Joint press release from
The Glasgow School of Art, University of Dundee,
Edinburgh College of Art, and Herriot-Watt University.
The Glasgow School of Art, University of Dundee,
Edinburgh College of Art, and Herriot-Watt University.
Six of the thirteen prestigious New Designers Awards and half the Associate Prizes won by graduates from Scotland’s HE institutions
Winners and presenters of the the New Designer Awards
Scotland’s role in the forefront of innovation and creativity has been underlined by the news that almost half of the prestigious New Design awards, including the top award: New Designer of the Year, were won by recent graduates of its HE institutions. The awards are made annually at the opening of each of two New Designers exhibitions in London which showcase the very best in recent graduate work.
Five of the awards went to graduates from the specialist Art and Design Schools. Graduates of The GlasgowSchool of Art won three awards, including two from the Goldsmiths Company (Jewellery Award, Ieva Mikutaite and Silversmithing Award, Karen Westland), and the overall New Designer of the Year, which went to Textile designer, Olivia Qi.
The New Designers Weston Beamor Award went to Alexandra Von Trapp from Edinburgh College of Art (University of Edinburgh). This award, which has only been running for three years, has been won by a graduate from a Scottish HE institution for each of the three years.
Meanwhile, the New Designers Harlequin Award went to Calum Wilson, a graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at the University of Dundee.
A sixth award secured by a graduate of a Scottish HE Institution, the John Lewis Award for Design & Innovation was won by Herriot Watt graduate Anja Alexandersdottir who was based in the institution’s creative campus in Galashiels.
Half of the Associate Prizes were also scooped by graduates from Scottish HE institutions: Robin Crawfordof Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh (New Designers Contemporary Glass Society Associate Prize); Emma McCluskeyof Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design at the University of Dundee (New Designers Clothworkers Company Associate Prize) and Louise Jenkinsof Herriot Watt. (New Designers Worshipful Company of Weavers Associate Prize)
Isobel Dennis, Director of New Designers:
New Designers showcases and represents the very best graduates from all over the UK. The Awards presented on the opening night at New Designers are independently judged and it was fantastic to see how incredibly strong the graduates are from this year’s Scottish cohort. Having walked away with 6 Awards of the 13 presented on June 24th it gives me great pleasure to congratulate all the winners and commend the passion and commitment of the teaching staff at our exhibiting Scottish universities.”
Ed Hole, Head of CAD Design & 3D Printing at Weston Beamor added:
"We are always impressed with the quality of students work from Scottish institutions exhibited at New Designers. They demonstrate a real aptitude for the practical side of jewellery making in both traditional skills and new technologies, along with buckets of creativity. Well done!"
Anna Gordon, Head of Silversmithing & Jewellery at The Glasgow School of Art said:
“The success of Scottish graduates has much to do with the system of education in Scotland . At GSA we have a four year specialism with a heavy emphasis on studio culture. Dedicated work space and one to one teaching also allows academic engagement at a personal level and our students are encouraged to explore their own areas of interest. Knowing your student and engaging with them at this level cannot be underestimated and fosters a culture of creative dialogue.
“We do also encourage students to engage with industrial processes and new materials. What we find is that students are curious and engage with these technologies in new and interesting ways and are constantly surprising us with their innovative thinking. Design as part of the Art school creates a unique environment where ideas are not prescriptive and boundaries are blurred. This is where the magic happens.”
Chris Breward, principal of Edinburgh College of Art: "Scotland's Art and Design Colleges, with their distinctive traditions and complementary approaches, have proved once again that our contribution to the creative ecology of the twenty-first century is without parallel. Our students consistently produce ground breaking work with international impact."
Professor Paul Harris, Dean of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, said, “These results show that Scotland is producing some of the best young design talent to be found anywhere in the world. All winners and exhibitors should be congratulated on their contribution to an exceptional show that highlights the strength of emerging Scottish design, which will be vital to the country’s economy and wellbeing in years to come.”
“From a personal point of view, I am thrilled to hear of Callum’s achievements and all of the other successes recorded by our Dundee graduates. We have an excellent record at New Designers over the years and it is a source of pride for me to see this continue in such a successful way.”
Mark Parker, Lecturer at Herriot-Watt University’s School of Textiles and Design, said, “ I am absolutely delighted that the work from he textile design programme at Heriot – Watt has been recognised amongst the other awards received by other Scottish Institutions. To have acclaim from a company on the scale of John Lewis to recognise the design excellence of Anja Alexandersdottirs fabrics is amazing and I am equally impressed that the Worshipful Company of Weavers have once again recognised a Heriot – Watt University student by rewarding the high quality of design and making skills within Louise Jenkins textiles”
A second tranche of New Designers awards will be announced at the beginning of July.
Ends
Further information:
The Glasgow School of Art:
Lesley Booth,
0779 941 4474
press@gsa.ac.uk
Edinburgh University:
Ed McCracken
(0)131 651 4400
edd.mccracken@ed.ac.uk
DJCAD, University of Dundee:
Grant Hill
01382 384768
g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
Heriot-Watt:
Caroline Dempster
0131 451 3443