Alison’s Degree Show plans to put Blairgowrie pupils outside

Published On Mon 25 May 2015 by Roddy Isles

Pupils at Blairgowrie High School could have a new outdoor space for performance, teaching and meetings if designs by a University of Dundee student come to fruition.

Alison Taylor, who is about to graduate with a degree in Interior Environmental Design, has been working with staff and pupils at the school to turn a disused space on the school grounds into a multi-purpose venue.

Her designs are on display now at part of the University of Dundee Art, Design and Architecture Degree Show.

“I read a statistic which said that school pupils can spend more time in one day looking at a screen than they might spend outdoors in a whole week and that got me thinking about developing something that would combine an outdoor environment and learning and teaching,” said Alison (22), from Northern Ireland.

“Blairgowrie High have been fantastic at letting me work with the pupils and the staff, giving me an insight into the sort of space that would be useful to them. They have been at the centre of the creative process throughout.

“What I have designed is a multi-use space that could accommodate performance, teaching and a meeting place. I have also designed a series of outdoor pods for teaching. It has been a great experience for me, working in a real-world environment as a designer or architect would.

“I am now hoping that elements of our work may be brought to fruition at the school.”

Alison’s co-design methods have been inspired by the Design In Action knowledge exchange hub based at the University of Dundee, which has been working with hundreds of businesses and institutions across Scotland, placing design at the heart of business.

Andy Milligan, course director for Interior Environmental Design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, said, “This has been a great project by Alison. It has placed pupils at the centre of the creative process with Alison as the creative facilitator helping to empower young pupils to reinvent the school environment and to better reflect the ambitions behind the curriculum for excellence.”

Bev Leslie, Headteacher at Blairgowrie High School, said, “Alison worked collaboratively with Mrs Kennedy, our Principal Teacher of Art & Design, and our S3 pupils to inform her design and she has created plans for a very exciting learning space. This was a great example of Art being used in the world of work and our pupils benefited from the experience.  We now hope to turn design into reality.”

The University of Dundee Art, Design and Architecture Degree Show 2015 runs until May 31^st and is already attracting record numbers, with more than 5500 people attending the opening night on Friday.

The annual Degree Show turns the University into Scotland’s largest exhibition space for a week, with over 300 students from the University’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design and the School of the Environment showing their work to thousands of visitors.