Lucky White Heather @GSofA

A degree show with a difference is taking place at Glasgow School of Art this year following the devastating fire which ripped through the Mackintosh Building just three weeks ago.

I'm writing about this very different degree show for Saturday's Herald so yesterday, I took a look around the newly-opened Reid. Building which is hosting the design and architecture shows, and then headed to The Glue Factory (yes, it is an old glue factory) at Spiers Locks to see the MFA postgrad show,

Today was the press preview for the school of fine art degree show which has been decanted from The Mack down to the nearby McLellan Galleries. Of the 102 final year fine art students at GSA, some lost all of their work, while others lost some of it.

To make their degree show an even playing field, all the students were asked to choose one image which they felt best summed up their final year's work.

I've never known so many press turn up for a preview. There were journalists and photographers from all over Britain all milling around trying to get a different angle on this event, which has risen phoenix-like from the ashes.

It was quite a sociable affair, actually. This picture shows Herald photographer and Blipper Martin Shields taking a
picture of one of the stars of the show, Alexander Haukrogh Jensen.

I've known Martin for erm... 20+ years. We used to go on jobs together when we were young and daft, working at The Sunday Mail in the early 90s.

That's Alex's print - pure white with a tiny wee fish hook embedded in the surface - in the background.

Much of Alex's work survived the fire, although he says it's still very soggy. He went away for a long weekend to Galway last weekend to get some much needed R & R and came back to find the roof of his flat in Baliol Street at Charing Cross has caved in.

He hasn't been allowed in since and is camping on a friend's floor. All his possessions are in the flat.

As bad luck usually comes in threes, I was tempted to go out and buy the poor guy some lucky white heather. Still, he looked fairly upbeat...

The degree show opens to the public on Saturday and continues until 21st June.