I had four of the best years of my life in Glasgow. Which is why I left and never went back!
I feel immense affection for this city that I called home during my university years. It was (at the time) a long way away from home, pretty close to being a foreign city (depending on who you ask), and the trips up there were likely formative in encouraging me to continue my wanderings.
I made some great friends there, now distributed nicely around the world. I was most looking forward to seeing Craig again though; flatmate and course compatriot. Too many stories, for sure.
It also gave me a chance to catch up with the old girl, the Glasgow School of Art. A deeply fabulous building that will soon be host to a new Steven Holl design department, replacing the venerable Foulis building. They are even keeping the facade to the old Vic bar; scene to countless good nights out and home to some of the best techno and house music in the UK.
I also took the opportunity to head over to the temporary teaching spaces and spend some time with the students. This was the first time I had done this, and it was as rewarding as it was exhausting.
Even on the most overcast of days (i.e.: most days) the enormous north-facing windows gulp up the pure northern light.A Charles Rennie Mackintosh artwork … that is still a real, functioning building. It's a miracle that it is still possible.God is in the details.My favourite aspect of the building are the huge slabs of rock facing the street, like some scene from Gotham at night time.The new will make-way for the newer.Goodbye to the Foulis building – my seat used to be in the very top left – right in the corner window.The old Vic…. and down to the West End we go, which is ever more packed with organic haggis shops and little eateries. It was nice to see the place doing well, but it was clear the impact of the economic downturn on the centre of town were not so good – many shops boarded up, or replaced with the ubiquitous 'Pound Stretcher' crap.One of my favourite old pubs – The Ubiquitous Chip. Good food had at home with Craig, and again at Stravagin .. the memories came flooding back almost as quickly as the Deuchers.A change of pace, and the new Riverside Museum by Zaha Hadid. I was quite taken with the renderings that I had seen on the web, but the proof is in the pudding.I liked the references to the old ship yards, and I thought the dynamic shapes were fun – at least when viewed from above, allowing them to sweep across the quay. The dark glass was extremely dramatic from a distance.… sadly the overcast weather here will likely rarely allow light to puncture through to the toys inside.Typical Zaha contours must have been fun to build.The grey walls matched the grey sky well.Reflecting the Science Centre and BBC buildings opposite.Other views captured a past history (where apparently 30% of the world's ships used to be made!)The glorious architecture on the other side of the Clyde.The off-green of the interior again was cool, but gave the place an odd laboratory feel – not quite right when looking at classic transport.These old beauties just could not compete with the building, sadly.Some awesome bikes on display from Graem ObreeOverall, a great architectural statement, but one that does not meet the brief.And to round it off, more great food and coffees at Cafe Gandolfi with Craig.
In the time between your first day at art school, global finances have collapsed, century-old car companies and even entire countries have defaulted on their debt, and with the rise of China and India political power has shifted eastwards. Indeed, the very status of hardware design is shrinking in the face of interfaces and software. You might be feeling a little uneasy about your prospects, and I don’t blame you.
Responding to these changes will require flexibility, and people that can identify problems, form synergies with other disciplines, creatively generate solutions, and communicate with enthusiasm and energy. Strip away the sketching, software, model-making and engineering exams, and PDE gives you a nucleus of skills that will arm you for a career of uncertainty and change. The learning process has not ended; it’s only just beginning.
Change is Thrilling
Nine years ago, I graduated from a Glasgow also in the midst of a recession. My instinct told me to pick an industry area where things were changing, so I began looking for jobs in sustainable design, the medical industry (since people were unlikely to stop getting ill) and in Asia. Based on little more than gut-feel, and the desire to have a fully-paid backpacking trip to the other side of the world, I accepted a job offer working on Asus’ design team in Taipei.
The night before I left, nerves gave me a knot in my stomach so tight I was in physical pain, but before I knew it I was on the ground, right on the cutting edge of the globe’s manufacturing industry. Fast forward to today, and while I am working with some of the best designers, most capable suppliers, in one the largest industries in the world, I am still anxious about change, what it means for our customers, to Dell, and my career.
My lessons; anxiety and excitement are two sides of the same coin, be prepared to jump in feet-first, don’t be afraid to follow your gut, and whatever you do, do something that you love. What do you want your story to be?
Change is Opportunity
For me, PDE instilled a can-do-attitude and appetite for tackling sticky problems with zeal. Global problems and their potential solutions will only get broader, and call on people capable of bridging between disparate skills and previously unrelated disciplines.
Companies need people like you to make products like the iPhone, combining industrial design, software, services and manufacturing expertise, and dozens more skills. The growing elderly population needs people like you to propose sensitive solutions that allow them to continue living fulfilling lives. And the world needs people like you to stand a hope of motivating people to use fewer products, consume less energy, and dispose of less waste.
There has never been a better time to be designer.
New Year’s Eve 2006/07 became probably the most memorable, unusual and special one on record – against odds stacked against us by a well-timed Scottish typhoon.
Princes Street was shut, and against a back-drop of cold, confused tourists, drunk revellers and whispered reports of people being hit by flying Portaloos our team gathered in the warmth of a very characterful Scottish bar. We were certainly ready to dig in for the night, but with a couple of hours to go my old flat-mate Jenny called us up and said they needed people for some bash the BBC was laying on, now the scenes of the street party had to be cancelled.
News that there was going to be free alcohol meant the decision was already an easy one for us. However, this was not going to be your common or garden Hogmanay party, but the party at the very centre of Scotland’s celebrations at Edinburgh Castle.
Our party had soldiers guarding the gates. Our party had swords and battle scenes painted on the walls. And our party combined free Champagne with national Television coverage. The magnificent seven were at the very beating heart of Scottish culture – in the front row of the crowd for the annual Hogmanay festivities. I doubt there is any point ever celebrating in Edinburgh ever again, because we have done it now. It cannot be improved or embelished in any way – next year should certainly be spent down some local pub instead.
Princes Street revellers
Umbrella graveyard
Team Hogmanay Ho! (Check the BBC wrist band bling $$)
How many megapixels has yours got?
Could this be the midnight canon?!
Jenny – the star of the night! – THANKS!
Becca gets blurry in the bar after(math)
Smooth criminal
Whoaaaaaaa!
Update:
Craig’s family have seen us. His Gran punched record as soon as he saw his face. And his uncle saw us on TV while on a boat. In Sydney Harbour. In Australia.
100,000 drunk revellers descended on Princes Street in Edinburgh for the annual Hogmanay bash, and at the last minute Phil and I decided to join them by taking the train up to Scotland. It was really worth it, since I got to see old Glasgow buddies Craig and Ali, plus Masters pals Andrew and Kyle. Plus, of course, I saw Scotland and recharged my Whiskey batteries.
The street was full of horny Glaswegian girls, drunk Aussies and high numbers of bemuzed looking Chinese visitors. Drunk Chinese conversation of course meant that I lost the group within about 3 minutes – and feverish multiplexed cell phone calls to the guys only made matters worse.
Phil and I on Princes Street
After the bells, we retreated to my first proper arty party in over a year and a half – a very nice reminder of life in Glasgow. I also met a nice chap who happened to be sales manager for premium Glenmorangie whiskies and I humored him through an extensive sampling session, well into the morning.
Kids – part of the installation, it seems
Craig looking pensive / drunk
A stonking hangover, healed only by the MacDonalds (the only open food hole in the morning) was partially soothed by the wonderful train ride, passing by Durham, York and Newcastle – all bathed in clear winter sunlight. Something you do not get in Taiwan.
