Gallery visits
Over the course of this module I have tried to visit gallery and museum exhibits, to see some work in real life (all to much is viewed through a computer screen). Not only to see it displayed as it was intended (scale and medium) but also to get an idea of how curators group work together using a theme, or how they go about mixing different mediums and pieces from different cultural era's.
The following are some observations, notes & thoughts.
National Portrait Museum - Glamour of the Gods
The vintage images where displayed in a single linear format creating a time line of Hollywood portraiture. Size was fairly uniform and the strong teal walls accentuated the highly polished black and gilded frames and acted as a good canvas for the sepia and black and white tones of the images.
The whole setting added to the opulence of the images.
The standard size prints (approx 10 x 8) were well viewed from a standing position, but the modular cube seating painted in the same teal as the walls were too low and near to view from - so there was no opportunity to let the images 'soak' in.
The timeline display made it obvious the changes in portraiture over the decades and the side displays of negatives and cutting room post production sketches illustrated the attention to detail which turned hollywood stars into modern day icons - perfection on the screen.
National Portrait Gallery - General
I was unable to speak to anyone about how the gallery chooses to display the work. And there seemed to be no theme or purposeful grouping on my visit other than in the 'named exhibits' (Glamour of the Gods & BP National Portrait Competition) - but I am sure there must have been?
Works from different era's, different movements and in different mediums where mixed together, and as such I found it very difficult to take in so many pieces in one sitting - there was too much distraction and noise. The gallery is housed in a building which had lots of different 'rooms' and that did help to focus the viewer in some areas.
The two things I noted for consideration where;
Large scale pieces did not have enough room to breathe. There was not enough space for the viewer to stand back and get all the piece in frame without someone walking in-front of you and interrupting your gaze.
Wether this is intentional so one feels wholly consumed by the piece is something to consider, but I found the process unsettling; I would have liked to sit at a distance where I could consider the work as a whole, for a time, rather then a fleeting glance as other walked by.
There was a collection of celebrity portraits by different photographers. And whilst these were from different decades and varied in style and purpose, they were displayed in a uniform linear way and all housed in the same black frames with the window mounts varying in size so that the size was the same throughout.
This made a much 'quieter' viewing environment compared to other rooms in the gallery.
Coloured walls were used a lot, and sometimes this seemed to work, bringing out a common colour in different portraits for example, but in other rooms it seemed to distract and 'close the walls in'.
(walls were orange, teal, purple as well as ivory)
V&A
This is one of my favourite museums to visit, however when ever I do visit, I find myself feeling exhausted and saturated.
it is a huge collection housed over many floors and I try now to visit a small number of pre chosen collection or exhibitions so I can enjoy them over time, rather than feeling rushed. But because it is in London, I still find myself trying to 'squeeze in' as much as possible, which then explains the feeling of complete saturation of visual stimulation - and why I find it hard to remember small details.
As a popular tourist attraction is is always very busy as well, with lots of physical noise from movement and conversation, and you get a sense of being 'ushered' along by the moving line of visitors.
That said, it is still my favourite because of the wealth of disciplines on display from world wide cultures.
Their educational information and website are also amongst the best I use.
Wayne Hemmingway curates!
Silent Disco, Tate Liverpool
This has to be one of the best exhibitions I have ever visited, because of its fresh and unusual approach.
A collection of varying artists and movements sculpture and image was brought together in a discotheque themed enviroment. The walls were deep purple, the lighting was scarce and featured disco moving lights and spot lights, as well as 'Saturday night fever' inspired lit dance floor.
Visitors were encouraged to wear headphones which played dance tunes from some well known contemporary DJ's.
The music and the setting created a mood not often found in a gallery.
The people who I visited with had a mixed response - some 'older' people did not like the music and didn't understand why some one would show the works in such an opposite context to their natural environment, others found it exciting and interesting.
But it did get us discussing the show as a whole and it stuck in their minds, if nothing else, but for its originality.
Other displays at the Tate have had on ongoing impact on me, particularly a collection of work from Contemporary artists (perhaps because I was studying them at the time)
To see Du Champs 'Urinal' along side originals from Mann Ray, Picasso, Bridget Riley & Mondrian as well as work by Damien Hurst & Wolfgang Tillmans in what I described at the time as a 'mashed up' visual over load!
The walls were vibrant, something I hadn't enjoyed at the NPG, but here it seemed more fitting, there was no seating to relax and take in the work but a hectic, non geometrical layout;with no logical direction or path.
Large scale and minute were mixed side by side and lighting was harsh and seemed to be 'extra artificial'?
All the things I thought I didn't like at the NPG seemed to work in this environment with this particular collection of work.
Some installations featured neon lighting with crude slogans, but they were positioned on the same wall as more serene nautical oil paintings.
The gallery does however have a much more relaxed feel to it than some galleries, set in a converted warehouse on the docks rather than a grand 18th century building and maybe that goes someway in allowing the curators much more freedom in how they display work?
The Lowry
Nadav Kander Exhibit
Large scale works on a side corridor, well lit with natural light. The celebrity portraiture needed nothing else in it's display other than the large white walls on which it hung.
No frames, no glass, the quality of the work spoke for itself and the images were not the main attraction at the time (there was a Pop art/Warhol exhibition on at the same time) and corridor was peaceful and serene.
Some of the work I had seen at the NPG, and much preferred this smaller more intimate setting.
In summary when displaying work, not only do I have to consider the substrate on which to present it and the various presentation methods currently available, i also have to consider the scale of the work, the space in which it is to be shown, the context of the collective show and also the physical space in which people will view.
I have more research to complete before making these decisions in view of the FMP module and the end of year exhibition - and whether there are any restrictions on size (i.e. the boards on which they hang can only house a frame X big) and on wether there is any personal input into where the work will go (under a light, on the wall, in a corridor etc)
These will all impact on my final presentation method.
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