In May 2013, to mark the centenary of the original performance of ‘The Rite of Spring’, Glasgow School of Art (GSA), Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra collaborated to present new work inspired by the original event. Embracing the spirit of collaboration and interdisciplinarity embodied by the relationship between Stravinsky, Nijinsky, Diaghilev and Roerech, this project encouraged young students and emerging artists to work together to create imaginative responses to the source material. A score composed by RCS students; dance choreographed by Hubert Essakow (Royal Ballet and Rambert Dance Company) and performed by RCS ballet students; and a set, costumes and visual identity designed and produced by GSA students were presented at a performance on May 18th 2013 in the Tramway, Glasgow.

This short film (and due to be published paper) will situate the process and the outputs of this collaboration within the context of the original work, drawing parallels between the development of the visual aspects of Stravinsky’s ‘Rite’ and this performance. In particular it will examine the role that such interdisciplinary, live projects play in:

• the development of a student’s employability/professional skills

• the development of a student’s ability to articulate and reflect upon

their employability (self-efficacy) and envisage their own practice beyond art school

• enabling us to evaluate our existing pedagogic models for employability within the creative arts

• developing new models for the delivery of employability within the
curriculum and informing strategic approaches to the subject.

Focus will be given to the experience of Glasgow School of Art students in the fields of Architecture, Fine Art and Communication Design who worked together to produce the Visual Identity of the production. Consideration will be given to the degree of autonomy granted to these students during the process and the results produced by that creative freedom; the tensions and benefits that arise when working through and across disciplines; as well as the complexity of conducting large-scale, interdisciplinary, inter-institutional collaborations within the context of the current higher education landscape.

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