18th April- Fluid Praxis Crit

18th April-

Fluid Praxis critique

Today, with a selection of tutors we had our fluid Praxis crit. This consisted of a discussion about a selection of things. The major topic of discussion was the curation of the project and the way in which it was managed. For me the main issue was the initial proposal forms that were put out. These were released without any sort of solid backing in terms of overall concept. By this I meant that the theme of the show and the ideas backing the show had not been decided prior to the proposal forms. Therefore the artists has very little idea of what they were proposing their work for and if the aim was the physical side or the research side. This could have been cleared up after the proposal forms however. Once myself and the other curators met a new form with more information could have been released. This then would have also given us an idea of what artists were best suites. This idea was another concept discussed, the idea of high and low risk artists. What artists were likely to keep in contact and get involved and those less likely to get involved. Due to the fact we accepted everyone meant that we had a variety of lie and high risk artists. However, I do feel like we had more high risk artists due to the fact that so many repeatedly let us down and didn’t reply over Easter. I was hoping to do a lot more with the exhibition yet this did not fabricate. One aspect we were praised for however was the variety of work in the show. We didn’t just have books and typical archival aspects, we have installation, sculpture, digital work and interactive work. This was a majorly important aspect for me as it meant that it shows the viewer that research is through the making process as well as the reading, writing and visiting of places. This therefore showcased the fact that the creative practice is a research process also. The way in which we transition through our creative ideas and making experiences is very much experimental and research based. This, I feel, was reflected in the exhibition and was one of the only aspects that did fully showcase the thought and planning that went into it. I was hoping participates would be more willing to make this a research piece in itself. I reflected that in the feedback we gave to the tutors. When they asked what could be changed or improved next year I told them that making this a project or workshop instead of an exhibition would be more effective. The way they labelled it gives a preconceived idea of how the students respond. I would be more than willing to do this again with a group of people who are slightly more committed and willing to be directly and heavily involved in a research piece as a collective. We also discussed the concept of the digital and physical interface. The difference between the two and the inline matrix of research that could be formed as a result of the online research base that we found most artists had. This is what we aimed to do with the website and Instagram however I don’t feel that the response was as effective as hoped due to the small time from and limited content of the website. Again due to the artists being unhelpful with the amount of images and in process documentation we received. An interesting point that was raised was that the Instagram scrolling is similar to the way someone would scroll their eyes over a piece of text possibly. The movement as well as one being a longer term thing than the other. One is images aiming for instant reaction whereas research is a long considered thing that delves deeply into a range of subjects. The crit was so helpful for myself to make notes and consider the way that art as research and practice as research move together and forward in new ways. If I was working with different people I feel it could have been more successful. Although, without falling into the trap of religion became many artists work together repeatedly and then that removes the idea and chance for diversity of work and experimental shows. Similarly if only friends woke together the curation of the show doesn’t always work.