Being HUMAN 2019/20

About this Experience

GSA Associates: Glasgow Clyde College

Group working
IMAGE: Group working

Students identified two waste materials from everyday life, one natural and one constructed. They created an illustrated biography for each material, including place of birth, method of creation, material characteristics, etc. They then selected one material to celebrate by using the material in a new and surprising way to make or propose a new use.

Students were invited to research making techniques to highlight the qualities of the material both in form and use, and to consider how much human intervention should control the final outcome and how much the material or other non-human factors might affect it.

Links:

GSA Website

International Foundation Programme

Fluxkit, 1964/65. Fluxus edition, assembled by George Maciunas (American, 1931-1978). Mixed media (vinyl attaché case), printed matter.
IMAGE: Fluxkit, 1964/65. Fluxus edition, assembled by George Maciunas (American, 1931-1978). Mixed media (vinyl attaché case), printed matter.

What does it mean to be human? What is non-human? What is your relationship to nature? The International Foundation students exploredwhat it means to encounter the Anthropocene and how this connects to being human as the starting point for their project. They used their research as inspiration to design and make a ‘Kit’, inspired by ‘Flux-Kits’, devised by the avant-garde art movement from the 60’s, Fluxus. These ‘Kits’ presented their ideas and responses to these questions and their understanding of the relationship to the Anthropocene.

Links:

GSA Website

Simulation & Visualisation

Skylar (Co-Lab 1: Being Human 2019)
IMAGE: Skylar (Co-Lab 1: Being Human 2019)

When considering how humans have shaped the planet SimVis finds itself in a place of reflection. Simulation and Visualisation has the potential to create immersive virtual environments for the interactive exploration of solutions to human impact and through this the means to support a wider debate.

Although digital practice is seemingly environmentally friendly (efficient, remote collaboration leaving a small physical footprint) the entire industry relies on the exploitation of rare materials and a global distribution network for equipment. Students used research into the Anthropocene to develop interactive imagery that evolves based on the user’s interaction with it.

Links:

GSA Website

Product Design

Cueva de las Manos, Perito Moreno, Argentina - Cueva de las Manos is a cave or a series of caves located in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, 163 km south of the town of Perito Moreno. It is famous for the paintings of hands. The art in the cave dates from 13,000 to 9,000 years ago
IMAGE: Cueva de las Manos, Perito Moreno, Argentina - Cueva de las Manos is a cave or a series of caves located in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, 163 km south of the town of Perito Moreno. It is famous for the paintings of hands. The art in the cave dates from 13,000 to 9,000 years ago

Students were asked to identify an aspect of human behaviour which they recognise as detrimental to the health of the planet and develop a design ‘intervention’ in response. Rather than seeking to ‘fix’ this behaviour students responded to identified underlying causes to develop new approaches that are not only beneficial but desirable.

Students explored their chosen ‘bad behaviour’ from multiple perspectives and developed speculative design interventions that tackled the issue in different ways. Here we see the outcomes presented as snapshots of scenarios in which the designed response is a central ‘prop’ within a narrative tableau.

Links:

GSA Website

Fine Art Photography

Flowers (found on Sauchiehall Street).  Glasgow. October 2020. Cyanotype 16x 12in.
IMAGE: Flowers (found on Sauchiehall Street). Glasgow. October 2020. Cyanotype 16x 12in.

Can you make artwork engaging the materials you use via a response to where they came from? How can the sources, narratives and histories of the materials you choose be embedded in what you make? Art students were asked to consider their materials as collaborators.

In response to the theme of the Anthropocene, students carried out research into the processes and politics involved in extraction, manufacture and transportation of raw materials. The projects aim to bring together the subject, method and tools employed by the student artists so that the theme of their work produced is also its material premise.

Links:

GSA Website

Sculpture & Environmental Art

Flowers (found on Sauchiehall Street).  Glasgow. October 2020. Cyanotype 16x 12in.
IMAGE: Flowers (found on Sauchiehall Street). Glasgow. October 2020. Cyanotype 16x 12in.

Can you make artwork engaging the materials you use via a response to where they came from? How can the sources, narratives and histories of the materials you choose be embedded in what you make? Art students were asked to consider their materials as collaborators.

In response to the theme of the Anthropocene, students carried out research into the processes and politics involved in extraction, manufacture and transportation of raw materials. The projects aim to bring together the subject, method and tools employed by the student artists so that the theme of their work produced is also its material premise.

Links:

GSA Website

Painting & Printmaking

Flowers (found on Sauchiehall Street).  Glasgow. October 2020. Cyanotype 16x 12in.
IMAGE: Flowers (found on Sauchiehall Street). Glasgow. October 2020. Cyanotype 16x 12in.

Can you make artwork engaging the materials you use via a response to where they came from? How can the sources, narratives and histories of the materials you choose be embedded in what you make? Art students were asked to consider their materials as collaborators.

In response to the theme of the Anthropocene, students carried out research into the processes and politics involved in extraction, manufacture and transportation of raw materials. The projects aim to bring together the subject, method and tools employed by the student artists so that the theme of their work produced is also its material premise.

Links:

GSA Website

Textile Design

Stump-work Picture, The Glasgow School of Art.
IMAGE: Stump-work Picture, The Glasgow School of Art.

Textiles students were introduced to the idea of ‘responsible design’ through a series of questions to help them work out what is important to them, and how their work might contribute to social and environmental change.  They explored the potential of waste materials to develop design ideas and visualised these in context.

Links:

GSA Website

Interaction Design

Interaction Design CoLab 1 2019/20 Project involving projection mapping / Student: Inese Verebe: Second Hand Time
IMAGE: Interaction Design CoLab 1 2019/20 Project involving projection mapping / Student: Inese Verebe: Second Hand Time

Interaction designers looked at the traces our environment creates; be it in a natural, urban or cultural landscape. They did this by exploring physical mark-making methods in tandem with computer-related techniques to create meaningful visual sequences. Students were introduced to analogue (non-digital) methods of mark-making, creating textures and visuals with hand processes, that formed the foundation of their visual imagery. Alongside this they learned how computers can be used to drive mark-making outcomes as well as being a tool for displaying such visuals in interesting, conceptual ways.

Links:

GSA Website

Mackintosh School of Architecture

investigating blindness, pecha kucha group presentation, Audur Gudnadottir, Jack Pohler, Ruby Pilgrim, Stephen Douglas
IMAGE: investigating blindness, pecha kucha group presentation, Audur Gudnadottir, Jack Pohler, Ruby Pilgrim, Stephen Douglas

The theme of Being Human was used to examine the question of being an architect in the era of the Anthropocene. Given this critical and urgent context what should the role of an architect be in helping create a better world? What type of impact do we make when it comes to our built environment? How might we understand and address the challenges of climate and ecological emergencies? By researching buildings from around the globe and building climate literacy skills, students presented views and ideas about what it means to be an architect in the era of the Anthropocene.

Links:

GSA Website

Communication Design

“Disregarded but Beneficial” / Embroidered Face Mask / More stereotypically feminine crafts like embroidery and darning are being taught less and now feel a bit lost / Meg Grant
IMAGE: “Disregarded but Beneficial” / Embroidered Face Mask / More stereotypically feminine crafts like embroidery and darning are being taught less and now feel a bit lost / Meg Grant

This project placed environmental and socially responsible thinking at the heart of what students do. Students were asked to re-appropriate and find new purposes for waste material. Students researched historical and contemporary sources of artists and designers who work with discarded and found objects and matter and identified work where ordinary materials had been transformed and given a new definition. Students were then invited to make an artefact from found materials and to create an artefact based on the process of transforming a waste material by giving it a new purpose and value.

Links:

GSA Website

Fashion Design

Reference Image
IMAGE: Reference Image

The scale of the climate emergency goes far beyond ourselves as individuals, it is a crisis for all of humanity. It is not a crisis any individual can solve, but designers can play their part. Fashion students were asked to consider how their work might contribute to social and environmental change and responsible design. In response to the scale of textile waste produced by both consumers and industry they were tasked with creating a “highly desirable” repurposed garment. This project asks students to personally address the climate emergency by gathering worn garments, otherwise destined for landfill, and save them!

Links:

GSA Website

Interior Design

Moving Image presentation summary by Kim O’Neill
IMAGE: Moving Image presentation summary by Kim O’Neill

Given that it is probably safe to assume that we are all human and interested in the interior worlds we occupy, students were reminded that the spaces they inhabit, modify and engage with are ever-present as they explore their relationship to interior design and the built environment, while considering their collective human impact on the planet. Students were asked to explore what ‘Being Human’ means to them and create a 60-second film that included an Interior, a Human, and a Sound.

Links:

GSA Website

Silversmithing & Jewellery

A selection of silver objects selected from our virtual hosts private collection
IMAGE: A selection of silver objects selected from our virtual hosts private collection

What does it mean to be human? How might you express that meaning through objects? Silversmithing and Jewellery students investigated the phenomena of the Anthropocene and considered their actions and practice in terms of their impact on the environment and planet. They were invited to design and make a Vessel of Humanity to communicate an element of what it means to them to be living in these times. These objects aim to tell stories and invoke feelings, making references to things that are important to the makers in response to what they have learned about the Anthropocene.

Links:

GSA Website

About Being HUMAN 2019/20

Back to Top
MEDIA: Extended film review of Being HUMAN (2019/2020)

Co-Lab 1 is an intra-disciplinary course where students engage with the theme ‘Being Human’ by visiting a Glasgow-based archive to initiate their research and respond to this through their own disciplinary subject. Co-Lab 1 seeks to expose students to the process of integrating theory and research within their studio practice.