Introduction
The Institute of Design Innovation at The Glasgow School of Art has led the Creative Futures Partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise to establish The Creative Campus Highlands and Islands, located in Forres. The Creative Campus presents a unique opportunity to research and inform the qualities of design that are needed to co-create the contexts in which people and the region can flourish both in terms of socio-cultural and economic development. The development and expression of collaborative creativity is the Institute of Design Innovation’s (InDI) core research domain and expertise. Its contribution to innovation is twofold: we design new products, systems and services for the future as well as developing the capabilities that are needed to sustain innovation. In other words, we develop creative communities to effect transformational change.
Professor Irene McAra-McWilliam, Director, Creative Campus, GSA
Master of Research
The Institute of Design Innovation at The Glasgow School of Art is offering a unique opportunity for Masters study, in addition to being a significant player in a dynamic and vibrant research and innovation environment. Successful candidates will embark on an interdisciplinary Post Graduate research degree offered across all schools at the Glasgow School of Art. The one-year full-time studentship is funded, with fees covered by the Creative Futures Partnership, and focuses on Research and Knowledge Exchange practices as they are applied in creative contexts and additionally offers the potential for students to apply to convert to Doctoral study entering the PhD programme at year two (FT). The Master of Research combines a programme of supervised and directed research exploration and tailored research training alongside a substantial component of self-directed, individual research. Students will investigate the role of Design Innovation in developing creative capacity and accelerating economic renewal and regeneration in the Highlands and Islands and are encouraged to take the opportunity to work on live projects.
Dr. Lynn-Sayers McHattie, Programme Director, InDI
The Creative Campus
Highlands and Islands
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) have established a strategic partnership as a transformational activity for the Highlands and Islands and Scotland. A major activity within the Creative Futures Partnership is the development of a GSA research and post-graduate teaching centre for international excellence in creativity and innovation located in the Highlands and Islands.
The Creative Campus is internationally linked with partners, such as MIT and global businesses, in order to develop the creative capabilities of students, enterprises, communities and government.
The Institute of Design Innovation
InDI is a research institute, which has led the development of the Creative Futures Partnership for the GSA. We have an international reputation in creative leadership, design and innovation. We are a distributed collective of researchers, lecturers, adjunct faculty and postgraduate students. We have expertise in understanding complex social challenges through working in collaboration with people, practitioners and professionals in the key focal areas of wellbeing, work and wealth. Together, we address complex issues through creative approaches and community engagement towards co-creating preferable futures.
Research Thematics
We are particularly interested in the role of Design Innovation and how your research will contribute to a ‘flourishing’ region in terms of both socio-cultural and economic development. The development of the Creative Campus itself, engagement with communities and relationship to enterprise is of particular significance to our research, and we welcome applications from those with similar interests around but not exclusively, the following themes:
• Material Practices: Innovating traditional craft and textile practices, which connect to the indigenous landscape and culture of the Highlands and Islands.
• Relational Practices: The role of nature and culture in the renewal of fragile communities at the edge, with a focus on social and cultural relational practices.
• Innovation from the Edge: Economic and community growth linked to Creative Industries and social/community enterprise
• Digital Culture: Creating an interconnected (locally, regionally, nationally and internationally) flourishing region through the application of digital technology, including digital making - the intersection and synergies between community, enterprise, digital and material practices.
• Distributed City: Exploring the opportunity of ubiquitous broadband to connect innovative communities across dispersed geographies.
• Emerging Studentship: Defining new notions of studentship, pedagogic and research approaches in dynamic contexts
• Creative Collectives: The role of design in giving form to groups of people working collectively and collaboratively for common good in rural and urban areas.
• Creative Practice: The role of Creative Practice in influencing policy in areas such as gender, youth and digital and the inter- relationships between the three.
Design Innovation
Design Innovation means both innovation through design and innovation of design. It is a way of engaging a range of expertise that structures creativity. In order for innovation to be sustainable, it needs to evolve through direct engagement with people, practitioners and policy makers. Design Innovation is involved in understanding and articulating complex social interactions between multiple stakeholders engaged in design inquiry through both research and professional practice. InDI’s academic context is complemented by a wealth of resources and practitioner expertise in a wide range of design disciplines and art forms across GSA.
Primary Responsibilities
The successful candidates will undertake study that seeks to generate insights into the role of Design Innovation. In so doing, students will develop practice based approaches on the use of Design Innovation methods to transform the creative capabilities of communities and the region. This is a cohort-based approach to study. It is anticipated that you will take part in a cohort with shared interests to inform the evolution of Design Innovation methodologies appropriate to this developing domain; with a particular focus on networked collaboration, through working with richly diverse interdisciplinary contexts.
Candidates will be pursuing their inquiry together through residentials and creative collectives. This is not a taught programme; candidates practice will be the focus of the iterative research approach and is a major aspect of its experiential nature. This will involve exploring your practice through: making, materiality, reading, writing, discussion and critical reflection. The methodology involves challenging ways of thinking about practice through developing creative rigour and a critically aware approach to the relevant literature together with art and design practice. In summary, the programme is:
• Cohort based in creative collectives
• Inquiries are contextually located with emergent questions
• Iterative with a cumulative build-up of inquiry
• Impact driven
Creative and Critical Practice
GSA has a distinctive specialist, practice-based research culture, which is widely recognised internationally. The generation of new knowledge and understanding through creative practice, scholarship and criticism in Fine Art, Design and Architecture. This provides the opportunity for post-graduate students and/or professional practitioners with substantial creative experience to undertake research within a creative-critical research framework.
How to Apply
For further details and an application form download application materials from the GSA website: http://www.gsa.ac.uk/study/graduate-degrees/ doctoral-study/
Applicants should submit three copies of all the material, including their visual work.
• Postgraduate Application Form
• Research Proposal Form
• Bibliography
• Two academic references
• Copy of entry qualification certificates
• Transcript/mark sheet
• Covering letter
• IELTS/TOEFL score certificate for applicants whose first language is not English
Person Specification
Applicants are invited from a broad range of relevant fields. A Design background is desirable but not essential. We are keen to attract applicants who have an interest in Design Innovation in commercial creative contexts. Applicants must have a strong academic background, with a degree in a relevant area. In addition, applicants should demonstrate understanding or experience of the private, public or third sector within a creative context. The programme is for post graduate students and/or professional practitioners with substantial creative experience who are serious about their practice, particularly how they think about what they are doing as a socially engaged and relational process. You will be able to show the ability to write and critically reflect in the context of your practice.
Additional Responsibilities
Successful candidates will contribute to the wider goals of the Creative Futures Partnership, as part of a peer network operating across the two partner institutions, GSA and HIE, with a collective task of understanding the role of design and creative practice in regeneration and renewal. They will contribute to the development of events, workshops and seasonal seminars, and take part in other Creative Futures Partnership activities as appropriate.
Visual Material: Submission Guidelines
In addition to the completed application form, proposal and references, applicants are asked to submit visual material in support of their application. This visual material should be submitted digitally on a CD Rom. The CD Rom should contain up to 20 x 72dpi images of work in jpg format arranged in a PowerPoint or QuickTime presentation: each PowerPoint slide should bear the title and year of the work. Please make sure that the CD and CD container are also labelled with your name and address.
Applicants wishing to submit time-based material should do so in QuickTime format. The material should be accompanied by a play list, giving detailed information on the title, date of work, runtime and whether the work contains sound or is silent. Extracts of multiple works should not exceed 5 minutes each and the whole submission should not exceed 10 minutes in length.
Applicants should submit three copies of all material to Barrie Leith, Student Records, The Institute of Design Innovation, The Glasgow School of Art, 167 Renfrew Street, Glasgow G3 6RQ.
For digital submission contact [log in to unmask]
Essential Information
We currently have funded places in the project themes previously outlined. Please note although we welcome applications in these areas, this is not an exhaustive list. Applicants may propose their own topics for consideration by the Programme Team.
Duration and funding: One year full-time (fees)
Expected start date: January 2016
Expected interview date: week commencing 7th
December 2015 in Forres
It is expected that interviews for shortlisted candidates will take place during the week commencing 7th December, in Forres, when candidates will be required to submit a personal narrative, prior to the interview and to deliver a five minute presentation (brief to be confirmed) during the interview and that the successful candidate is available to register and commence study in January 2016.
Applications must be received by: Friday 27th November 2015 by 5pm.
For an informal conversation or to discuss your Proposal contact Dr Lynn-Sayers McHattie
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