7832 research outputs found
Sort by
Sustainable Voices 1 - Interview with Iris May & Gwendolin Kircali
No full textInterview with Iris May & Gwendolin Kircali, part of the Sustainable Voices Podcast Series
The interview considers the long-form content as a counter-proposal to the dominant form of social media.
Through the generous support of the Learning and Teaching Department at The Glasgow School of Art, a series of podcasts were recorded that consider the open interview methodology and the long form content in delivery. ‘Sustainable Voices’, developed in a framework of the Student Partnership Programme, considers how climate literacy, sustainable art practices, and environmental challenges affecting the creative industry are thought through.
Teh interview examine how long-form content encourages thinking critically, synthesising information , developing a deeper understanding and allowing the formulation of a nuanced and advanced position to take place. Very relevant in recent conversations of consumption of information and content and effect in mental health and skill acquisition, the longform is proposed as a potential antidote to delivery, one that improves retention and understanding and one that ultimately aids to develop both focus and a lifelong learning mindset and how this allows for expanded understandings to occur with regards to subject matters that is not only expansive, but also presents itself to be not only a ‘wicked problem’ (Rittel and Weber) but also a ‘complex one’ (Hawkings and James)
The Midpoint – a most European Approach, thinking through formative moments in UG education
No full textThe end of the second year in an undergraduate (UG) degree represents a critical formative stage in a student's academic and personal development. This period is often marked by significant transitions that shape their final year of study and future career pathways. With recent deployment of the Common academic Framework, there is an opportunity to consider how the European model of Fine Art Education can consider the end of the Second Year as a particularly poignant moment in the educational journey. The paper considers how the concept of the 'Zwischenpruefung' can be rethought and what the challenges and rewards can be. By examining the development of a series of workshops that lead to the preparation of a year show the paper examines how academic specialization, the move to ‘mastery’ of a subject, independent thinking and critical thinking can not only be addressed, but led to a sharper focus through educational activities that consider work that is not in progress, but resolved. Contrary to developmental or continuous activities, the concept of ‘finitude’ is examined with regards to relevance and engagement and is considered vis-à-vis ideas of continuous development. The paper draws from varied source material, Q. Meillassoux’s ideas in particular as well as more established ideas on the progression and attainment of accomplishment and consider the midpoint as formative point in education, but also one for transitions and future directions
Young V&A - A museum...but not as we know it.
Get PDFA review of the recently reopened 'Young V&A' in Bethnal Green (London)
Group Exhibition: 'Thinking in Paint'
No full textArtists: Michael Stubbs, Ken Turner, Julian Wakelin.
In an age dominated by digital immediacy and visual saturation, abstract painting remains defiantly slow, material, and contemplative. Thinking in Paint, curated by Ken Turner, brings together three artists, Michael Stubbs, Julian Wakelin, and Turner himself who treat abstraction not as historical echo or aesthetic trend, but as a vital language of enquiry and visual exploration. Each engages painting as a form of thinking: through surface, overlaying colour, mark and time.
This exhibition is grounded in a re-imagining of the lineage of abstraction, one that stretches from Joseph Mallord William Turner’s atmospheric dissolutions to Paul Cézanne’s insistence that a painter “thinks in paint,” and continues through the emotionally charged modernism of artists like Mark Rothko, Joan Mitchell, and Willem de Kooning. But unlike the canonised abstraction often celebrated through markets and mega-collectors, these artists suggest a quieter and critically calculated take on the tradition which evolves not in auction rooms, but in studios, conversations, and independent spaces like Tension.
In this spirit, Thinking in Paint proposes abstraction not solely as decorative, detached, or historically fixed, but as an ongoing act of attention and inquiry. These are works that do not offer clear answers, but an open and ambiguous arena of possibility through the tactile experience of seeing. They remind us that to paint abstractly is still, fundamentally, to think through the body, to make thought visible, and to assert the value of presence in a distracted, screen world.
Michael Stubbs creates luminous, gestural works that explore abstraction as sensory territory. His paintings hover between structure and dissolution, memory and immediacy, inviting viewers into a meditative, affective space. Stubbs’ surfaces reveal painting as duration, a process of uncovering and becoming.
Ken Turner brings a process-driven sensibility to abstraction. His paintings balance spontaneity and structure, layering, gesture, erasure, and intuitive form. They function as visual thought, acts of searching rather than statements of arrival. As curator and founder of Tension, Turner also fosters space for abstraction outside commercial hierarchies.
Julian Wakelin’s approach is more minimal and contemplative. Working with shape, colour, and texture he constructs subtle, formally precise paintings that unfold slowly and reward sustained looking. His work resists spectacle, instead proposing abstraction as a mode of presence which is at once attentive, quiet, and exacting
Technology: Ethnologic and the creation of MEG
No full textThis was an interview for International Womens Day 2025. I was interviewed as a member of Techscaler with Ethnologic a spinout/start up company from GSA. As a female founder and grant recipient, HIE (Highlands & Islands Enterprise) wanted to interview me to find out more about motivation, starting up and MEG.
MEG (Menopause Experience Guide) is an emerging technology web based solution powered by AI. As a Digital Holistic Tool, MEG offers guidance regarding PhEMiniNe (Physical, Emotional, Mental, Nutrition) information & furthermore, S+ (social, spiritual, sexual) experiences by women at peri/post menopausal time. MEG is designed to operate within work, health and social settings providing opportunity to self-manage menopause symptoms with support. We have further features in development to add which will optimise the MVP future proofing the technology innovation to include transferable modular capacity that re-imagines the architecture + design to other health/life transitions/conditions and settings including education and research
Tree Shadow (reworked) 2025
No full textsolid sterling silver plate, selenium etched
a response to the relocation of olive trees from Gaza
The systematic uprooting of Palestinian olive trees by Israeli forces and settlers is more than an act of environmental destruction—it is a calculated strategy of oppression that exemplifies the broader framework of Israel’s green colonialism. This phenomenon, which integrates ecological policies with settler-colonial objectives, serves as a mechanism of dispossession and control. The regulation and destruction of Palestinian olive groves highlight how environmental narratives are manipulated to justify land appropriation, surveillance, and the erasure of Palestinian identity. This essay explores how green colonialism operates by targeting olive trees, illustrating the intersection of ecological rhetoric and settler-colonial ambitions. The olive tree is deeply rooted in Palestinian history, culture, and economy. These trees, some of which have stood for centuries, symbolize resilience and an enduring connection to the land. Beyond their cultural and symbolic value, olives provide a major source of income for Palestinian farmers, with olive oil production accounting for a significant share of agricultural livelihoods. As such, the destruction of olive trees is not just an environmental or economic issue—it is an attack on Palestinian identity and self-sufficiency
Love (Dante Desire Path)
No full textPublic artwork commissioned for Lavinia exhibition of contemporary art developed in response to the restoration of the 17th century Loggia dei vini, Villa Borghese, Rome.
'Primo gusto' features works by: Ross Birrell & David Harding, Monika Sosnowska, Gianni Politi, Enzo Cucchi, Piero Golia, Virginia Overton.
For the exhibition, Ross Birrell & David Harding developed Love (Dante Desire Path) a poetry path text installation which follows the length of a 100m 'desire path' through the historic Villa Borghese gardens, from the Via dell’Uccelliera to the Loggia dei vini, built between 1609 and 1618 to a design by architect Flaminio Ponzio.
The path consists of a quotation from Dante Alighieri's La Vita Nuova (1294) reproduced both in Italian and English in cast bronze lettering inlayed into concrete slabs (produced in Sicily and mixed with volcanic ash).
The quotation from Dante reads: '... there was no man mine enemy any longer; and such warmth of charity came upon me that most certainly in that moment I would have pardoned whosoever had done me an injury; and if one should then have questioned me concerning any matter, I could only have said unto him "Love".'
The selection of the text respond to the theme of 'Agape' as the highest form of love - a theme evoked in Harding's previous poetry paths commissioned for documenta 14 in Athens and Kassel in 2017 and which responded to the refugee crisis in the wake of the Syrian Civil War. In the present context of Rome, the Dante text is selected as a response to the ethical challenge for future peace and resolution presented by the scale of civilian suffering in the concurrent wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
The typeface for the bronze letters is Eurostile, a geometric sans serif font designed in 1962 by Edgar Novarese for the Nebiolo foundry in Turin. The use of this popular font associated with Sci-Fi fiction and film was selected as a typeface by an important Italian designer who, during WWII had joined left-wing partisans fighting against the German Nazi's (today the word 'proletariat' is used for the Eurostile sample text online) as an historical contrast to the 17th Century historical context of the wealth, power and cultural influence of the Borghese family of Cardinals and Popes - and patrons of artists such as Caravaggio and Bernini.
Image Credits: Daniele Molajol
Empower New Code Citizens to Reflect and Communicate on Code Security
Get PDFDemocratized access to coding means software is often built by developers with neither formal training nor security knowledge, which could make systems vulnerable. We present an approach based on short games and knowledge cards designed to help these non-experts gain the knowledge and ability to communicate on code security
Patient education using augmented reality (AR) for patients treated with radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer
Get PDFBackground:
Radiotherapy uses ionising radiation to target and kill cancer cells, relying on high-quality pre-treatment imaging for precise dose planning and delivery. Breath-hold techniques are used to improve image quality, target dose delivery, and minimise dose to healthy tissue. A review of the current literature identified a need for accessible patient-specific resources. This research aimed to develop and test an augmented reality (AR) mobile application to support patient education on the exhale-breath hold for pancreatic cancer radiotherapy patients.
Methods:
Using anonymised pancreatic cancer patient datasets, animated 3D models of thoracic and abdominal organs were digitally reconstructed to show organ motion during free-breathing and exhale-breath hold. Clinicians and radiotherapy-experienced patients were involved in the design of the mobile application (Unity, version 2022.3.19f1) that presented organ models and animation in life-size through AR. The application included 3 resources; ‘Understanding the Radiotherapy Journey?’ a resource outlining the imaging and RT process, including patient expectations prior to and during appointments; 'Patient Education for Upper Abdominal Cancers’, a section equipped with patient-appropriate information and interactive 3D models for an enhanced AR learning experience; and ‘BREATHE’, a series of guided breathing exercises for patients. The application was evaluated by healthcare professionals (HCP) using survey methodology which build upon standardised questionnaires such as the Reduced Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (RIMMS) and System Usability Survey (SUS).
Results:
Twenty-four HCPs completed the testing and evaluation. The RIMMS survey yielded high user motivation scores of Attention (M = 4.55), Relevance (M = 4.79), Confidence (M = 4.79), and Satisfaction (M = 4.54) (figure 1). The System Usability Score (SUS = 83.96) suggested excellent usability (figure 2). User testing found that 87% viewed AR as having the potential to improve patient education with 100% supporting that AR should be explored further as an avenue for patient education.
Conclusions:
The application effectively communicated the location and motion of upper abdominal organs, emphasising their relationship to the pancreas. AR applications could effectively communicate radiotherapy information to pancreatic cancer patients and serve as a model for future AR tools in radiotherapy
Polyvocal Histories through Augmented Reality
Get PDFIn 1938, a huge British Empire Exhibition took place in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow, UK. It showcased the achievements of the British Empire and attracted nearly 13million visitors over its six-month duration. With the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939, this was the last ever British Empire Exhibition, now largely forgotten. Yet the event remains relevant to the study of British social, cultural, economic, industrial, and political history. In particular, in contemporary times, it is crucial to re-examine the impact of colonialism and the legacies left by the British Empire.
“Decolonising the British Empire Exhibition of 1938 through Augmented Reality Narratives” research project explored what contemporary Glaswegians think about the Empire Exhibition; educates on Britain’s colonial history; highlights ‘forgotten’ or oppressed voices; and provokes critical re-readings of shared heritage. This cross-disciplinary and cross-generational learning is achieved through narrative co-design, the explicit inclusion of minority voices, and geo-located Augmented Reality (AR) learning tools.
‘Decolonisation’ recognises that colonialism has social, cultural, and psychological effects. It questions who had (and still has) the power over knowledge of history and decentres this power by working with those who were (and still are) marginalised. This paper focusses on the decolonial conceptual framework and the important methodological and ethical considerations of representing multiple viewpoints within learning materials. Furthermore, working with racially minoritized communities (including refugees) on potentially upsetting or provocative topics requires a particular ethical approach to achieve best practice. A ‘polyvocal’ approach takes all perspectives and opinions to be valid, even when they are contradictory. The paper analyses the polyvocal methodologies used: participatory co-production of a range of different narratives; their delivery through “Empire Retold”, an innovative Augmented Reality (AR) geo-located mobile phone application; and collaborations with local groups and schools to maximise learning. The project also foregrounds some of the counter-narratives, wider contexts, and different interpretations of the Exhibition, from 1938 to today, to re-introduce this complexity into the way we learn about and understand history.
This paper critically analyses the overall approach and results. It identifies lessons learned and future directions for education from a decolonial or anti-racist perspective. It emphasises that history and social education are not a single ‘correct’ narrative, there are (and always have been) multiple interpretations of Britain’s colonialist past. The paper’s key contribution is to demonstrate how multiple voices, opinions, and experiences can be ethically collected and fairly represented in innovative digital tools for teaching and learning, leading to a deeper understanding of local history and communities and giving a more rounded and representative view of British heritage.
The research led to informal learning through a range of workshops, several exhibitions highlighting forgotten histories, a free AR mobile app providing place-based immersive learning experiences, a desktop learning tool for those who cannot visit Bellahouston Park, and a wide range of lesson plans for schools covering topics relevant to colonialism and local identities. These are all freely available on the project website