Graduate Showcase 2022
THE SKINNY
Simulation and Visualisation
Innovation
Creativity at The School of Simulation and Visualisation moves in tandem with the development of new technology and digital software, making each year unique from the last
Product Design graduates investigate connections, celebrate differences and reinvent narratives through their future-focused designs Words: Holly McPaul
Words: Michiel Turner and Zoe Young
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Inside the Metallurgist's Workshop, Max Wardle, Immersive Systems Design
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his year’s School of Simulation and Visualisation cohort have developed a dynamic spectrum of work, exploring themes spanning spatiality to immersive investigation to ecology. Many of the students utilise contemporary techniques and digital software to realise their concepts. Max Wardle from the BSc Immersive Systems Design programme has created a virtual experience entitled Inside the Metallurgist’s Workshop, in collaboration with the Casa del Alabado Museum of PreColumbian Art in Quito, Ecuador. As the name suggests, Wardle’s work allows participants to interface with museum objects related to Ecuadorian indigenous heritage using a computer. The simulation features a rich colour palette with softened pixels, evoking a welcoming atmosphere for users to investigate. The Sound for the Moving Image programme has been significant in its fusion of digital artforms, inspiring students to merge their sonic practices with visual content. Much of the work showcased is driven by user experience, which is notable in Craig Hamilton’s Tributary, a game that invites audiences to trigger musical loops with a Nintendo games controller hooked up to both Ableton Live (a digital audio workstation software) and Max MSP (a music programming application). In the first version of Hamilton’s exhibit, players can arrange a lo-fi style piece of music featuring a rotation of jazz harmony and staggering beats. The second version includes a lush myriad of piano, synth, bass and percussion that can be assembled to create a dreamscape of sound. The aim is to make the music-making process a more accessible experience for those lacking knowledge of music theory or the resources to learn. Influenced by Mulholland Drive director David Lynch, Margarita Lioli’s Hypnagogia uses highly creative and detailed
sound design to immerse the listener into a transient hypnotic state, offering a truly unique and evocative experience. A glimpse into the world of altered consciousness and dream sequences is established using hauntingly designed sonic elements through experimental recording. Through experimentation with different microphone techniques, including hydrophones (microphones that can record underwater) a highly unusual and unique soundscape has been crafted. A series of different frequencies were captured in order to reveal this otherworldly dimension, along with expert audio processing to transform the sounds. The arrangement begins with an eerie pulse, reminiscent of mechanical horror sounds, which induce uncomfortable sensations and prepare us for a journey into another realm. Composed using wavetable synthesis, a peacefully synthetic and atmospheric passage encapsulates us further into this authentic representation of a different reality. The sweeping, carefully panned industrial sounds gradually induce an unusual, yet somewhat pleasant state. It ends on a pitch-affected, saturated and cleverly edited version of Minnie Ripperton’s Lovin’ You, turning this once simple love song into a hauntingly captivating sound interpretation, fitting rather uncannily into the soundscape. If you are interested in exploring different states of human consciousness, this soundscape offers a lucid alternative which successfully leaves you feeling as though you’ve just been on a weird and wonderful journey. A must hear! The School of Simulation and Visualisation Degree Show runs 1-12 Jun in the Haldane Building, 24 Hill Street, Glasgow. It is also available to view online at gsashowcase.net
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his year, Product Design students at the Innovation School were finally back in the studio, once again surrounded by the remarkable atmosphere, culture, and community of The Glasgow School of Art. Not even a global pandemic could stop them from producing refreshing and innovative designs. This year’s graduates focus on a wide variety of topics including shaping experiences for the future, designing through evolutionary and speculative lenses and more, all on display at the Degree Show. Do you enjoy eating? Are you curious about where your food comes from? Would you like to experience something new? Gabby Morris’s project Dish the Dirt is a multi-sensory dining experience that aims to help visualise the impact soil has on the food we eat. Morris has created hand-crafted ceramic plates, each unique to the eating experience, and is also running a multi-sensory tasting during the Degree Show. Lesley McCluskey has designed an innovative brand consultancy titled All-In. This project supports small businesses to collaborate and produce one-off experiences that help create community cohesion and build upon the local economy. Speculating on the future of Glasgow, Hannah Roche explores evolution and extinction in 2080. This work revolves around a speculative ‘multispecies integration act 2030,’ where
Dish The Dirt, Gabby Morris, Product Design
Scotland has granted nature constitutional rights and becomes a refuge for all species in light of climate change and the ongoing sixth mass extinction. Roche re-evaluates our relationship with nature through policy, senseware, and mapping, using various memorabilia to imagine the changes that the city of Glasgow goes through after the introduction of the act. Many of us find the topic of sexual health uncomfortable and daunting to talk about. Rachel Corrie’s project Join In is an experiential pop-up safe space with a twist. Join In dives into how we can have informed, but informal, discussions in environments where we feel the most comfortable. Imagine the relaxed setting of a pub layered with informative data on sexual health. With this combination, Join In hopes to encourage open communication and conversations while also offering the opportunity to gain more information on sexual health, and provide support within local communities. Victoria Jamieson’s project In the Noe is a communication toolkit designed to engage people in discussions about menopause. In the Noe aims to overcome stigma by addressing perception and reality through the means of education and emotional awareness. It invites those who may not be experiencing menopause to engage and begin to understand the effects it can have on a daily basis – enabling us to all be in the know. Amandine Fong’s project Clota aims to address how we can use All-In, Lesley McCluskey, Product Design — 11 —
Join In, Rachel Corrie, Product Design
design to think about new ways to connect to an environment, and its involvement in the creation of more-than-human narratives. Using the River Clyde and Glasgow as an environment for exploration, the project looks at the Clyde’s role within the city, and asks how we can rethink our relationship with it and collectively imagine its future. Looking into the future of performance running, Lucas Cheskin investigates the question: will the product come before the athlete? Cheskin delves into topics of fairness, equality, and the essence of future sport through speculative design practice. The resulting project The Melius Games aims to create a conversation surrounding technological evolution and its impact on performance running athletes in 2052. Do you have possessions around your home that are worn and tired, that you rarely interact with but just can’t bear to throw away? Molly Nicoll’s brand Re-bonding redefines how we look at and treat our tired belongings. In contrast to mass consumption, Re-bonding offers the user a chance to reconnect with their tired possessions and discover new value. At this year’s Degree Show, there is much more to unpack and discover. Product Design graduates have worked incredibly hard to produce passionate, engaging and unique projects. It is clear to see that innovation has well and truly materialised within the GSA.
The Innovation School Degree Show runs 1-12 Jun in the Haldane Building, 24 Hill Street, Glasgow. It is also available to view online at gsashowcase.net
June 2022
June 2022
Graduate Showcase 2022
THE SKINNY
