Glasgow School of Art tries to shed its image as a shrine to Mackintosh
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Your support makes all the difference.Glasgow school of Art is seeking to distance itself from Charles Rennie Mackintosh amid fears that a cult surrounding the architect is quashing creativity.
The school, founded in 1845, became inextricably entwined with Mackintosh when he designed the building in 1897. Considered one of the best examples of his work, it has drawn devotees of Art Nouveau from all over the world.
But there is concern that this popularity has led to the school becoming more of a museum to the Glasgow-born designer-artist than a modern and vibrant institution.
Since the early 1980s, when the work of Mackintosh captured the attention of a new breed of designers, the school has been surrounded by a culture of what is known as "Mockintosh", which has tended to stifle innovative ideas.
But after months of consultation with a Berlin firm, the institution has decided to rebrand itself with a corporate identity intended to project it as a working centre of innovation for the 21st century.
" 'Mockintosh' has been a real problem for us," said David Porter, a professor of architecture at the school. "Up until about 30 years ago, Mackintosh was a very considerable figure but almost entirely ignored. But suddenly he was rediscovered and there was a an explosion of imitations.
"What people forget is that Mackintosh wasn't just an architect – he painted, designed furniture and worked across a range of mediums."
He added: "In a sense it is his spirit of inspiration which is behind our search for a new identity. We want to create a modern 21st-century image which attempts to convey the diversity of what we do."
Today, the Glasgow School of Art incorporates a range of subjects from architecture, fine art, design and visual arts, to digital design in the world's most sophisticated studio. But with only 1,400 students, the school is attempting to project itself as a world-class specialist institution.
Professor Porter said: "We are aware of the Mackintosh influence and tradition but we don't want to be absolutely tied to it." He said the school wanted an image that reflected its strong past while dealing with contemporary issues.
"Glasgow is a post-industrial city and we want to reflect this," he said. "We have a digital design studio that has the most advanced masters programme with the largest virtual-reality tape in the world. We are very involved in the new culture industries in Glasgow so for us being trapped in the Mockintosh culture is not very helpful."
Professor Porter said the school was lucky that it didn't have to invent a "fake heritage". He said: "We are fortunate to be situated in Mackin- tosh's greatest work, which was designed for the purpose it is still being used for. Mackintosh was a very innovative man and if he were here now I imagine he would be in the digital design studio.He was very advanced in his ideas and so is the Glasgow School of Art, but we need to portray that."
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