18th January- Exhibition install

January 18, 2018

18th January- Exhibition install

Exhibition install reflections as curator

Disrupt, Distort, Disillusion

Documentation
https://youtu.be/sszspFGdiNA

Today, as curator, I worked with a group of people to install the second half of the interim show. This started (for some) at 9:30 and lasted into the afternoon, overcoming hurdles and working as a team. The curation team assembled fully around 10am and some people naturally lead the hanging. I was one of the three curators that was working in PS5 to create a homely living room space. Therefore I did not partake in the outside hanging of work as much as others. We made many trips to and from various people's houses to collect different items to make the space more homely and full. These included a rug, table, lamp and chair. This took up a lot of our time however once all the items were in the only issue then was deciding how to hang the remaining work and to overcome endless technical issues. Sam, within our sub curation team took on the role as technician for all of the technical difficulties. He did this role amazingly and was very helpful to our artists in overcoming problems. This space contained a projection as well a film. The old style film on a large Tv did not have the option of a headphone port, therefore Sam organised the appropriate equipment to solve that issue. Together we seemed to work with a specific artist, Kinga with charlotte, myself with Georgia and Sam with Brandon although we did merge and cross paths to ask opinions and swap ideas. The challenges of today mainly came from technology and Charlotte worrying extensively about her work. As a curator it became tiring to constantly answer questions that were mainly regarding the style and makeup of her work. Also, it can be difficult to curate people who you personally clash with and struggle communicating with. As a very calm person I trusted that things will work themselves out in the end, a vision others did not seem to share to the same extent. Further to this she did not listen to me when I told her not to purchase plastic for the work as this makes the work very ironic. She is supporting the industry by purchasing the material her work is directly against. I spoke to her extensively about this however she did not use found plastic instead, much to my frustration. Regardless of this, the team work was still strong and allowed the space to be curated effectively. The changed of lighting added an ambiance that the other exhibition areas can not boast. This was important when trying to superset our room to the rest of the exposition. I wanted people to feel as though they are fluid through time periods as the issues concerning each price of work are targeted toward a specific time period. Be that the future, past or present. Even work that has been made in the present is purposefully shown in old monitors with old props and filters. This was mainly to reflect the outdated nature of many of the subject matters dealt with. The stark contrast then came with the projection which tries to tackle a modern day crisis of global warming. In my eyes, this work is more of a reflective documentation than call to action. The rest of the show, PS4 was being managed well, the difficult we found was the fact the work was mainly all wall based, this reduces the aesthetic dynamic of the space and disallows audience interaction extensively. The smaller scale works also were slightly lost on the large white wall space. The end of the corridor did however boast a sculptural piece, the positioning invites the viewer to walk toward the end of the corridor, the curious nature of humanity is something being played upon in the curatorial method. We also painted 'Disrupt, Distort, Disillusion' directly upon the wall to match the booklet that we produced. This was situated next to a map of the space. We also made labels for each work with a short description of what the work was about. Something also featured in the booklet. This wall painting allowed our exhibition to be separated from the other project space. It is an effective way to ensure the viewer into the themes of the works they are about to see. Painting this took a large portion of the day for two members of the curatorial team however it looks incredibly effective now finished. I set up a time lapse of the install for my documentation (and the groups) I feel it is an effective way for the tutors to see the process, struggles and laughs that the group shared. It also moves the exhibition into the realm of collaborative process. Something that we discussed extensively in PS5 as the border of one work ending and another starting was never clear. Therefore the relational aesthetics and removal of author are vital to let the themes and issues tackled stand for themselves within the dramatic space. If we were to produce this exhibition again I feel we should have commissioned more sculptural works from the artists, although they did not favour this. It was difficult to ask them to do something away from their usual choice of practice. However, toward the end of install we chose another piece of work by an artist to try and fill the space more. This executive decision was proof that until the install takes place it is difficult to see how the work will work in the space with the lighting. This work, situated between two plinths offered a 3D aspect to the exhibition and removes the 'white box' stereotype of exhibitions. There is no sound in PS4 except the radiated sound from PS5, this however was gentle and non intrusive. I think the non intrusive nature of sound is vital to allow other works their right of viewing. However it can also be experimental in offering a multi sense experience, something championed in PS5. I am looking forward to the exhibition critique to discuss all of this and gain new overview from differing tutors opinions. I think I have seen this work and process from more of a collaborative view than when our work was curators. The process has been just as vital as the final outcome.