Thursday 15 October 2009

This is an "art exhibition"



Tuesday and Wednesday, Libby, Michelle and I had been hanging out in the coffee area of our department to wait for people to drop by with some objects for the Home is... project.

So, over a number of hours, we sat around, organised, discussed and curated an emerging exhibition. We talked about the use of this weird space that is the communal space in our department, we talked about our contributions and what other people brought, we talked about what we may do with this in the Viewing event next Tuesday.

We also arranged the room differently, turned the table around, moved the chairs around, left a sheet of paper with Names, Titles and media to be added.

When we came back, the 'catalogue' had disappeared, the chairs where back in line and of course, the cleaners had done their work as usual.

So, we rearranged, wrote a note, asking for contributions from the cleaners and asked not to move the furniture.



The note was titled:

This is an "art exhibition"

While for Michelle and myself, it's an art exhibition, Libby insists on an "art exhibition". How intriguing: surveying, measuring and filling the space between research and art. And how the three of us fill it very differently:


  • Proposing to hang the pieces either with Bluetak, on board/behind glass or by spirit level and measure tape.
  • Inviting people to give titles to their objects or not.
  • Wanting to record responses in a variety of ways.

What we do is familiar to all of us, for Libby and myself as part of explorative research methods, for Michelle and I as part of an art exhibition.

I am so curious what our colleagues are making of this - but going by the contributions and various emails en lieu of object contributions, next week's event is looking very promising. Both as "art exhibition" and art exhibition.

3 comments:

Yellow said...

This is fascinating, and very exciting. God bless cleaners, eh! Did they leave your changes untouched after your note?

Gesa said...

Isn't it?! - Unfortunately, our notes and objects were still moved (though the furniture stayed where it was)... I'll find out what happened this morning later :)

Chris Bellinger said...

Hope you get everything back,this is sounding very Fine art do not forget to take photos and document I am sure the idea is working well and the idea becomes the event!
They will be interested in concept....