Artists share grief in new documentary about the destruction of Glasgow School of Art

BBC Alba's 'Trusadh - Mi Fhèin is Mackintosh' (Art on Fire) will have celebrated artists share their grief over the destruction of the Renfrew Street fixture. 

In this documentary, Calum Angus Mackay talks to former students about their memories of studying there and how they felt when the building was decimated by two fires.

Calum Angus Mackay

Contributors include artist Maggie Smith, Scottish painter Kenneth Burns, artists Ishbel Murray, John D Urquhart and David Pratt as well as recent graduates, Sian Mackay, Daisy MacDonald and Rachel Kate Macleod.

They each open up on the heartache of losing the building in June 2018 when it was ravaged for a second time by fire. 

Maggie and Kenneth were among a small group of students who left The Nicolson Institute in Stornoway to study at the Glasgow School of Art in the early 1980s - both revelling in the uniquely beautiful building they found themselves in as they set about student life.

Maggie Smith, from Lewis, said: “The Mackintosh is full of wood between the library, the stairs...It was all made from wood. I knew it wouldn't take long for everything to catch fire unless they can get to the root of the fire.

“We used to go back and forth from the 'hen run' and there was a stone staircase at the back. We had lots of fun in the Mackintosh.

“It was such a huge loss for the city of Glasgow and for Scotland. It was such an iconic building. We were very sad that day when we heard what had happened.”

Meanwhile, Kenneth describes the Art School as “a riot of artistry, beautiful carvings and mosaics… coloured glass panels, green and purple and crimson”.    

Harris born John D Urquhart, who studied furniture design at Glasgow School of Art, was inspired to study art after he watched his uncle gather driftwood from the beach and make amazing things with it in his barn. John also created some of his works of art with wood.

Meanwhile, Ishbel talks about how much she appreciated studying in such a unique building as she compares it to an ancient castle with "nooks and crannies everywhere".

She said: “Anyone would appreciate that they were inside an outstanding building. That was unique, that was progressive.

"In some areas, you felt you were in an ancient castle. There were nooks and crannies everywhere. It was so intriguing.

"Walking around the building was fascinating.”

And David - who once lectured students at the institute - got very close to the building on the night of the second fire and took a series of photos.

The now journalist got so close that embers were landing on his jacket and the emergency services asked him to move back. When he saw the whole facade ablaze, he says he knew there would be nothing left this time.

“I distinctly remember saying no you’ve got to be mistaken there’s absolutely no way this could be happening again", he said.

"By the time I got to Bath Street you could see this enormous glow, it was the speed at which this fire took hold that really struck me and I took a series of photographs and then made a detour through the back alleyways of Garnethill to get very close and took more photos there.

“It was incredible, the whole façade was absolutely ablaze, you could hear the scaffolding, everything crackling, pops and bangs, the embers that were coming off were drifting onto my jacket. It was getting dangerous and the firefighters pushed us back."

People from across the world watched in horror as images of the beautiful woodwork of the library engulfed in flames were shown on the news n 2014. 

Within hours, a fund had collected thousands of pounds to rebuild the Art School, work which would be painstakingly undertaken by specialist builders and craftspeople over the following four years.

Then, in the cruellest of blows, a second fire hit the beloved building on June 15, 2018. This fire was more devastating than the first with the future of the 'Mack' remaining uncertain to this day. 

Trusadh - Mi Fhèin is Mackintosh/Art on Fire airs on BBC ALBA on Monday, August 9 at 9pm and will be available on the BBC iPlayer for 30 days afterwards.