouchable, so that art can be accessed and felt by more people.

Project Description:

Dia-Logue is an online project curated by Jiaying Cao. Through the art interview as the main method, this project explores diverse methods for bringing artwork(s) to the public(s) and curatorial workings across different fields. Jiaying firmly believes that the sonic space can draw the audience closer.

The project launched on 3 August 2020 and will continue to develop as a long-term project. Everyone is welcome to join and have a chat with her, to make this project more colourful and abundant as it grows in content and form.

Hannah Braithwaite is a curator and writer working on a Master’s in Curatorial Practice at the Glasgow School of Art. She is currently based in Tkaronto/Toronto. Her previous exhibitions include Looking at People Looking (Or Not Looking) At Art More or Less 1 Mile from Here (2019), (Dis)CONNECT (2018) and an unrealized project with the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow. She holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Art History from Concordia University. She is interested in queer archival practices and storytelling, domestic spaces, craft and their political importance.

Her most recent project, having been touched on the surface, is a zine and online appendix for queer women to reflect upon the spaces they inhabit and create. Initiated by Hannah Braithwaite in collaboration with and featuring new writing from Hannah Karpinski and Isabelle Joy-Stephen, the project explores queer friendships, ephemera, and domestic space, inspired in part by José Esteban Muñoz’s text “Ephemera as Evidence”. Ephemera, defined by Muñoz, accounts for the residues of queer life. In having been touched on the surface, ephemera takes the form of sewing patterns, shared clothing, and familiar routines. The zine will be published in a limited run in September of 2020 and will not be available online, rather distributed locally by the collaborators.

The accompanying online appendix shows fragments of the many works that inspired and innfluenced this project. It can be found at surfacezine.tumblr.com.

BIO

Kate Holford is an artist and writer based in Glasgow, UK. She is Founding Art Director at Stillpoint Magazine (2018-ongoing), an international, digital publication that inhabits digital spaces to build public knowledge rooted in psychoanalysis. In December 2019 she co-organised the symposium Racism and Ecology in Berlin as part of Stillpoint Magazine’s Issue 003: FALLOW, and currently facilitates an Antiracism Reading Group for psychiatrists with Editor-in-Chief of Stillpoint Magazine Anne Marie Wirth Cauchon. She was curator of Imagine the Future, a performance event and exhibition of moving image installations by Jessica Holdengarde, Glasgow (2020).

As an interdisciplinary artist, she utilises curatorial strategies of connection-making and practice-led research methodologies to develop projects which often manifest as multimodal publications across print and digital formats. Much of her work appears in the written form, merging critical reflections and poetical forms. Recent research has been concerned with modes of correspondence and autotheory, in relation to intimacy, surveillance, extraction, and vulnerability, manifesting in the project Dear Lithium,. 

She was previously the Deputy Director of Stillpoint Spaces London, a psychotherapy, coworking, and events space, where she was Curator of the in-house exhibitions programme. In 2018 she held a solo exhibition of her work In The Stories There Is An Abundance; and produced Offerings, an accompanying pamphlet of poetry. She has exhibited in group exhibitions in London, Bristol, and Falmouth, UK. Previously she has been a Bookshop Manager. She completed a Master of Letters in Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art), co-convened by the Glasgow School of Art and University of Glasgow in 2020, and received her BA(Hons) Fine Art from Falmouth University in 2013.

DEAR LITHIUM,

I: Publication: a collection of texts and analogue images that form a single ‘object’, brought together in the shape of a envelope. This object can be found in a public book exchange near the site of the UK’s first pilot lithium extraction plant, United Downs, Cornwall. This is the only edition in circulation.

II: dear-lithum.exposed: a website interrogating the effects of the digital/non-digital divide on experience of place, intimacy, and togetherness, in an age of increasing reliance on technological interfaces for creating and maintaining relationships with others.

Alison O’Shea is currently based in Cork city, Ireland, currently pursuing the MLitt Curatorial Practice (Contemporary Art) programme through extended study. Her curatorial and artistic practices’ primary concerns include alternative methodologies of productivity, and creating sustainable practice models through speculative fiction. Recent curatorial projects include; relaxation*, Siuán Ní Dhochartaigh, Glasgow, UK; Over or Under, Molly O’Leary and Dominique Rivard, co-curated with Joe Henry and Cecelia Graham, Glasgow, UK; and Burning Down the House, Cork, Ireland. Her upcoming project a passive house is a collaborative publication and event with her sibling Lily O’Shea and will launch in late November 2020 in Cork city, Ireland.

Lily O’Shea is a visual artist based in Ireland and current artist-in-residence at The Guesthouse Project as part of the INHOUSE initiative, Cork. Her practice is concerned with political questions surrounding the contemporary labourer. This practice involves sculpture, performance, and film, as well as different forms of writing and publishing in varied contexts. Recent group exhibitions include: Rhetoric, Crawford College of Art and Design Online Degree Showcase, Cork, 2020, Villa the End, Berlin Gallery Weekend, Charlottenburg, Berlin 2019, and Art(ist) Film, The Gate Cinema, Indie Film Festival, Cork, 2019.

a passive house takes the last months of lockdown as a satirical artist residency interrogating ideas surrounding creative pursuit, productivity and down-time. A passive house is a house which is truly energy efficient[1], a sustainable and comfortable structure. This publication will comprise of a series of archival material from within the house – a house which is striving to become a passive house – the goal of energy efficiency is still present but for the occupants rather than the structure. The occupants of the space return to share a room for an extended retreat into the house.

The production of this text has simultaneously been a search for a sustainable practice but also an ever-present pressure to create an output to validate the pursuit of a practice. The methodology utilised to create this piece might be considered to be procrastination – in an attempt to understand what this work is, methods such as extended periods of reality TV watching, can drinking and sleeping have been utilised. These methods have now become the material of this object as procrastination has allowed us the time of having very little time whilst simultaneously having this opening up of time due to the blurry boundaries of when this work must be done. The attempt to describe what this labour is, removes some of the irony of calling it labour in that there is now an attempt to co-opt these everyday activities as artistic pursuit. Once the observation of the residents by the residents has begun; the excavation of the everyday, the labour which was being avoided begins.

[1] https://passivehouse.com/02_informations/01_whatisapassivehouse/01_whatisapassivehouse.htm

Most of my works mainly focus on oil paintings, a small part of installations and videos. I am very interested in the human body, no head. Based on Deleuze’s body without organs philosophy, I try to use oil paintings to show the body that has escaped from the state of being connected, standardized, symbolized and subjective by society, so it A body that has been dismantled, decomposed, and non-regionalized so that it can be rebuilt in a new way.” It also refers to a body that is alive, restless, free, full of positive desires, and generates appropriate strength. The state of preservation of the essence of freedom, in the way of shaping the human body group image to express the sense of partial lack of contemporary people and the relationship between people and people.

Bodies are always my desire at the bottom of my heart, maybe it just only sexual, maybe it has something else, I use to read lots of books, observe lots of body works, from ancient to modern, from sculpture to oil painting, those people’s body is beautiful in classical, they are single elegant and pure, but among full of wants. However the bodies in modern are real with unreal, they show outlook, they are changed. People like to show complicated emotions in unreal things, so I want to add bodies on bodies because bodies are part of human behaviors, they are the consequences of the decision, bodies need a brain to manipulate, but without a head, it’s free.

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All of this work is viewable on my own website, as an interactive 3D space, and a video version if anyone needs it more accessible.

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My recent work has been rooted in coming to terms with lockdown, and thinking a lot about my own domestic environment, and how to present work at a time of separation.

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I have built a 3D rendered digital tenement, that incorporates video game based elements to allow movement through the space. It is a reproduction of my flat, filled with uncanny experimentations, manipulated 3D objects, video projections, and gateways to the physical. Within the space there are hyperlinked objects that take viewers to a contact form, which offers the opportunity to be sent, in the post, a variety of physical objects I have made.

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I have wanted to consider how to break down the boundary of the screen in a time where we are, more or less, restricted by it. I want to create a very direct dialogue with the viewer, a chance to experience an assumed tactility of the objects within the digital space, and more of a link with the anonymous maker behind the screen.

Hello, my name is Soniya I work with oil, acrylic and digital art. My paintings are based on Metaphysical Cultural existence and being. Being, knowing, identity, time, space and existence are the centre of my paintings. I expressed my cultural background in a space outside of reality but still part of existent, through metaphysical art.

My paintings characters are like toys or a still life which gives the object a second life. It also represents the de-personalization of humans, how they are interchanged with anthropomorphic objects.

I work through abstracting paradigms of observation and duration to emphasise the associated imperfections of translation. My practice aims to bring to light the relationship between language, painting and drawing.

Chiefly it is from isolated and nuanced aspects of the everyday, past and present that form a dynamic between the viewer and the author. In both a realised and insular method, a systematic approach through the first-hand engagement of the author, the everyday can be exploited by use of colour and shape. This language is equipped to highlight tensions within time which becomes the main informants of the second-hand experience of the viewer.

Photography and its territories. Forming a repository which continues to evolve throughout the years, my work frequently positions itself in the (ever-)shifting space between the photographic root and the limits of what photography can mean and be. Expressing myself using an interdisciplinary approach, in which I embrace process and materiality, the rhythm and connected diversity of the works reflect my life and art.

Works displayed here are from my Glasgow School of Art Masters submission, to view my other work, please visit my website (link below).

“To discover the kinds of questions you should be asking, sometimes this can take an incredibly long time.” – Anna Tsing

My work is about memory, the past, and how they are intertwined. I’m fascinated with everyday objects, brief moments, and all the days that never get photographed and are forgotten, lost or thrown away­; how our memory can be awakened with the right keepsake.

I’m working on an archive of Isolation & Limitation, building on previous work that got interrupted by the pandemic. With the archive, I explore different ways of documenting transition to a new way of living. I’m photographing debris and creating charcoal rubbings of surfaces – observing the repetition of daily chores, joys and sorrows experienced when the future is uncertain.

During the process, I’ve explored if lost memories are missed opportunities or the process of letting go. What questions can be answered by revisiting the past? And what role should the past have when every day is unpredictable.

In this program, My project started with the topic “who is create”. As we all know, The process of an artist making a work is called creation. We are used to calling artists as creators. But, Does this behaviour really happen in the process of artistic creation?

most of time the outcome created is very different from creator’s thoughts during the creative process. The audience’s thoughts when they see the work may also be different from the Introduction of the artwork given by the creator. The results presented in the end will always be affected by many uncontrollable factors in the creative process. The creative thinking of the creator will also change due to personal experience. So, although the artwork was indeed created by someone. was it created by what we call the author? In other words, what is the creator in the whole process of creating works of art?

cv-lipengcheng(roc)

ENARGEIA ARCADE

The possessions of notoriously ruthless and eccentric billionaire Enargeia Crow were seized in lieu of outstanding taxes by HMRC, the resulting collection is displayed here in the Enargeia Arcade. Crow made billions from his international warehouses, shipping, storage and a fleet of delivery drivers and cyclists. Notorious for mistreating and underpaying his workers, he died broken, broke, abandoned, disgraced and alone, albeit surrounded by his ‘toys’ and art collection.

“Enargeia” – the quality of extreme vividness, radiance or present-ness (Greek ἐνεργής; “visible”, “manifest”). In rhetoric, a description so vivid it seems to conjure its subject into existence; so powerful it evokes the (unbearable) brightness of being.

I am based in Glasgow, and work using ready-mades, dolls house furniture, self-assembly kits, collage and mirrors.

Like all of my benighted cohort, I worked at home without workshops, tuition, or a studio (and disability support.)

Please see my website, for more work; much better than this GSA ‘digital portfolio’.

Please also note: as with most students, some of my documentation was limited by a phone camera, done in my lounge without proper lighting, with shaky hands.

Hello! I’m Georgie Mac. A Glasgow-based artist working with drawing and performance. I invent and create my own drawing tools and test them in live drawing performances. My work is inspired by the cosmological, I’m seeking out my place in the universe one experimental drawing at a time. I’ve been using video to document my process, and I would love for you to visit me over on Youtube. Feel free to say hello, I like it when people say hello.

I am Mugdha Patil, a graduate of the Master of Design in Design Innovation and Citizenship course at the Glasgow School of Art. I completed my undergraduate studies with a Bachelor of Design degree in Furniture Design from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad (NID). I am a designer who believes in making social change through people-centered and people-led actions and policies. I design services, products, product-services, and experiences that promote social, ecological transformation by applying research that focuses on people and the ecosystems (social, cultural, economic, psychological as well as physical) they occupy.

Citizenship for me means having a sense of belonging to a society. Design can help bring that about. I believe that taking into consideration the needs of an ecosystem as a whole gives us an opportunity for creating lasting change that is not just environmentally sustainable but also economically feasible and socially equitable. I believe that the design process has a thousand endings; it simply doesn’t end with a product and I continue to absorb its messages and meanings beyond that.

About the project.

My project, The Design of Dissent, combines public pedagogy and participatory design to create a Museum of Dissent. The final proposal made is that of a co-curated and co-created space where citizens can educate themselves about the various ways of critically participating in government, engage in the causes they believe in, and commemorate people’s power and struggles from the past.

The overall aim of this project is to identify how citizens perceive their duty of participation in government, especially in terms of dissent and our civic education on this particular topic. My focus is especially on the process of collective legacy-making, trust in institutions, and different approaches to critical civic participation, in times of protest and social change.

Following a qualitative case study + participatory design approach, this research intends to build a rich in-depth investigation focusing on how civic education is realized in our political lives and how critical sentiments are expressed by the citizenry, through the use of interviews, workshops, surveys, and document analysis. The results of this project are intended to bring more clarity to the ‘design’ of dissent, legacy of people’s movements, people’s trust in institutions (or lack thereof), and the viability of leaderless social movements.

My name is Imanina. I’m a designer interested in designing for a post-capitalist society.

My most recent work explored media and democracy in the UK and looked at how alternative, citizen-owned media might provide a voice for the mis- and under-represented groups in society.

I’m keen to further explore how design might be used as a catalyst for social good, that is accessible for all and not just an elite few.

After finishing my BA in Industrial Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, I pursued a Masters in Design Innovation & Citizenship at The Glasgow School of Art. Together with my partner Kat Zavada, we organise Nadmiar/Excess – contemporary art and experimental music festival. I was part of the editorial board of Formy.xyz – Poland’s first peer-reviewed design journal (2018–2019). I held design roles at Ergo Design and Comarch. Together with Tillman Kratzer and Kat Zavada, we are preparing to launch Works On Work – a collaboration space for people pursuing projects related to the topic work.

For me, Design isn’t necessarily about finding a solution nor about solving problems. It is about creating space or situations where conflicting views and power relations can be discussed and renegotiated. I oppose the idea of the designer as a facilitator who seeks consensus between different actants, for it blurs authorship and what follows – responsibility. My practice is not about creating consensus or pleasing all parties. On the contrary, I see great value in conflict and dissensus as vehicles for liberation.

My master’s thesis looks at the idea of wellbeing appropriated by the contemporary mainstream managerial discourse, where employees’ happiness is perceived as something to be quantified, managed, and used as a productivity-enhancement strategy.

In opposition to the dogmatic aesthetic representations happiness related to a neoliberal moral fantasy imposed by those in the position of power, I propose taking a step back to anticipate and celebrate the spontaneous, unmanageable sources of joy and satisfaction resulting from autonomy.

The project aims to document minor everyday activities, techniques and coping strategies that go against the managerial regime – micro-disobediences that give one a sense of autonomy. Some examples may include: binge-watching Netflix during work time, taking unnecessarily long breaks, choosing different routes than the algorithm decides, being intentionally mean to your customer, acting grumpy when everybody is overenthusiastic or perhaps not participating in socials. And through these ‘coming-outs’ create a space free of slack-shaming and overstepping guilt.

With this project, I want to provoke a further conversation about work dogma and the spiritual violence of positivity at work. Unguilty Pleasures is an (auto)therapeutic tool for many working people, including myself.

Since 1880, we’ve lost two thirds of our ocean’s fish biomass and if nothing changes we could lose 60% of our ocean species by 2100. Coronavirus led to a collapse in fish exports and many people’s livelihood is being used as a bargaining chip in Brexit negotations.

Within this context, I sought to ask: what is the future of our ocean industries and how might we take a more regenerative approach to harvesting our oceans?

To divine this knowledge I asked experts who work in sustainable fishing advocacy, seaweed harvesting and government bodies. I learned about Integrated Multi-trophic Aquaculture(IMTA): a means of growing edible seaweeds next to shellfish in a way that cultivates biodiversity by drawing new fish and plantlife to areas where it’s cultivated.

I then worked with budding crofters and people who fantasised about escaping from the city to navigate what they wanted and how they might take steps to reify their fantasies. There wasn’t an awareness of the possibilities that were available.

I propose an informational campaign that would help those who want to work closer to nature to take clear steps to starting an IMTA farm.

I originally graduated from a Graphic Design Masters orientated towards social matters. I developed a background in print and editorial design. My practice is now focusing on research, social design and community-based projects. I am interested in looking at how design can support emancipation but also how design relates to politics and democracy.

My Master’s research project looks at political representation and democratic processes. It challenges the concept of representation and majority as effective forms of democracy and proposes different frameworks for democracy and civic engagements.

Because politics is often pictured as a complex topic only accessible for experts to discuss, instead, I tried to look at it with a didactic approach.

The research presents two complementary approaches “From the System to the People” and “From the People to the System”. Ultimately, what I am asking is how to represent multiplicity? What are the obstacles and problems of representation? Why do they exist and how to go around them?

I first attempted to define the French political system of representation in principle and in practice as a case study. I looked at its history, philosophy, practices and the roles played by experts and public institutions hoping this will enable me to identify entry points or short-circuit for change and civic engagement.

As my research perspective shifted I realised people were affecting the system themselves. I researched around the problematics of participation and how, why, when and by whom they are currently fostered. I identified different discourses around participation relating to different ideologies.

To get perspective, I searched for analogies. I compared network theories, animal and vegetal philosophies with the different discourses and ideologies around participation and with the way our social and political systems function. This allowed me to anchor my topic in a wider ecosystem and to compare current interactions and modes of assembling, of co-existence, and see what can be improved or challenged.

If you would like to know more about my work, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Dialect heritage aims to protect and promote dialect heritage. It focuses on remote communities in Scotland for their decline number of dialect speakers. Also, the research concentrate on Doric language as research example and the final outcome is related on it. The final outcome visualizes the idea of ‘dialect heritage make up a part of cultural heritage in the community’.In addition, this board game can be used as a catalyst, with youngsters meeting up with older native Scots speakers. During this process, youngsters have the opportunity to discover and begin to use new words, and the speakers found their inheritors and pass on their dialect knowledge. It could solve the problem of fewer dialect inheritors in remote communities.

This project used design as a medium to explore the significance of ordinary furniture to residents’ daily life and the feasibility of sustainable development of furniture.

As a necessity of residents’ daily life, furniture hides many unknown stories and secrets and also carries emotions of different users. Every piece of furniture has a special meaning for everyone. However, the fast-paced life of modern society makes the circulation of products faster, and the replacement rate of furniture is increased so waste is inevitable. It is regretted that many furniture worthies of being preserved are therefore neglected and then abandoned. The reason for its waste is not only because of damaged furniture, style changes, and residents’ relocation but also ignore daily furniture and the lack of environmental awareness. Although there are endless related education projects, how to implement residents’ behaviours into daily life is the pinpoint of this project.

This project traced the circulation process of furniture, explored and redefined the meaning of furniture to residents, and finally designed a solution to extend the service life of furniture accordingly.

A Fashion and Textiles Educator currently working at BPS Secondary College in Mauritius. As a fashion and textiles teacher she has always promoted the Green concept in students project work.

With a Bachelor degree in textile and fashion, she is always interested into studying the properties of fabric, basics of colour and texture.

This project began as an exploration of fabric construction methods.

It involves engaging stakeholders and collaborators in the processes of designing, making and testing of textiles. The strategy used is upcycling of fabric remnants sourced from the local textile mill in Elgin. The approach to upcycling, with which this practice is aligned, treats the textile source as laden with information that guides the form of new fabrics out the textile waste. Subsequently, the fabrics were sent for testing in Portugal for the creation of Almalaguês- Spanish sneakers.

Awarded as a Highly Commendable project in September 2020 for the SIE Fresh Idea Competition.

I am a visual communication designer based in Seoul, South Korea. My current interests and practice are in socio-environmental design, especially focusing on the possibilities of collective changes that individuals’ behaviour can foster.

This project ‘Empathy-derived recycling model’ opens up the opportunities of personal connection between refuse collectors and the general public, for residents’ better understanding of what results their behavioural decision on waste disposal could cause. The research explores people’s cognitive and environmental behaviour change when no one intends to cause environmental harms but far too much waste that could easily be recycled is going to landfill. The system highlights the significant environmental impact of correct recycling and putting the stuff in the right bins, and the intrinsic drive for such waste disposal behaviour can be improved by building up the familiarity with refuse collectors.

“Please try your utmost to separate and wash. It’s not just us you are helping. It’s yourself in the future.” – Mr. C, Refuse collector

Natural Light in Learning Environments

Learning environments and especially schools have always been of great interest to architects mainly because through design those spaces can influence a child’s education and future. A school is not just a building to accommodate students and teachers, and it must not be seen as such. A learning environment can play an important and significant role in students learning and academic performance.

The importance of natural light in a learning environment is what this research will focus on. While dealing with natural light in a learning environment, the architect will come across many other aspects like natural ventilation, views, the relation- ship of the classroom to the outdoor spaces, the orientation of building and classrooms, the colours and materials in the space that will have to be chosen to improve the quality of the natural light without causing discomfort or other negative effects.

In my research I have tried to determine the positive effects of taking advantage of natural light in the architectural design of learning environments. More specifically, the positive effects that are connected with student’s performance, health, the aesthetic and efficient quality of space and the possibilities that arise from the implementation of natural light in a learning environment.These positive effects are connected with a better quality of learning which is human-centred and sensitive towards the environment. In effect will lead to conscientious individuals and stronger societies able to confront today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.

Instagram : @sonyalizbeth

Linkedin : http://www.linkedin.com/in/sonyalizbeth

Email : sonyalizbeth@gmail.com

My name is Francesca.

I graduated in Industrial and Graphic Design in Venice, where I understood how good products and multimedia projects should be planned. I learnt that the formal aspect of a product depends on its function and the user experience. In my opinion, the most important thing is that the designer role is to produce something that is durable even if the time passes by.

During the final undergraduate year, I started to work for a year in an Italian company, that produces glass objects and technical lamps. This job made me realize that I would like to do something more helpful for people.

The link between urban spaces and wellbeing has always been interesting for me, so I decided to move to Glasgow and attend the Environmental Design Master. Here I focused on the way a city or space can affect our behaviour in a positive or negative way. I learnt the importance of exploring and understanding a specific context through qualitative research to find solutions that can solve real issues and truly improve people’s lives.

Actually I am based in Italy and I would like to find a job in the Architecture and Urbanistic field. To be honest I do not know where I would like to live or do in the future. However, I know for sure that I would like to travel and live in different places to do as many experiences as possible, to enrich not only my career but also my life.

I have a background in Architecture and have always been interested in exploring lived experiences. I am inspired by how narratives can play a part in shaping culture, influencing change in systems and attributing new meanings to spaces.

My graduate project was focussed on exploring the gap between the representational aspects and the built material reality of cities. My effort was to mediate an experience through a dialogue between the city and its people by challenging everyday conditions in urban streets. The result was an audio experience that could serve to dismantle the built, objective perceptions of the city and re-orient human perspectives. It is rooted in the idea that people form dynamic, iterative relationships with the spaces around them and this can be used to transform the urban experience.

A graduating Design Innovation and Environmental Design master student. After completing an undergraduate course in Industrial Design at the School of Design in Zagreb, Croatia, I wanted to expand my work into broader social contexts. In the future, I wish to explore how spaces and environments could be used as transformational tools for society. In my final MDes project, I researched death and dying in order to develop ideas for new environmentally and socially sustainable alternatives.

Grief and Growth is a speculative design for a holistic new death practice lead by the principles of nature, equality, and healing.

The outcome imagines a new death service ran by nature preservation charities. It includes requirements for memorial and ceremonial grounds installed at protected nature sites around the UK, as well as a model for use and service outline which provides accessible funerary options while aiding nature conservation efforts. Those remembering their loved ones in this context intrinsically think of nature, the circle of life, and their place in it. As the charities’ reach expands through this service, caring about and protecting nature become part of a shared heritage.

Upon further development, Grief and Growth hopes to introduce something that’s missing from contemporary death practices: perspective and options.

As a designer with a foundation in architecture, I am fascinated with how spaces can be well-utilized to improve the quality of life in society. I aim to understand how people use the space around them by applying user-oriented design research methods to everyday problems. As a graduate student in design innovation and environmental design, my goal is to uncover the layers to problems in food sourcing in crowded cities and arriving at creative solutions. I have explored possibilities for change and hope to continue learning and growing from the research done for this project.

INTRODUCTION

Fresh fruits and vegetables at your doorstep are what I consider to be a sign of progress. Getting your hands dirty and working towards ensuring that progress is how I envision the direction for society’s prosperity. Sourcing food in a sustainable way is something that a lot of designers and professionals have been trying to figure out. Farming locally can ensure not only a steady supply of groceries for yourself but also help resolve the shortage of resources in the world. I have always believed that together we can achieve more. The pandemic has shown us the importance of banding together as a civilization. The support and kindness we can offer each other collectively can prepare us for any unforeseen problems. This can be a broad concept and difficult to navigate where to begin with.

In this fast-paced and ever-changing world, the demand and need for basic amenities like food and water are increasing. There is tremendous pressure on the world’s resources, and we are not fully aware of the consequences that are yet to follow. I am interested in finding a way to live in a society where we can source our food ourselves. We are dependent on grocery stores and supermarkets for our daily fruit and vegetable needs. What if there is a way to find an alternate source of food that doesn’t rely solely on other systems. This idea of a sustainable way of living first came to me during my undergraduate studies. I visited a distant relative who was living in the countryside with a small farm in their backyard. They are an elderly couple who now use their retirement savings to live a clean holistic living by growing their own food. I was fascinated with this concept of sustainable living. But living in a city, I didn’t have enough resources to make this a reality yet. All my groceries have been store-bought. But amongst many reasons, not having the benefit of having your own plot of land to farm with all the right resources and time are some of the reasons I want to explore through this project.

The next experience showed me the importance of locally sourced produce in society. A few years ago, I was living in a community in the south of India called Auroville, outside of any Indian authority or laws and functions as an independent city. The philosophy of this town is to “a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity”. Here I was able to experience a holistic life where I ate locally sourced food. I witnessed a pretty different environment from where I grew up. In the city, slowly people were losing connection with their neighbors. When I was a kid it was a common practice to gather in common spaces and have a chat or share stories in the community. While living in Auroville, I witnessed the same feeling of togetherness with the quality of food we shared. Here, all the food was locally sourced, and the establishments were also privately owned. I witnessed a healthier lifestyle through food that was independent of any corporation or business. My mission to obtain a close-by supply of fresh fruits and vegetables was rooted more than ever with this experience of my life. I want to be able to use gardening as a tool to be the starting point to reach a sustainable way of life in the future. As a designer, I hope to use the tools and skills I have been equipped with to make a positive contribution to society, starting with the area of food and farming which is a topic I have always been intrigued with. Through various research methods, I have explored the various aspects and characteristics that are attached to growing your own food and the related services that are currently present.

PLANNING

INITIAL RESEARCH
Community gardens are a key part of urban cities that create a common space for growing your own produce. Such spaces help people who don’t have their own land because of space limitations in a city. They are an integral part of enhancing the beauty of a neighborhood. I came across a paper which explores the effects of a community garden in improving the collective development of an urban neighborhood. This paper informs the joined efforts of a diverse community is favorable for advancing future. The community gardens that were “multi-functional” and “met social needs” were most succeeding. (Yeager, 2020) I have tried to understand the connection between people and their community and how these existing resources can be enhanced to result in something beneficial for everyone. I am also interested in finding a way to live in a society where we can rely on each other when it comes to source food ourselves.

At the start of the project, I realized that I just had the bare minimum information on food sourcing or farming and had only the passion in the subject, to begin with. I started exploring different resources to broaden my knowledge to discover the possibilities I could go to. I found out about a webinar on Eventbrite organized by Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) called Food Sourcing Solutions which at once caught my eye. The topic that was discussed was a live project conducted by graduate students along with collaborators and stakeholders from their community in Chicago, Illinois. Attending this webinar proved to be instrumental in setting the ground running for me. I got a rough understanding of a design project similar to mine. Here, the students spoke about the multiple solutions they had arrived at by prototyping their ideas and concepts with the community they were designed for. Through desk research, I found various news articles, journals, and reports that were helping me further understand the different layers and scope for this project. As shown below, I sketched out a rough mind map of what aspects of food I wanted to address. This helped me gather my thoughts and focus on growing fruits and vegetables and how this could be achieved.

DESK RESEARCH
The relationship between sustainability and farming was my main concern to address. I began investigating the concept and value of sustainable farming. I came across one of Unilever’s initiatives that emphasize the positive effects and more importantly the urgency for sustainable farming practices. Reducing the effects of climate change and benefitting the farmer’s community were some of the topics they were hoping to be working towards to meet the demand for goods and services. They also mentioned how providing farmers with a better yield would not only improve their lives but also the surrounding communities. However, this highlighted the role of an organization with sustainable ways to source food which was not the direction I aimed for. Through this project, I was hoping to find a way to meet the world’s growing needs without destroying all of the earth’s resources through individual contributions. To better investigate the effects of food sourcing on a person and their community, I would have to study the different nuances of what sustainability means. All of the preliminary online search for buzz words like sustainability, community, farming, etc. swept up pages of information with relation to environmental or economic impact. I was curious to learn about the social connection to sustainability. According to this paper on placemaking, different factors are responsible for the outcome of urban community garden projects. Here the emphasize that a community garden’s success is not only measured on its scale or the yield of crops. By acknowledging the effects of community gardens, I want to explore a way to incorporate into a variation of “home gardens”.

The pandemic has taken its toll over the world and people over the globe have gone through similar experiences with the lockdown. Having to isolate from society is the sole connection experienced world-wide. But the importance of supporting each other is a core value we can learn from this catastrophic event. I had to enquire more about whether the attitudes of people were changing in a more positive light was accurate or just optimistic delusions. I came across an article published by Civil Eats, a news source sharing stories surrounding the American food system. Here, a group of commercial farmers who usually do not grow fruits and vegetables is now contributing to helping the nearby town in times of need. This showed the potential of battling a shortage of food as a collective effort.

But why choose to grow it ourselves? For starters, it is an opportunity to learn a new skill. To have the closest nutritious food source that can improve our physical and mental health is always a plus. It could be cost-effective if done using the right methods but more importantly making us more independent. This article supported that theory which speaks about a retiree in her 60s from Singapore who overcame a shortage of food at the local store by growing it herself. Previously, she was unable to find the time to garden more often. There were also several other examples and data collected highlighting people’s increasing interest in home farming. These stories substantiate my belief that farming at home is possible despite having no prior knowledge or space for it. Not only is it achievable but also has mental health benefits. An article from the Guardian demonstrated the health and socio-cultural benefits of growing your own food. This article was about a man renting out a small space and growing vegetables in the garden for himself and helping neighbors do the same. He was able to live a healthier lifestyle for an entire year without ever going to the store. This article supported my idea of bringing people together using farming specifically to become more self-sufficient.

The connection between urban community empowerment and the benefits of farming was the next area I was curious to get insights from. I read about a paper that examines the positive and negative reasons behind the development of a community garden in an urban context. This was necessary to contend my assumption that cities do not have enough space to farm individually. Hence community gardens could be a great alternate to not having a private plot of spare land to grow crops. The purpose and functionality of community gardens or allotments were the main focus on my desk research stage. I briefly researched organizations that contribute to gardening and urban development that came across 2 places that I was aiming to speak at a later stage of my project. ‘Urban Roots’ in Glasgow and ‘Urban Growth’ in London would have been a great source of information to understand the role they played in their communities. Unfortunately, this was the start of the lockdown, and all places were temporarily closed and proved to be a roadblock for me at this stage.

LIVED EXPERIENCES
I began combining my desk research with my personal experiences that could also contribute to my research planning. I had participated in a bamboo construction and organic farming workshop in June 2018. The workshop run by Ar. Richard Belho of Zynorique Initiatives at Nagaland, India. Here I got a better understanding of how farming can be conducted in a cost-effective and organic way that benefitted their community. The farm was in a small village where there were not a lot of amenities that we find easily in most cities. I got to be a part of every stage of the gardening process, from planting the seeds to plowing the land. Not only that but also every member of the staff was putting in their contribution towards the farm. They were able to save money; instead of buying tomatoes and chilies, they were growing it themselves. This is when I was able to see how a small community with limited resources was able to be self-sufficient by working together. Another experience I had was coincidently on my way to get groceries in Glasgow, where I came across Greyfriars Community Garden. I was amazed to see it thriving in the middle of a global pandemic unaffected. I went on to explore other community gardens to confirm my theory that these spaces were functioning successfully considering the current situation.

SECONDARY RESEARCH

FIELD OBSERVATIONS  
Assessing the current state of community gardens around me, I went through a report on Glasgow’s community gardens. The research conducted in this report was to expand on the connection between sustainability and the urban community. It also speaks about a grassroots organization called Just Food which engages in collaborative community projects to feed the local community. I stumbled upon ‘Stalled Spaces’, a Glasgow City Council project on the closed gate at Greyfriars community garden. Because the place was closed like every other establishment, I was unable to find anyone to talk to and I observed the surroundings to find any information. This project was started to support local community groups and organizations across the city to develop stalled, under-utilized spaces. These temporary spaces aimed to improve the health and well-being of the community by increasing community engagement. This space was meant to open up spaces for recreation and making them safer for the public. To my dismay, I was unable to find any proof that this city council project was a success. I visited 6 of the community gardens, based solely on their location to my cycling radius. The first 3 community gardens I visited were on the south side of Glasgow. These were located in the middle of residential spaces with abandoned plots. The current situation of these spaces was in bad shape. They were completely abandoned with no sign of greenery, and some were reduced to being unused spaces again. The next 3 community gardens were situated by the Scottish Canals. These were also located close to a residential neighborhood, but it was different from the other ones I visited. Spiers Wharf, for example, is inside a well-maintained residential area and is not easily available for everyone. Since it was temporarily closed for outside access, not much information about the garden was available.

After visiting these community gardens, I was able to gain some insights on what to explore next. I decided to look into a few other city council projects to see if there is a pattern forming there. This was meant to help me work towards a solution to design a more functioning community garden. I noticed some of these “stalled spaces” initiatives were in neighborhoods that were not maintained properly. I planned to explore the urban rejuvenation aspect of the project to see how to bring people together and make them feel safe and look for any opportunities to make these community gardens feasible and accessible for everyone. Based on this one particular city council project it was obvious that these spaces were not living up to the potential. My deduction by this stage was that community gardens are currently failing to be a good enough food source for a person. However, I had to be sure before making a snap judgment and dismissing community gardens altogether based on just a few visits. I created a rough stakeholder map that wasn’t based on a lot of data, but it was a base ground to look at broadly the end-user to my design idea.

ENGAGEMENT

INTERACTIONS AND LIVE CASE STUDY
My reasoning from the observations to know the exact direction I have to take to reach a long-term goal had to be explored further. Starting with interviewing people who are experts and non-experts in farming. I drafted emails inquiring for stakeholders to interview by branching out to my personal and professional networks. Not everyone got back to me, but I was able to get some interesting leads. But it wasn’t too much of an issue as I soon found out after connecting with my extended family and friends’ circles on social media platforms. I discovered an organic farm providing fresh produce in a locality in Mumbai. Through mutual friends, I asked to set up an interview, but it did not go as planned.

INTERVIEWS
My first interview was with my family’s longtime friend who shared the first experience I had that gave me the inspiration for this project. They were able to provide another perspective to mine. I asked them several questions by breaking it down to simple general questions to get them comfortable with the subject matter and then dug deeper to see the reasoning behind their responses. The first one was from the perspective of people who turned to become expert farmers without prior knowledge. They continue to rely on themselves to source their own food. They originally lived in a crowded city and were able to achieve this holistic living after moving to the countryside, where space was abundant. The second interview happened after I attempted other research methods because I wasn’t able to get people to agree to sit down and have a chat. The second interviewee was an amateur gardener from Woodlands Community Garden in Glasgow and has been using the community garden in their neighborhood for the past 10 years. They lived alone in the city, so the community garden activity was more of social activity for them rather than as a way to source food. I downloaded my notes and data collected into a “journey map” describing the key elements for each interview and the recurring themes from these separate worlds. The main element that started to inform the project’s main concern of successfully growing food was that the gardening plot was available in close proximity and it because it was a platform to socialize. Also, both were unaffected by any concerns with food sourcing in the lockdown.

ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE
I created a questionnaire through Google Forms to branch out and reach out to more people quickly. The response from the questionnaire was overwhelming because in a few days I managed to get a total of 150 responses. This itself was a positive sign that people were interested in this area of food sourcing. Here again, 3 key themes jumped out which I felt were interesting to explore later. I discovered that people were:

·       open to the idea of avoiding supermarkets completely.

·       they were willing to share a space with their neighbors.

·       would welcome help and resources to farm at home.

ANONYMOUS USER EXPERIENCES
The form sparked a conversation amongst people and they happily came forward with their personal stories with farming at home.

Following are anonymous experience-based personas I drew out that addressed some of the insights I made from the preliminary observations and assumptions.

·       Persona 1

She is a middle-aged doctor who finds time in her busy schedule in a crowded city to grow a few essential used daily in the kitchen. Returning home, she plucks a few herbs in the community courtyard to prepare dinner. If shad more space and time she would love to grow more fresh ingredients.

·       Persona 2

Working professional woman who has now found time in the lockdown to grow an abundant supply of micro-greens and pulses using plastic containers piling up at home. She has coped with space shortage with resources at home which would otherwise just land in a landfill somewhere.

·       Persona 3

Stay at home mother of 2 young children who has converted the rooftop of her house as a farm. Living in the countryside which has a more favorable climate she has utilized her skills to source all of the groceries at home. Diary products and other food groups are what is store-brought, and she would love to expand into gathering those at home too.

LIVE CASE STUDY
Equipped with all the data I collected from talking and interacting with experts and stakeholders, I revisited my initial analysis from my field observations. In passing conversations with friends here in Glasgow, I was recommended to visit a couple of community gardens that disputed my theory that community gardens are a failing concept to grow food in the city.

WOODLANDS COMMUNITY GARDEN
This one was a well-designed space that showed an engaging community of people. There were other amenities provided which made the community engagement more of a success. Although they were currently shut, it was a beautifully designed space that is thriving with people socializing and growing produce. Multi-level spaces to maintain social distancing rules and enjoy the space were well-designed. A community garden with pizza oven and barbeque grill were also available as per the weather permits. Office spaces with a deck for social events are usually open to the public were closed now yet there were people using the space because of its design.

MARYHILL COMMUNITY GARDEN
This community garden I came across while cycling through Glasgow. It is located right by the main road blending in perfectly with the surrounding giving it a welcoming look. I figured this was thriving because of its positioning giving access to passersby on foot or in a vehicle. It also provided a green buffer space living enough to drown out noises and distractions from any traffic on the main road.

GARNETHILL COMMUNITY GARDEN
This one was suggested by a friend who lives close to it. This was smaller compared to the other 2 I visited but definitely functioning. It was beautifully decked with inventive planters made from recycled furniture and household fixtures. Though the place was small it was well-maintained from the conditions of the growing plants. The personalization of the space showed the investment of the community.

DATA ANALYSIS

EARLY INSIGHTS
I referred to IDEO’s Human-Centred Guide among other such toolkits I found online. I attempted some of the exercises and activities to understand navigating the data to reach the desired results. I started by attempting another way to address my goal for this project since the start of it. Asking “5 whys” was a useful tool to understand the depth of all the information I acquired from interactions and observing spaces. Questioning the first “why” showcased the reason to start was from a desire to learn a new skill. After digging deeper with each “why”, I was able to decipher core themes emerging from them. I put them in the form of “how might we” questions.

·       How might we create a sustainable food source through a community: to achieve a sustainable and healthy lifestyle.

·       How might we become less dependent on supermarkets: to become more prepared for the future.

·       How might we reduce food waste using gardening: to avoid a shortage of food.

This process helped me arrive at the long-term goal which was to work towards living in a self-sufficient sustainable community. But before that, I would have to prioritize the problem to reach that goal. With the “frame your design challenge” exercise, I tried to define the possibilities of taking practical steps towards making a change. I decided to concentrate on gardening as a stepping stone to reach the goal of an alternate source of food. I studied the changes in existing issues in the context of the stakeholder’s environment, currently getting in the way of being independent.

SYNTHESIS AND OUTCOMES

OPPORTUNITIES
The last exercise helped me identify opportunities to arrive at possible solutions. Changes needed to happen to the current systems in place to explore opportunities and solutions. I began asking the following questions like how might we make accessible space for everyone and keep people interested in learning something to be more self-reliant? To make these solutions a reality I had to uncover the actions required to be done. Following the worksheet “Impact Ladder” from the IDEO toolkit handbook, I looked at the changes that are deliverable in the stakeholders’ actions. My field observations in the start revealed that community gardens were not living up to its potential. Therefore, I needed to focus on the reasons for the ones that are functioning and contradicted my assumption. My questionnaire regenerated responses that supported my reasoning from the desk research. The perception that people were enthusiastic in gardening at home but for reasons like not having space, time, or confidence in skills to develop it further. My next motive was to find a way to generate a way to get people excited about it as a hobby but not let it fade away when other priorities take over.

I had to understand the different characteristics in the user’s environment that factored in their behavior towards gardening at home. But layering in this activity into a person’s life without making it tedious. I don’t want it to be a process of imposing my idea on people just because I had faith in it.  I had to make sense of the users’ context to begin forming a solution. Creating an ecosystem map suggested in the IDEO handbook, revealed the scope for change in the user’s environment, community, services, and institutions that contribute to their behavior in society. For the user to be consistent, they would have to have more access to the resources and time to be an expert. They should be aware of what is already existing in their community by better ways of communicating with other like-minded people in the neighborhood. As for the services and institutions that inform the user should be made available through a precise medium. So that they can be better advised on how to use the resources that they might not be aware of.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

IDEATION
I was hoping to start a ripple effect in inspiring and improving the overall lifestyle and well-being of society. The close possible outcomes that can be generated to begin having that effect is what I explored next in this stage of my research. After refining the insights, I stepped into ideating the opportunities for change in the different stakeholder groups. I mapped out the shifts that needed to happen to arrive at the final goal in the form of a service or a product. Loosely following the steps in this activity guide (theory of change), I created some rough concept ideas against each of the shifts. These shifts or changes were a cumulative result of all the analysis and insights from the users I interacted with. In the map below, I placed red post-its’ on the concepts I wrote down that could have the most impact with “addresses this well” and the pink post-its’ on the concepts that have the potential to have an impact with “addresses this somewhat”.

FINAL ANALYSIS AND SOLUTIONS
Mapping out the concepts with the areas I wanted to make a difference in was starting to make sense after this exercise. I was happy to find out that I was arriving at some concrete deliverable ideas. In this next step, I bunched up the concepts that had the most impact (the red post-its).

·       Local neighborhood pamphlets/ newsletters/ advertising-

This service or product addresses the problem of misinformation because of technological issues or being unaware of how to use digital platforms.

·       Portable mobile structures in transition spaces-

This product addresses the need for a gardening space that can be flexible to the users’ limitations of space and accessibility. By allowing the user to place them in a familiar space, it has a better chance of blending into their routine and making it less of a chore.

·       Fixed structures placed strategically for different purposes-

This product would have to be placed after careful planning of each neighborhood’s shared spaces to ensure active participation. These zones will have to be either designed for specific vegetations or depending on the stage of growth.

After focusing on these 3 concepts, I began narrowing it down to one concept I can design now for this project. I started eliminating the concepts that I felt would not hold merit to be successful enough. Since all the types of vegetation require specific conditions for growing I researched the basic fundamental of gardening. A wide range of tutorial videos and hacks on how to garden are existing resources. I felt that designing a better medium through service just to spread awareness to people is not the direction I intended for this project. After watching a Ted talk on how Rob Greenfield transformed his life into becoming an expert from scratch was inspiring. The instructions and guidance from his blogs helped me design a few basic essentials I would have to incorporate into the final product. The elements that were necessary for a beginner were my base point for envisioning the final product. The first advice was to start small, next was to ensure there was access to light and to ensure a healthy growing plant. The last advice, which I thought was most important was to check locally what is available. The following are the key outcomes I would have to incorporate into my design.

·       From not knowing where to start to be able to see actual results: This would have to be a medium for people to socialize and learn to grow together. Thus, being well-informed combining with all the information found individually.

·       From not having space and time to be able to garden anyway: This would have to eliminate any space constraints in most urban cities and be an interesting and easy way to accommodate a busy lifestyle.

IMPLEMENTATION

CONCEPT ANALYSIS
The final concept I narrowed it down to with the help of the last exercise was to create an educational toolkit. This product would have the resources to start the process of gardening by including information, containers for planting, and a set of seeds for the basic ingredients for daily use. I wanted to focus on one of the facets of gardening. By concentrating on the “seed” stage of gardening I can contribute to changing an individual’s lifestyle.  I read a chapter from a report stating that the joint efforts of both the individual and their community are important in a successful urban garden. “Urban gardens can further serve as a vehicle to engage individuals and communities in efforts toward other social and environmental initiatives” (PDF) Urban Community Gardens as Multimodal Social Spaces, 2020) This helped me move ahead in the direction of addressing the problem in bite-sized solutions. The way I see it is that literally planting seeds is the first step to a green future.

DESIGN SOLUTION

FINAL OUTCOME
The journey map highlights the effects each element of the design will have on the user. The toolkit will hold containers that will be designed in a way so that it can be placed on a shelf or even hung from a hook. By making it mobile I believe it will be helping the users’ who lack space and natural light. This design will later suggest shared transition spaces can be used in case one does not have the conditions for the seeds to sprout after being tested out with the public. It would create an atmosphere to socialize, interact, and learn from each other. I believe this could bring people together to inspire more people. I would also integrate into the design a way for the user to personalize their containers to have a special connection to it. This way each person will hopefully have a personal intention to succeed with this experiment. I prototyped some alternatives to how these containers could be woven into the users’ life. One method was to place them along with shared transition spaces like corridors, parking lot, alleyways between buildings, provided that they have access to natural light and drainage. This would solve the space problem in cities. Another idea was to place the containers along spaces used in their daily commute like en-route to work, to exercise, or even just running errands. This would solve any more space issues by using place-making to ensure desired results. Also, these public spaces can be presented in a fun and interactive way to generate investment. I also had to consider the risks and pitfalls that can cause the product to fail or at least make the user demotivated to stay invested. The seeds would probably still not sprout in spite of perfect placement, they could be still be neglected after decorating and personalizing it. I would have to prototype elements of the design with different stakeholders to see how effective it really is. The stakeholders ranging from experts to amateurs. Since I was unable to prototype and reiterate the specifications, I got feedback for the design ideas from peers and colleagues with varied skill-levels in gardening. I would also like to take this forward and prototype the “container” at a local community garden.

I have broken it down into three main categories that will give a shot to capture the individual and their community’s behavior when it comes to growing food. The “seed” stage will help inspire aspiring gardeners to continue learning, the second stage of “sapling” when the seeds sprout will be pushed to a larger radius of using spaces shared with neighbors guaranteeing community engagement. Finally, the last stage of “yield” is the scope for design to be explored. Here I would like to design a system where it can work with the help of a community garden. Thus, forming a full circle of starting at home to end at a sustainable home outdoors. In the future, I would like to design a service that connects people and places iterating on different designs that blend with community engagement programs.

FINAL REFLECTIONS

FUTURE GOALS
For a community to achieve the kind of self-sufficiency where freshly grown food can be found at our doorstep is still a long way off. I believe that by having addressed even one small aspect of gardening at home can help solve problems in food sourcing. And by doing so, as a collective, we can be more self-reliant amongst each other. I would want to inspect the scope of gardening in different user environments like school or workplace. Learning to be skilled can be incorporated at an early age by introducing nursery beds in schools as well as in-office campuses. I also hope this research can collect feedback to see any development in society. Above all, I want to see this become a contribution to making lasting change in the world. Once the world gets back to its daily grind, I would like to develop on the scope of the project once we get back to our old routines. The importance of community togetherness should not be lost when the world slowly recovers from the pandemic. That would be interesting information to study and see if we would arrive at different solutions.