I thought I would start off with something easy... Looking at my own work from the last project, I wanted to see how the way it was displayed could alter its meaning. Obviously there's a hitch here, because I know what I would want it to mean, and meaning is really held by the audience of a work, but I think there are different ways to read things depending on the context they are put in.
The first picture shows the work as I displayed it, the second as it is displayed now in the corridor of the entrance to Fine Art. Would putting the work in a museum style perspex case, with spotlighting, change how people perceive the work, even though technically the work itself has stayed the same?
From my point of view, knowing my intentions with the work, I prefer the first option. The perspex case is very nice, but people become less interested in what's inside, because it appears as a show piece., just something else in a museum. I think the real quality of the work came from the fact that people wanted to, and could, touch the bones, they were inquisitive about which bits were real and which bits weren't. In the glass case I think they become flat, almost like a picture, because people aren't allowed to touch. It would be interesting to see what other people think.
I agree that a glass case can sometimes act as a barrier. Things in glass cases really need to have been conceived in this way for it to work well. Artists whose work takes in the concepts and conventions of the museum can make a vitrine work really well.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there is sometimes a problem of practicality in displaying in galleries. You may not want anyone to touch (or steal) your work and if there is no-one around to watch, what is the solution?
You can buy excellent non reflective glass which is almost invisible but it is very expensive.
I like that you are thinking about the possibility of people touching your work. Maybe this is something to explore for this module?
L