Curatorship

The Show: Technical considerations and practical alterations

Today I visited Sarah Casey in her office hour and had a really productive chat about my work. As a result of this discussion I have decided that it may not be the most appropriate choice to show my film in the Peter Scot Gallery. This is because digital media is a relatively new area for me and is not my strongest discipline. However the film will still be a key element of my instillation in my solo space. Sarah suggested taking my shelters into urban and natural settings and photographing them to convey a sense of loneliness and displacement. I think that this would provide a good basis for the gallery work. High quality images of the work in these settings will then provide a taster of my practice that can be further explored in my solo show.

This means that my technical considerations for the Peter Scott gallery will be fairly straightforward. I will simply require wall space to hang the photographs. However I will need to consider how to get the photographs printed to a high standard and how to mount/frame them. At this stage I think I will avoid elaborate framing techniques which could detract from the work but will instead mount the photographs to a professional standard, possibly taking advice from a framing and mounting expert. I would like the photographs  to be fairly large (A2) so I will have to ensure that the photographs are a high enough resolution to print at this size.

In terms of my solo show my technical considerations will be more complex. I will require a DVD player and projector which I will book using the new LUVLE equipment booking system.  I will have to ensure that my film is showing correctly through the DVD player and projector several days in advance of the show to allow time to resolve any technical issues. The work will need to be shown in a blacked out space with a plain blank wall behind the sculpture for the projection. I will also require plugs sockets opposite the wall to be projected onto in order to plug in equipment and I may want to source a plinth to place the projector on so it is raised off the floor and looks more processional. In terms of the sculpture aspect of the instillation I need to make sure that there is no danger of visitors damaging the work as it is likely to be fairly delicate and easy to knock over/snag the netting, and adhere to any health and safety regulations.

Example of framed and mounted photographs: Strong presentation technique but I’m not sure if framing is required for my work.

The Catalogue: Decisions and design

The catalogue seems to be coming together rapidly thanks to the hard work of the catalogue team. The main design has now been finalised, individual and group photos have been taken and the team have set dates for the submission of artist’s statements and images of our artworks. The catalogue will also include a map at the back to direct visitors to the various different locations for the show. This was an important feature because some of the group felt that visitors might not be able to find all the work on display and might limit themselves to the work on show in the Peter Scott gallery.

Decisions for the catalogue were principally taken by the catalogue team because voting on every single aspect of the design would have been too time consuming, however there was also consultation with the whole group in meetings on key aspects of the catalogue. This included the paper quality, matt or gloss, and the dimensions of the catalogue. We chose to have a square format, although the smaller format used for the catalogue last year was very effective we needed more space due to the large number of students and this would have meant more pages which would have necessitated binding, raising the cost considerably.  

I think the finished design of the catalogue cover and interior is very affective. The publicity team felt that the catalogue should echo the design theme of the publicity material to ensure a sense of coherence and the general group felt that a minimal aesthetic was preferred. The finished design ties in well with the publicity material and the use of circular forms in the detail of the design references the logo. I think the grid format is a really good idea because it is so adaptable, allowing students to include one large picture or a number of smaller pictures depending on their preference for presenting their work.

There are now a number of key dates to remember for submission to the catalogue team.  

Wednesday 11^th May – Email Rachel Daniel with artist’s statements

Monday 16^th May – Email Rose or Anna with artwork images. 

Image of page design of catalogue by Emma Bates and Pul-ling: Well done guys!

Cover design for catalogue by Emma bates and Pul-ling.

The Peter Scott Gallery: Contracts and other fun stuff

Today Richard Smith from the Peter Scott gallery came into the session to have individual meetings with students about their work and ideas for display and presentation. We now have a structure for the rest of the term up until the date of hanging in the gallery. All art work must be in place in the gallery by the 20^th because the Private View opens on the 21^st. At the last meeting Richard got a sense of the kind of work each student is producing and made notes about their requirements and preferences for exhibiting. We have another chance to meet with him on Thursday, this will take place in the gallery and will be more practically based allocating spaces. The contract we must sign has also been posted online. This document is much more formal than anything I have encountered before in relation to my artwork. One important issue for me to factor in is that the gallery staff must approve all work before it is shown and film piece must be submitted at least a week before the show ‘DVDs, films, slideshows etc. must be provided to the gallery at least one week prior to the exhibition’. Another consideration is the clauses that relate to pricing and selling work. ‘All artwork sold is subject to a 25% gallery commission. The commission will be added to the sale price supplied with the artwork’ Producing conceptual works which are usually instillation based means that selling my work has not been a major focus for me, however I will need to price my work when it is displayed in the gallery as this is a requirement which is stated in the contract.

In terms of health and safety issues I will be using electrical equipment so there will be some considerations around this. However I will only be using a projector and this will be obtained through the art department so should have all necessary safety checks and meet the requirements ‘All artwork must be safe for public display, any potential health and safety issues must be raised with the gallery. Electrical items must be assessed by a qualified electrician and deemed safe for public display and must have an up to date Portable Appliance Test.’

Hopefully this experience with the gallery will help me to build my professional skills and prepare me for working with other galleries in the future. It is a bit daunting at this stage though as the formality of the setting is very different from anywhere that I have displayed my work in before!

Presentation of my work: the solo aspect

As I have previously mentioned my presentation for the solo aspect of the exhibition will comprise of an instillation incorporating textile-based sculpture and video projection. The concept for the piece centres on the same themes of migration and migrant labour that I have been working through over the past year. The themes are expressed through the creation of a ‘squatters camp’ sculpture comprising of three small tent frames covered in netting. The netting is made out of shredded plastic bags and torn up fabrics using a knitting technique. The shredded bags represent the pressure that corporations, such as large Supermarket chains, place on migrant labour.

The use of nets is reminiscent of the sea and the physical journey of migrants across bodies of water. Meanwhile the relationship between the sheltering implied by the tents and the exposure represented by the open netting, comments on the often vulnerable position of the migrant.

The film will be developed from a piece I created at the end of last term. It will comprise of footage of tidal movements shot in black and white and sped up and reversed to create a disconcerting image. This will be accompanied by eerie and unsettling sounds such as whirring, moaning and screeching. The footage will be interspersed with fast flashing images of foreign TV stations which will further add to the sense of disorientation.

One challenge for the instillation is to achieve an unsettling dystopian feel while maintaining an aesthetic sense. I am not trying to  faithfully recreate a squatters camp but to use this symbolism to engage the viewer, therefore the tent sculptures will be aesthticised rather than authentic. However I need to create some sense that the ‘camp’ could be occupied if I want the viewer to really engage with it. To do this I will use materials such as torn up sheets to suggest decay and disorder of cramped human habitation.

The space that the instillation is displayed in needs to be dark, not purely because of the projection but also to create a gloomy and oppressive feel, I am trying to affect the viewer emotionally with my work by getting across some sense of the desperation, confusion and disorientation experienced by many illegal migrants, refugees and asylum seekers that travel from their homes in hope of a better life and often end up as cheap disposable labour at the hands of large corporations. 

Presentation of my work in the group show

The final year show provides an exciting opportunity to exhibition our work in a gallery environment alongside a range of diverse art works created by our peers. This opportunity is also valuable because it helps us to gain experience working in a professional setting and an understanding of the considerations involved. However it also provides challenges due to the variety of art works and limitations of space and facilities. This will mean that we will have to work closely with gallery and art department staff to ensure that all our work is presented in the most effective way possible in a group setting.  One of my first considerations for how I wanted my work displayed in the group show is exactly what piece I want to show and how this will fit in with the rest of the exhibition. My concept for my final piece is currently a large scale textile-based sculpture with a video projection behind. There is no obvious way to divide my work between the gallery and my other space because the different elements of the piece are all components of a single instillation, however I am currently planning to display the video instillation separately in the gallery and then again as a composite element of the instillation. I think this could be particularly effective because the film projection will be obscured and distorted when viewed as part of the instillation, however in the gallery the video can be viewed in its completeness, giving the viewer two different perspectives on it. Technical considerations will now be key as I will have to request a darkened space to project in. I want the film instillation to have a disorientating and slightly disconcerting feel so a sense of enclosure would also be useful. Sound is also an element of the work so it is important that my work is not placed near any other video instillations using sound that might lessen the impact of my piece.