CRITIC’S CHOICE

The Glasgow School of Art hasn’t had its troubles to seek of late. But life goes on. Art schools are not always about buildings. People make Glasgow, so the slogan goes, but people also make the Glasgow School of Art. Despite having been hampered by accessing their work, some 400 postgraduate students in a host of disciplines have been working throughout the summer on their degree shows.

This year’s Graduate Degree Show presents a fizz of creative energy on an industrial scale. The Tontine Building on Trongate features 100 students from fine art, creative practices and curatorial practice along with School of Simulation and

Visualisation Sound for the Moving Image. The nearby Garment Factory plays host to 300 students from the Design School, School of Simulation and Visualisation, Mackintosh School of Architecture and Innovation School.

If you are interested in developments in contemporary art practice, this is one to see. As postgraduate students, there is a polish to the shows not always present in undergraduate degree shows. In fine art, I spotted several themes emerging: Me Too and gender issues are examined in depth, as is the thorny issue of digital data and where it goes.

There are a few shows which carry an “explicit content” warning too.

I loved Tinja Ruusvuori’s digital depiction of a journey to the afterlife. She invites viewers to climb aboard the rickety chassis of an old motorbike whereupon a disembodied GPS sat-nav guides you to oblivion.

The Glasgow School of Art Graduate Degree Show 2018, http://www.gsa.ac.uk/life/gsa-events/ events/g/graduate-degree-show-2018. Fine Art + Sound for the Moving Image, Tontine Building, 20 Trongate, Glasgow, G1 5ES and Architecture, Design, Simulation + Visualisation, Innovation, The Garment Factory, 10 Montrose Street, Glasgow, G1 1RE, until tomorrow, 10am-5pm, free