One of the talented bunch that have recently graduated from Glasgow School of Art, this week’s talent has made a beautiful publication from the charred magazines found after the fire in the Mackintosh Library and revisited the ideas behind William Morris’ florals.
How would you describe your practice?
That’s such a tricky question – restless? I like to keep busy and am always using my hands, so I'd say my practise revolves around making. I did an internship last summer with an architect which was very hands-on and involved building 3D signage for the Commonwealth Games. This sculptural approach to design really informed my final year at Glasgow School of Art and made me branch out from what I previously saw as graphic design.
You studied visual communication at Glasgow School of Art, what was the course like there and what did you take from it?
The course couldn't be better, I really enjoyed my four years there. I specialised in graphic design which, at GSA, is very process and concept led. Being around like-minded and very talented people was really inspiring – it was often peer-led tutorials that were the most useful. In my final year one of my tutors told me not to talk myself out of things and just do it and for the rest of the year I tried to take this advice. This led me to utilise other departments within the school such as casting, textiles and woodwork. My work really benefited from this freedom to experiment.
You did a publication based on burnt books found in the Mackintosh Library. How did the fire there affect students at GSA?
The fire affected everyone in the school, not only the obvious damage to the building and all the students whose work was lost. It was unfortunate timing as the new design building had only just opened, meaning the whole school was on the same campus for the first time in two years. Following the fire, the fine art students were moved to temporary studios on the other side of Glasgow, which obviously changed the atmosphere for our last year. The book was a project with a fellow student, Erin Bradley-Scott, and our aim was to try and make something beautiful out of the terrible event and create an object to commemorate the lost contents of the library.
You've also worked on projects based on the ideas of William Morris. Could you tell us something of what interests you about him?
While reading William Morris’s work for my dissertation, I was surprised to see how relevant his writings on creativity, art and socialism are today, despite having been written in the late Nineteenth Century. I wanted to address, through this project, the fact that Morris' progressive thinking has been forgotten – and that his name is misleadingly synonymous with his floral patterns. I decided to try and spread his socialist message to as many people as possible while avoiding his strong aesthetic style.
What are you working on now and what's next?
I have spent the summer in Glasgow and have just about recovered from the last months of art school. I've been working on some freelance work, including an exhibition identity for the Edinburgh Art festival. In August I start an internship with A Visual Agency in Glasgow.
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