Aurora Takami-Siljedahl will use the award to research the work of Mackintosh in Glasgow and his contemporary, Josef Hoffmann, in Vienna.

The scholarship has been established by the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society with support from the DSB Award.

A third-year Bachelor of Architecture (Hons) student in the Mackintosh School of Architecture, Aurora Takami-Siljedahl, is the recipient of the first Mackintosh/DSB travelling scholarship it was announced today, 7 June 2022, the 154th anniversary of Mackintosh’s birth.

The £2000 scholarship has been created to contribute towards travel costs for a student to undertake academic research related specifically to the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Aurora won the award for a proposal that will see her offer a very personal response to the designs of two leading exponents of Art Nouveau style: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Josef Hoffmann. The travel bursary will allow her to immerse herself in the designs of these two great 20^th century architect/designers who were known particularly for the “gesamtkunstwerk” (total artwork) approach, which saw them design not only the buildings, but the interiors as well. Aurora will present the outcomes of her research at Mackintosh Queen’s Cross in January 2023.

Aurora says: “I am particularly interested in architecture that employs a holistic design approach and has an emphasis on environmental and social sustainability,’ says Aurora. “Through this research fellowship, I am particularly looking forward to gaining a deeper understanding of the built environment’s impact on user experience.”

The award, which is open to all full-time and part-time architecture students enrolled at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, was established by the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, which has been promoting the works of Mackintosh round the globe for almost 50 years.

“We are delighted to be able to support a new generation of architectural talent in this special award which will extend the research into Mackintosh’s work and the influences that it has had,” says Stuart Robertson, Director of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society. “Mackintosh was part of a ground-breaking movement that included architects and designers from across Europe. We are excited that Aurora will look at Mackintosh’s work within this international context.”

The DSB Award has been made possible with the support of the late Deirdre Bernard and her husband Stanley and is a fitting tribute to Deirdre who was a stalwart supporter of the Society.

“We are grateful to the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society and the DSB Award for this new travelling scholarship,” says Professor Sally Stewart, Head of Architecture at The Glasgow School of Art. “Mackintosh himself benefitted hugely from the opportunity to undertake an architectural sketching tour of Italy which winning the Alexander Thomson Travelling Studentship afforded him. We are looking forward to seeing the outputs of Aurora’s research.”

The judging panel for the Mackintosh/DSB Travelling Scholarship comprised:-
Alan Hooper: Principal Lecturer, Programme Leader, Exchange Coordinator at the GSA (Chair)
Neil Gillespie: Director at Reiach and Hall Architects
Prof. Colin Porteous: former Senior Researcher at the GSA
Fiona Sinclair: Architect
Stuart Robertson: Director of CRM Society

See more of Aurora’s work on the GSA 2022 Digital Showcase https://gsashowcase.net/aurora-takami-siljedahl/

For more information on the work of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society visit: https://www.crmsociety.com