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Roundtable: Working Nearby: Mason Leaver-Yap, Margaret Salmon, Tako Taal
Full text linkIn Spring 2025 I participated in a round table discussion with Tako Taal, Mason Leaver-Yapp and Marcus Jack. Our discussion was transcribed and we each edited our responses before publication by Transit Art. The conversation addresses the conditions and means of production of artists moving image in Scotland.
Dispersing the unenviable task of speculation, DOWSER Issue 10 (Autumn 2024) convenes a roundtable of trusted thinkers in artist-filmmakers Margaret Salmon, Tako Taal and producer Mason Leaver-Yap. Based in Scotland yet working internationally, they share a political commitment to the moving image as a means to commune.
Borrowed from Salmon for the title of this discussion, Working Nearby hopes to conjure a sense of the proximity and interdependence that underwrites it all: the making, showing, seeing and thinking of moving image work. Bringing collaborators not limited to peers, friends, subjects and audiences together through socialised approaches to production and exhibition, Salmon, Taal and Leaver-Yap offer a counter-ask in how we might model collectivity, for just one evening in a darkened room, or an entire lifetime.
Working Nearby is illustrated with stills and production photography from Taal, Salmon, and Bassem Saad
The Art of Non-Survival
No full text"The Art of Non-Survival" is a short story in the catalogue for Gaby Peters' solo exhibition "next level" at Mannheimer Kunstverein. The text situates Peters' work through a fictional scenario in which members of the public are disappearing from institutional spaces in a made-up town. The mystery is solved through the novel use of artworks held in the local museum's collection, and one of Peters' works is – in the final section of the text – revealed as an articulation of what it is to disappear
Re-inSpired
Full text linkRe-inSpired is a group touring exhibition curated by Professor Stephen Bottomley and University of Glasgow visiting Professor Jane Milosch.
Presented are designs by eleven artists made from donated sheets of the 1960s anodised Aluminium metal cladding removed from the sculptural spire of St Michael’s Church, Linlithgow in Scotland, during its renovation in 2024.
The spire, known as the ‘Crown of Thorns’, was designed in 1964 by the British artist Geoffrey Clarke. The original gold coloured aluminium cladding recovered from the ‘Cross of Thorns’ spent over sixty years exposed to the Scottish elements and was steadily weathered, resulting in a change of patina, surface and colour. The provenance of the site’s material, history, and heritage has offered rich and fertile territory to explore diverse ideas, including value, sustainability and sense of place.
The Exhibition previewed in Munich as partly 'a work in progress' during International Jewellery Week in March 2025 at the Museum Mineralogia Münche, 13-16 March 2025.
The Exhibition returned to Scotland to be showcased with a catalogue in Linlithgow at St Michael’s church from March 29th to April 13th 2025.
These dates included ‘Earth Day’ on April 22nd 2025, when worldwide consideration of environmental and sustainability issues was encouraged, including recycling as a global concern. In celebrating this day, we partnered with the Goethe-Institut Glasgow, the Institut Français Écosse, and ClimateCulture on events that accompanied their Cultures of Action that showcased the essential role of culture in addressing sustainability challenges through film, music, performance, and events through a programme of events over an Earth Month schedule.
The Exhibition will be shown in full at the Pangolin Gallery in London from September 9th to the end of October 2025, alongside an exhibition of Geoffrey Clarke’s works from the golden age of British sculpture that demonstrate the experimentation of new materials and technologies in his creative practice. The exhibition will be on display during the London Design Festival 202
Transparency Communication in Autonomous Driving through Uni- and Multimodal Feedback Modalities and its Effects on First-Time Passengers’ User Experience, Understanding and Feeling of Safety and Control
Full text linkAutonomous Driving Experience (ADX) design is an emerging field of research and design that centres on enhancing the passengers’ user experience in autonomous vehicles. The key is the provision of transparent communication regarding the perceptions and intentions of these autonomous vehicles. This thesis is grounded in the principles of experience design. It applies Human Computer Interaction research
methods to investigate autonomous driving experiences. Specifically, it explores how using uni- and multimodal feedback modalities can positively influence passengers’ user experience, their perceived feeling of safety and control, and their understanding of the autonomous driving system. These factors are crucial for the successful adoption of autonomous vehicles.
Autonomous driving relies heavily on artificial intelligence (AI) for reasoning and decision-making. However, passengers may feel uneasy and out of control without adequate explanations. This research addresses this issue by delving into Explainable AI and exploring how, when, and in what contexts specific aspects should be explained or visualised to enhance the passengers’ experience.
The research unfolds in several stages. Initially, an extensive and systematic literature review reveals the need for a more human-centred approach to experience design in autonomous driving. Subsequently, four experiments were conducted. These experiments investigated the impact of different feedback modalities for transparent communication on the passengers’ user experience, perceived feeling of safety and control, and system understanding. The first three experiments demonstrate their positive influence. The fourth experiment, however, uncovers the limitations of transparency communication in non-critical failure situations, necessitating alternative approaches. In the next phase, all recommendations and contributions generated throughout this comprehensive research endeavour were distilled and encapsulated within a card-based toolkit - the ADX cards. These cards serve as a valuable resource for the field, providing a tangible and accessible embodiment of the research’s insights. To ensure the validity and practical utility of the ADX cards, the toolkit underwent an iterative design process, expert evaluations, and extensive workshop testing. Furthermore, the ADX cards were successfully applied in four distinct real-world case studies, further validating their effectiveness and relevance, as well as this thesis’ research.
The main contributions of this research are twofold. Firstly, the experiments shed light on the critical role of transparency communication in enhancing the autonomous driving experience and establish a foundation to do so. Secondly, the knowledge acquired throughout this thesis has been distilled into a card-based toolkit, the ADX cards, making the research findings readily accessible and applicable to those interested in advancing the field of autonomous driving experience
Pauls Turn
No full textFollowing my showing of the work 'Untitled (Rust)' at the Annex Gallery (part of the 'Field Notes' exhibition) I was invited to contribute work to a publication Do Rocks Remember Lava by curator Leo Hajducki (Director, Woom Room Workshops CIC). Her interdisciplinary research draws on her background in Philosophy and Politics, exploring the intersections of materiality, sound, and ecological thought.
In response to this invitation I made an eight page visual essay describing the research process around a current project 'Pauls Turn' where I had been transforming waste rust material from Anthony Caros sculpture 'Pauls Turn' (1971) into two types of ink - one for drawing and writing and the other for printing. I included in the visual essay photographs describing the research journey from harvesting waste material from the Hunterian Sculpture Courtyard where the work is displayed, to ink making, then printing.
The two final printed works are displayed in the final two pages of the visual essay: 'Pauls Turn' (a photo etching) and 'These Words' (a printed text made in the case room) face each other in conversation, referencing the original sculpture and creating a space between image and text. The image itself imitates 'Pauls Turn' but is in fact made using the print furniture from the case room - small metal 'I' beams usually used to create space between the different lines and characters going to print
Olive Tree / in Situ I, II (2023-2025)
No full textOlive Tee / in situ / Kalamata I, 2023-2025, large format film printed on coated sterling silver plate.
MiOlive Tee / in situ / Kalamata II, 2023-2025, large format film printed on coated sterling silver plate.
diptych
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.
The work was made as part of the Reading Landscape Exhibition held in the Annex Gallery of The Glasgow School of Art between 22 April – 16 May 2025
Communication Through Motion Graphics: A Participatory Design Investigation, Integrating Producer and Consumer Perspectives
Full text linkAs video and animation-making software becomes more accessible and easier to use, and consumption contexts expand, techniques and principles from animation, graphic design, and filmmaking are being integrated into motion graphics (MGs). This integration is contributing to the increasing prevalence of MGs in today’s digital landscape as a form of communication design, aimed at “broadcasting specific messages to specific sectors of the public” (Frascara, 2004, p. 2). A growing body of research highlights MGs as an efficient means for enhancing how information is conveyed. However, there is limited research on the MGs communication. Existing studies on the topic of MGs communication are dispersed across various academic disciplines and design practices, often focusing on design techniques and principles (e.g., the application of computer graphics, the principles of animation or graphic design), or performance testing. Those studies are insufficient in explaining how to communicate through MGs and why MGs have advantages in communication efficacy. This research focusing on MGs communication can address the gap, which can contribute to the field of communication and design.
Accordingly, this study provides a participatory explanation of how MGs communicate, integrating the perspectives of both MG producers (designers) and consumers (viewers). The study conducted a Participatory Design Project involving 16 participants—6 producers and 10 consumers. The project began with shadowing sessions with producers and a focus group with consumers, identifying key thematic factors in MGs communication. For example, context-building is a subjective strategy in the message delivery of producers’ practices; other designs influence the producers’ inspiration. These thematic factors were then applied as design tools in design workshops involving both producers and consumers, where participants used the tools to develop two concept prototypes demonstrating how MGs function as a communication medium.
The research findings explored how to send and receive information through MGs, and how meaning is co-created by producers and viewers. The findings highlight the compositing events and design experience as producers’ strategies to visualise their intended information. The findings also identified the viewers using narrative to understand MGs, as well as their understanding process and engagement modes. Furthermore, the findings suggest that, under a consumer culture, the communication between producers and viewers follows a supply and demand relationship. They are the co-creators of meaning, and their communication is based on value identification, which relies on visual expression to establish a context.
In addition, by synthesising the prototypes generated from design workshops, the study proposed a Communication Model of Motion Graphics comprising three layers: Goals and Needs, Strategies and Approaches, and Drivers and Conditions. This three-layer structure identifies Context-building, Expression, and Value as the common goals and needs of both producers and consumers. The model discussed how these goals and needs are realised and influenced as well. The elements within the model offer valuable insights for practitioners and researchers in various settings, making it the potential for practical applications in the development and evaluation of MGs. e.g., a strategic guidance for practitioners.
These findings contribute to existing research by addressing the gaps in MGs communication, and offering a foundation for future research on MGs and the fields of communication and media studies. Furthermore, the study’s participatory approach provides a practical framework for understanding how MGs facilitate meaning-making, offering a direction for further investigation into its evolving role in digital communication
(red triangle)
No full textA live performance work combining analogue 35mm slide projection, field recordings, drone composition and live vocal assemblage.
Presented at CAC Late, City Art Centre, Edinburgh (2025), the work centres on a projected red triangle functioning simultaneously as geometric spotlight and political signifier. The sonic environment layers field recordings of crows, flies and chains with a sustained sampled drone of the 'fear frequency' and the progressively decaying reverberation of the performer’s voice, producing an acoustic field structured around persistence and dissolution live. The sung text is constructed from re-composed fragments derived from songs by Sunn O))) Sinead O'Connor and Karen Carpenter, interwoven with original writing and phrases drawn from online subreddit forums.
Through the interaction of abstraction, environmental residue and networked vernacular language, the work examines how minimal visual form and attenuated sound can register affective and geopolitical charge within live performance
Architecture of Exchanges: Revealing the Regenerative Links between People, Places and Planet
Full text linkArchitecture of Exchanges for Co-Evolving Cities of Today and Tomorrow: A series of dialogues between women and men curated by Dr. May East author of the book "What if Women Designed the City?: 33 leverage points to make your city work better for women and girls".
The project was organised around a series of deep dialogues and walkabouts to builds on recent international reports by ‘agenda holders’ and ‘knowledge brokers’ reaffirming that, historically, cities have been planned and built primarily by taking the male experience as the reference. By centring the able-bodied, working male as the ‘neutral’ user of the city, modern planning has created urban spaces more suited for men than for women, girls, people with disabilities, and sexual, gender and ethnic minorities.
By attempting to bridge this historic urban planning gender gap there lies the risk of swinging the pendulum too far in the opposite direction. In this work participants, reject the use an old map to explore a new territory and propose an "architecture of exchange" – one in which women and men work together to redistribute power, balance representation and reshape planning rules to make cities work for everyone.
The purpose of the dialogues is to deepen the conversation about how women and men can redistribute power, balance representation and reshape planning rules towards greener, wilder, more inclusive and poetic cities of today and tomorrow.
A series of structured discussion events combined with walkabouts featuring panels of four women and four men engaging in thoughtful conversations and observations on the potential of gender sensitive placemaking rooted in the bio-cultural-spatial uniqueness of place.
The series culminated in a final event organised in collaboration with ArchiFringe to open the conversation to a wider audience, creating space for public reflection and further engagement. This article published in the Academy of Urbanism Journal "Here and Now" in summer 2025 documents the outcomes of the work
Dreaming the Acropolis: Freud, Imagination and Ruin of Futures
No full textIn 1842, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey , a French photographer, draughtsman, and early pioneer of the daguerreotype process, produced what is now regarded as the oldest surviving photograph of the Acropolis in Athens. What resulted is the oldest surviving photograph of the site. The metallic plate, small, fragile, shimmering with undeveloped silver halides in mercury vapour holds a faint but persistent impression of the Parthenon and brought to the world. The image, captured only three years after Louis Daguerre announced his invention to the world, occupies a singular place in both the history of photography and the cultural imagination of antiquity. The daguerreotype —meticulous, fragile, and unique—fixes the Acropolis in a trace of light drawn directly from the stones that had already endured two millennia of weathering, destruction, and rebuilding. The faint plate is rarely seen now- but each time and with every encounter we are being transported back into the exact moment, where light entered the camera – remembering