Material Connections

The Glasgow School of Art fire of 23rd May 2014 was a devastating blow both to a renowned institution, and to the wider artistic community, destroying hundreds of pieces of student art, and ravaging a landmark of 20th century architecture. The fire broke out as students were preparing for their degree show in the basement of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building. Within minutes, flames had travelled up original ventilation ducts, to one of the world’s most revered Art Nouveau interiors, the iconic Mackintosh Library. Home to countless rare and archival books and materials, the Mackintosh Library was reduced to a blackened shell. Tragically, the original fittings and furniture – unique and integral elements of the space - became a mass of charred wood. (ashestoart.org)

The Ashes to Art project came about following the event of the burning down of Glasgow School of art. Artists took the ash and charcoal from the site to make different pieces of work,. Here we can see how an animator reflects upon the connection between the material she uses and the images she makes. The method is similar to some of the early ReSpace workshops.

ASH TO ART - Making of Animation from Sharon Liu on Vimeo.