the post degree show is down. i would estimate that approximately no-one came. no, there were a few people at the opening night – but really, just a few. and then i cajoled a couple of bemused individuals into the three shops we were using, purely on the basis that they looked in the window as they walked by. invigilating it was an eye opener and a learning experience.
the show itself was, in my opinion, extremely strong. there were interesting relationships teased out between pieces and between the work and the spaces.
however…….. the bargate shopping centre is a ghost space full of units either empty or full of games machines. there was a shakeaway quite close by. our potential audience, in terms of passing foot fall, was somewhere between disinterested, dismissive and disparaging.
how would you market such a thing? and what is the point of such a thing? to sit with work so carefully created and chosen and curated and have little response or exposure was a difficult experience for me. it made me feel slightly embarrassed, self conscious and uncomfortable.
why is art important – in the context of the last three years, it has been the be all and end all. it has been my food and water (or should i say, coffee and cigarettes), and because of that, i suppose, i had a delusion that it had some status. but it does not. and the bargate shopping centre show was a stark and blatant repositioning of contemporary art in the everyday world for me.
which is interesting, as i am currently (i should be doing it right now …….) writing an evaluation of a piece of art commissioned for the creative campus initiative, part of the cultural olympiad. the project is called “park life scripts” and involved the artist, jane kilford, spending 10 days in the parks of southampton, interacting with the park users and the space. the nature of her practice is that she interacts directly with a non art audience as well as an art audience. perhaps in those small aliquots of direct contact, she is instrumental in reducing the chasm between those in the know and those bewildered by contemporary art practice.
the “best of” show is apparently coming on nicely. due to previously arranged work commitments i am unable to be part of the curatorial process, which is frustrating me massively. however, it seems to be going well and my film has been sited in a place where a set of stairs that lead to nowhere provide the seating – i enjoy the poetry in that. our opening is on friday (tomorrow) – we have piggybacked on a couple of other peoples’ mailing lists but i am slightly unsure as to what kind of turnout we will have.
personally, i am sending my film out to anything on the arts news/ arts jobs emails that seem appropriate. it has been part of an outdoor screening festival in somerset over the last week – although i still do not know if it was actually screened! something about audience choices came into the equation and i cannot remember what i dashed out as a tag line – must try and find out. also it is included in an evening of female themed art performance/film/music in london on july 3rd. all exciting and lovely to be chosen etc etc.
but ……….. well, another day!
soooo, degree show down in the morning. although my video is going out into the world, i don’t see a time when it is going to look so well presented in the near future. it works so beautifully in the space it is in, it is sad that it is over.
with support from our lovely head of course, we take our “best of” show to some empty shop spaces in southampton town centre on monday. no time to install the cinematic delights of the degree show space so flat screen tv, dvd player (for hd footage – shame!) and headphones for sound. welcome to the real world. it is still an exciting prospect – more of a shared space so some thinking to be done about how our disparate works integrate with each other. also, the question of merchandising is in the air. we have to fund the posters and preview bar somehow so how? a group show poster is one option, using a combination of images; individual prints; originals obviously an option – pricing? all new challenges and decisions and dilemmas. lovely. other opportunities have also arisen but more of that on another day.
it is monday. for the last 2 months, every minute of every day has held some imperative – usually degree show related but also personal (placate/see/spend time with my neglected husband and boys). it is 1 30 and in one hour i will be meeting another neglected-of-late friend for coffee and feedback from the degree show last friday. but what to do in that hour? the washing is out in the summer breeze. the dog has had a walk this morning. my video is playing on endless repeat to my perfectly manicured (and most likely empty) space. i have a life list that is beyond long, so no point trying to address that right now!
and i have come to wonder. what exactly does this impending transitional time hold? we are in a liminal space, unappreciable by those not in it. the rational outlook is about money (real job starting on june 22nd), catching up with tasks and people conveniently ignored for this last while, and maintaining some sanity in the face of this change.
but really. what is this going to look like?
i have no idea but intend to represent it, its challenges, and its attendant highs, lows and in betweens in this blog.
i am a virgin blogger.
lets see how this unfolds – get involved, compare and contrast experiences, comment in any way you see fit. share.
