Jie Zhang

Tending the Trace is a curatorial research project exploring how living and changing materials are observed, interpreted and made public through exhibition-making and documentation.

Structured around three stages — Growth, Threshold and Afterlife — the project brings together field observations, institutional documents, artist-contributed material and curatorial publishing. It considers what happens when biological uncertainty encounters institutional procedures, and how decisions about access, risk, attribution and circulation shape what can remain visible.

The project culminated in a publication and reading-space installation. Rather than presenting living material directly, the exhibition used photographs, records, diagrams and contributed works to trace how material processes are translated into curatorial decisions.

Contributors include Yiki, Elizabeth Riddell, Charles Diaper, Alison Beattie, Sun Yingman and Li Mingyue.

The Thirdspace Toolkit is a zine publication and physical toolkit containing practical tools, ephemera, and advice designed to document and facilitate DIY events and exhibitions in Glasgow. Together, they function not only as a practical manual and resource for running and organising a space or event, but also as a source of inspiration and motivation for those getting started. The Toolkit is catalogued in the Glasgow School of Art Library and available for students to borrow and use for producing their own events and projects.