Final preparations underway for Gray’s Degree Show 2023: Neon Futures

Friends and family will come together for a welcome event on Friday 9 June, with presentations of Gray’s & RGU Art & Heritage Principal’s awards, Four Pillar and industry awards and a special stakeholder event for industry figures.

As part of degree show week, networking events are planned including Gray’s Alumni and City Creatives event, teacher networking event and Aberdeen Cultural Summit leading two sessions to explore the vitality of the North East's cultural economy. 

150 students across Painting, Contemporary Art Practice, Fashion & Textiles, Communication Design, Three-Dimensional Design and Photography, are exhibiting, as part of the degree show which centres around the theme ‘Neon Futures’ and celebrates the graduates ‘new’ and bold futures.

One of those exhibiting is Communication Design student, Jo Crane, from Nethy Bridge near Aviemore, who has created a project inspired by her love of the outdoors and a guide to loch swimming in the Cairngorms National Park, called ‘Dookers’. She also created designs inspired by her love of skiing in Scotland and named after Scottish ski resorts called ‘Atomic Alba’.

Reflecting on her project Jo said: “I am massively inspired by the landscape of the Cairngorms where I live. The vast lochs lying below the snowy, heather covered mountains, are so special to me. I was so keen to do a project about wild swimming as I felt there has been surge in popularity of wild swimming in recent years, but a gap in the advertisement and information about it.

“I realised most of the information I knew about wild swimming in the Cairngorms was down to word of mouth/just knowing the right spots to go to. I wanted to create a bold leaflet design so people who wild swim regularly can use it, but also people that may never have tried it before. I also came up with the idea of creating a towel design so that people could take it wild swimming and my bright illustrations would be recognisable on the towel that they take with them.

“For my other project I took inspiration from having skied in Scotland since the age of two. I had always wanted to do a project that was based on Scottish skiing as it means so much to me and is an outdoor activity that has always been a part of my life. I hope people will be inspired to get outside and visit the Cairngorms after seeing my projects.”

Elsewhere in the exhibition, Photography student, Hannah Aitken from Aberdeen, has created a project called, ‘Closure’, which draws on her childhood experience going to church. Hannah’s stunning photographic documentation features five Church of Scotland churches closing down in Aberdeen due to declining membership and a shortage of ministers including churches at Ruthrieston West, South St.Nicholas, St.Mark’s, Kingswells and Bucksburn Stoneywood. 

Hannah said: “I was inspired to carry out this project as my Father is a minister for the Church of Scotland. As a child, I grew up going to church, and through this, grew an understanding of the importance it can have in an individual's life and surrounding community.

“I have named the project “Closure” as I hope that it will help members of these congregations and others like it to feel a sense of closure. I hope that it will help them to reflect on the role that the church has played in their lives and have hope for the future of the Church.”

Communication Design student, Jessica Reid, from Irvine in North Ayrshire is showcasing two projects at the degree show including a Virtual Reality Experience for ‘The Community of Arran Seabed Trust’ and a picture book called ‘Fred Loves Socks' about a washing machine that eats socks!  

For her Virtual Reality Experience, Jessica worked with the Community of Arran Seabed Trust, ‘COAST’, to create an engaging and educational experience that tells the story of the amazing marine life in Arran which will also be on show at the COAST discovery Centre in Lamlash in July! Jessica says she owes a huge thank you to the Ayrshire Community Trust’s digital department (TACT Digital), who let her use their virtual reality software to create her project.

Jessica said: “For the Coast Virtual Reality experience, I would love people to really appreciate the natural world we have right at our doorstep and consider this when making everyday choices that affect our environment.  

“The inspiration behind my picture book ‘Fred Loves Socks’, comes from family as I am the eldest of ten! My siblings were a constant inspiration for stories for me! They actually helped me through my design process for the book and my story about greed and consequences in a fun and light-hearted way!

“Gray's has been such an amazing chapter in my life! It has such a great community of creative people! The Communication Design staff at Grays are so supportive and have really pushed me to get to where I am now with my work! There are so many amazing opportunities for workshops and guest speakers to take inspiration from! I’ve honestly had the best time and I’m so proud of all of my classmates, everyone has worked so hard and their work is unbelievable! The visitors of the Gray’s Degree Show this year are definitely in for a treat!”

Fine Jewellery and Three Dimensional Design student, Finlay Aitken from St.Andrews in Fife, has produced one-off jewellery inspired by architecture, nature, travel and personal experiences. 

Finlay said: “Ethically making is important to me which is why I try processes that are as sustainable as possible like saltwater etching instead of using acid. Every piece I’ve created is uniquely handcrafted, whether by hand or by using highly specialized techniques, and I hope people enjoy seeing my collection and the craftmanship on show at the degree show.”

Main image & gallery images 1- 4 from Gray's Degree Show '23 (Image credit: @nicolehallphoto), image 5 shows Communication Design student, Jo Crane, with her 'Dooker's collection, image 6 shows Photography student, Hannah Aitken, image 7 shows Communication Design student, Jessica Reid, image 8 - 11 shows designs by Fine Jewellery 3-D Design student, Finlay Aitken.