COLLECTIVE
“A great group exhibition, on the other hand, asks its audience to make connections. Like an orgy, it brings things together in stimulating and unpredictable combinations.”
Ralph Rugoff, (2007)
In October 2013, I was appointed Events Curator for Manchester Fashion Week, which enabled me to freely undertake two major curatorial projects as part of their upcoming fashion festival the following spring season. The two exhibitions, entitled ‘1978 Exhibition’ and ‘1978 Contemporary Art and Film Festival’ respectively, pinpointed on Manchester culture, and the promotion of works from soon to be University graduates. This document will reflect upon these two projects and while the history of curating is not the sole subject, I will touch upon my own findings, and understanding on the importance, and significance of a modern-day curator. The actual phrase ‘curator’ is much debated, and this document will aim to articulate, and offer a contemporary take on my own definition.
Curating: how do we differentiate the working aesthetic between a curator, an events manager, a designer, or does it even matter? In my opinion, it does. A curator could be seen as the visual and social glue that binds an exhibition together. Not only that but I define a curator as a collector, as a mediator, an organiser and delegator combined. Their aim – to look at works in relationship to the surrounding space, how are they presented, why, and in what context? A curator also thinks about the engagement between the viewer and the artwork, not as one individual piece, but within a collective body or group exhibition. I believe it is the viewer who is in fact the blank canvas once they have walked into a space, which when presented with art, gives them an opportunity to absorb, and it’s this notion of grasping a curator’s ideology through their process of acquiring other artist’s works, and representing them in a way that’s informative, but also interactive which has become my underlying theme. Robert Storr, American Curator and critic highlights the importance of interaction within a space, stating [2]“The exhibition-maker’s job is to arrange this encounter between people and what puzzles them in such a fashion that they will derive the maximum benefit and pleasure from it – that is, from the particularities of the work, their own uncertainty, and their innate drive to exploit to the fullest extent their own imaginative and intellectual resources- and make something out of new experience.” With interaction, allows for a person’s more inquisitive nature, and an opportunity for them use their intuition; to therefore subconsciously respond to a particular piece to find out it’s reasoning.
This being said, it was over the course of my third year of study that I was able to solely concentrate on curating as a medium, to investigate and explore the ideologies of past curators who have influenced my conceptual thinking, and molded my curatorial practice - stemming from my work during first and second year, where I would subconsciously refer back to the importance of engagement, and how well my work would be received by the viewer through various installation and film pieces. Although curating wasn’t at the forefront of my work ethos during this time, it was definitely becoming more apparent that my interests were beginning to change, and the notion of presentation, and constructing spaces to accommodate my newly formed ideals were quickly becoming the forefront in the way that I was conceptually thinking.
Looking back on pre-21st Century exhibitions, ‘When Attitude Becomes Form’ curated by the late Harald Szeemann, stands out mainly down to the context in which the exhibiting works were presented. I consider this exhibition to be a stepping-stone for the development of the exhibition theme and the introduction of a collection, which gave the curator that freedom to construct an intellectual framework, therefore creating a basis for the art pieces. Szeemann’s practice has posed a series of questions in regards to the exhibition format and the possibility of an exhibition being curated by one individual instead of a group of participating artists. At a time when speculation arising the “death of the author” was at its most prominent, he was able to break the mold, and promote the medium of singular curatorial approach. Szeemann also understood the value of a collection, which together should be presented as an accumulation of works focusing on one particular theme, in contrast to exhibition-makers prior to him, giving Szeeman the title as the first independent curator. My main concern when planning the exhibitions would be the relevance of works, and how each work flowed into the next. I pinpointed early on that I would aim to create a narrative through various mediums, but all solely concentrating on one particular theme, and it was this notion that I began to consciously refer back to Szeemann’s thought processes.
- ‘When Attitude Becomes Form’ focused heavily on the composition of works within a space.
Along with Szeemann, I took into consideration the manifestos of other renowned curators with the overall aim of gathering a varied scope on the practice, this leading on to my viewpoint of the exhibition as an occupiable space. The decision for a space to accommodate an exhibition goes hand-in-hand with the work selected. Think of an art space as being the immediate, in which the viewer first lays their eyes on, even before they begin to look at the art exhibited. My idea for both exhibitions was to transform the space into an ‘interactive playground’ for the viewer, not only in terms of the work, but how we could respond to that particular venue in the most effective way. The choice of venue would become a crucial aspect of the exhibitions, and upon finding Beehive Mill, located in Ancoats, Manchester, I had the confidence that I would be able renovate this once unoccupied cotton mill and curate an exhibition that included installation pieces that would present themselves within the space effectively. It was from reading an interview with Massimiliano Giono, who touched on the idea of his own interest in renovation, whilst also preservation of a space that I began to think about this in more depth [1]“I make use of public, private and otherwise unconventional exhibition sites for contemporary art. To adopt spaces where you still feel the presence of embedded history is compelling” this being extremely significant to my first exhibition and it’s choice of venue, due to the location in Ancoats – a center point of Manchester’s leading cotton industry in the early 20th Century, which Manchester Fashion Week used as a promotional strategy – to connect the cotton metropolis of the city with its leading fashion industry.
- 1978 Exhibition’s floor plan created using Photoshop.
As ‘1978 Contemporary Art and Film Festival’ was primarily film based, I took the decision to showcase this exhibition at Federation House, also located in central Manchester. Due to its accessibility and large occupying space at an affordable price, I also chose this particular venue because of its reflective windows that were surrounding the space. I envisioned the film projections that were being screened to also reflect outwards, and onto the windows, therefore illuminating and transforming the films into more three dimensional artworks. As the viewer entered, the artworks were almost thrust upon them in a sensual fashion, which challenged the viewer’s perception of the works as they were immediately confronted, and consequently taking the film projections from their allocated areas through the various light forms. Irene Calderoni, contemporary artist and Curator also reinforces this idea of the space and work becoming a unity in her article within the Curating Subjects anthology [1]“Another important example can be identified in the history of installation art as an artistic medium. In this case the place of the exhibition and the work of art becomes a single entity. The relationship with the surrounding architectural space assumes a new and dominant role, one in which the work invades the environment, absorbing it and modifying it according to its objectives.” In response to this, I consider Calderoni’s idea of relating work to the surrounding space to be most effective in terms of presentation. The work must sit well not only within the collection, but within the surrounding space, and if not, its reason should therefore be justified.
When formulating a theme for the exhibitions I began to look at current exhibitions across the United Kingdom. It was after visiting Gregor Muir’s ‘A Journey Through London Subculture: 1980’s to Now’ at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in September 2013 that I took the decision to delve more into conveying a cities cultural narrative. The idea that Muir came up with for the exhibition – inviting 60 established artists on the London art scene to re-present, you could say re-curate their own space within a space particularly intrigued me. Not only this, but how Muir was able to create a thread through London’s creative cultures during this process of acquiring different artists/artworks/ephemera objects, without creating any physical work himself, was a powerful statement.
- One of the 60 vitrine’s exhibited at the ‘A Journey Through London Subculture: 1980’s to Now’ curated by Tyrone Lebon, photographed by myself.
The idea of preservation was becoming a constant in my practice, whether it would be down to the choice of venue, artists included or works selected. I was interested in the notion of representing the past in a new contemporary fashion. As well as the exhibition at the ICA, I also visited other currents exhibitions that were being showcased across London and Manchester during the winter period including:
Christian Dior: Designer in Focus exhibition at the Manchester Platt Hall Gallery
One of my first gallery visits upon being accepted to work for Manchester Fashion Week. The idea was to see how exhibitions were created within this city, and what I could acquire from
each exhibition in order to better my understanding. The exhibition was a retrospective of Dior’s works from 1947 – 1957, a decade of avant-garde collections. The presentation of works was quite traditional; some smaller pieces were placed on plinths, or within a collection quite similar to the vitrines of the ICA. Dior’s most celebrated pieces were fit to perfection on mannequins situated in the middle of the rooms. I was instantly drawn to these as soon as I’d walk in, whether that’s because of the place in which they were situated, or how each mannequin was heightened due to being placed on smaller plinths, possibly to exaggerate the importance of the gowns.
‘Club to Catwalk’ at the V&A Gallery by Curator Claire Wilcox
I was keen to visit the V&A gallery to see this exhibition in particular as my underlying interest and main focus during this time was to do with the importance of fashion within street culture. The exhibition was definitely informative, acting as a timeline, and narrative, of how street style has developed throughout the past thirty years, but also the many different influences and influencers of trends. As this was primarily fashion based, the use of mannequins was quite frequent. Each mannequin flaunting a unique but prominent style that differed from one to the next, keeping the spontaneity of the works throughout the exhibition. Fashion films, segments from Fashion TV and frequent recorded videos of runway shows were also apparent.
David Chadwick’s ‘We Were All Here Once’ exhibition at the Cornerhouse Gallery
Another retrospective of an artist’ work, this time in the form of photography. David Chadwick, a celebrated documentary photographer who captured the essence of Manchester club culture in the late 70’s and 80’s was showcasing his work at the Cornerhouse Gallery in Manchester. I knew this was an opportunity not to be missed, as his work tied in well with the theme I was already beginning to formulate for my first exhibition. The photographs were presented in the café area of the gallery, and included a short print publication – mentioning Chadwick’s practice, and the relevance of photography in order to capture these ‘moments in time’ that were on display. My main concern with ‘We Were All Here Once’ was to do with the presentation. I don’t believe the work was given enough justice, and the opportunity for it to really be appreciated with it being located in the café area. Saying this, almost like my New York City film, the work was presented in a way so obviously near to the area where most of the visitors sat, that it was asking to be questioned.
An interesting aspect of the exhibition was to be the people in Chadwick’s photographs. The team at the Cornerhouse Gallery managed to track down these post-punk partygoers, and allow them to give their viewpoints on what it was like to live in Manchester during that time. It was really enlightening to read about their experiences, but also how the photographs then became representations of the individual that were no longer apparent. The notion of the individual looking back on him or herself, and commenting on the way they looked, and acted, allowed a platform for a really interesting discussion. Chadwick later commented the significance of his works within the Manchester Punk community “It filled a huge cultural gap by representing the here and now. I was thrilled to have my work included in its first exhibition and it seems absolutely fitting to revisit these images here; and it’s wonderful that we’ve also re-connected the young people captured – now in their 50s – with their images from the past.” This also, again, reaffirming that preservation as a theme is still being utilized within the standard exhibition format of today.
After visiting these galleries, I was building upon my knowledge on the importance of the role of a curator – an exhibition therefore being the physical embodiment of a curator’s abstract idea. This is how I began to distinguish each exhibition from the next, not only in terms of the theme and relation of works within that theme, but individual works selected, the choice of venue, exhibition layout, annotations of works, and the choice of online, or print publication.
It was at this point that I began to refine my idea for the theme of the exhibition. Undertaking all of the exhibition visits, documentaries that I’d watched and reading up about Manchester’s heritage, the theme that I put in place was to focus on Manchester’s “cultural aesthetic” – a term which surmised the idea of a visual narrative for a city. As I wanted the range of works exhibited to be expansive, the decision was almost made to focus on the past three decades of Manchester culture, and therefore eventually create a timeline of happenings, the success of this being brought to my attention from my visits to the ICA, Platt Hall and V&A galleries.
- Mind-map I created which highlights my initial approach to ‘1978 Exhibition’ in terms of theme, choice of venue, promotional aspects and production.
This was also reinforced after looking at Ralph Rugoff and his practice in more depth, with the underlying theme of his work also looking at subcultural development and highlighting this, which reflected upon my own interests. Rugoff, director of the Hayward Gallery in London has also been chosen to curate the Lyon Biennale in 2015. It is from my understanding that the biennale’s artistic director, Thierry Raspail, has chosen a single word for Rugoff to curate the biennale based on. Ironically, the word is ‘modern’, a theme which juxtaposes his previous focus on the “sub-cultured past”, but allows for Rugoff to channel another route. He states in his article for What Makes A Great Exhibition? On the work creating a form of dialogue throughout an exhibition, in which it is left for the viewer to interpret [1]“A truism of curating holds that the different works in a group show should engage in a dialogue with one another, but what is often neglected is the question of how your audience can engage in conversations with your exhibition. Instead of seeking to make a statement through a given show, curators would do well to remember that while an artwork may be an act of communication, their exhibitions are essentially structures for communication, as well as arenas of experience.” - This essentially leading me to the introduction of a publication for the exhibitions, which would include information on the exhibiting works, background information on artists, and to, most importantly create that connection between the artworks that some viewers may not decipher.
Through my research I also began to watch more documentaries focusing on subcultures of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s including ‘Summer of Rave’, ‘The Chemical Generation’ and ‘Brass Tanks Punk documentary’ all focusing on social and political movements that have occurred in Manchester, and throughout the United Kingdom. As I believe I have more of a photographic memory, I was able to retain more information watching the documentaries than if I would a book, or newspaper article. And during this time I managed to contact individuals within these documentaries and tell them about my ideas, who then gave me feedback.
The autobiographical account of Tony Wilson’s ownership of Factory Records, entitled ’24 Hour Party People’ was another interesting source of influence. An informative, yet comedic representation of the rise of Factory Records, its founder Tony Wilson and its most recognised venue, The Hacienda. '24 Hour Party People' is a 2002 British comedy-drama that focuses on Tony Wilson's (the protagonist) efforts of becoming a renowned musical producer after his exit from television during the 1970's. The film also touches on the relationships of the individuals who worked within Factory Records, as well as the musical acts that derived from the record company. I found this film whilst looking into 'acid house' and 'rave culture' on Google, and believed it gave me an insight, and an introduction into the music scene in Manchester during this pinnacle time.
With this newly found knowledge that I was able to build up on, I was confidant that I would be able to effectively translate my ideas to other students. I done this in the form of a 20-minute presentation at the end of my first semester, which highlighted key aspects of the upcoming exhibitions – ranging from the fundamental research undertaken by myself, promotional ideas and strategies, potential venues and contributors, possible exhibition names, and how we can, together, as a collaboration between not only University courses, but different University institutions, create credible art, fashion and music exhibitions which had depth and clarity.
- Screenshot of my Prezi interactive presentation, which I pitched to the students, using mind-maps, photographic and film media.
The production of both exhibitions was highly planned out by myself. I knew that in order for me to create a high quality event I would need to plan accordingly, to ensure that there were as few a mishaps as possible, but as this was my first time sole curating, I understood that I would face setbacks. I therefore made it my priority to ensure that constant meetings were taking place throughout the second semester and leading up to both exhibitions, as it is vital that a conversation was constant between the students taking part, and myself, to ensure that a healthy working progression was taking place.
- A screenshot of the Facebook group titled ‘Manchester Exhibition’
Having at this point extensively researched the importance of street culture within music and fashion, as well as visiting exhibitions such as ‘A Journey Through London Subculture: 1980s to Now’ which included coverage of punk and post-punk runway shows and music videos, I decided that I would include both live music, and an informal fashion presentation which I teamed up with Pop Boutique, Manchester who sourced the clothing. The aim would be to highlight the styles and trends that derived from these subcultures whilst having the models interact with the visiting members. The inclusion of live musical performances gave the exhibition another dimension, not solely focusing on contemporary art, but including Manchester music which overall covered a larger audience. I began to think about how I could take aspects of the exhibition, and combine them with elements from editorial fashion shows, or music videos, to inform the viewer of these trends in a more enthusiastic manner. I also looked at the work of Nick Knight, Director of SHOWstudio.com who is renowned in fashion photography and film, and fashion shows promote the interaction between the models and their audience.
I already had an instinctive to use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram to keep people up to date on myself, and the students’ progress. Twitter – being the more useful social media website (with @1978Exhibition now having over 500 followers), I have been able to connect with people in the surrounding Manchester area, who have later visited the exhibitions. Using social media, and realising the benefits of using such tools, I then decided the exhibitions would each have their own website, including artist
profiles, documentation of each artists’ previous work, information on the exhibitions and vital contact details, altogether creating a place to go if people wanted to find out more about 1978. The websites were both created using the Wix free website builder, and having now completed both exhibitions, I was now able to add a page which gave an overview of the exhibition, photographs of the works and peoples’ comments.
My final submission is in the form of an archival exhibition, highlighting the different processes of both ‘1978 Exhibition’ and ‘1978 Contemporary Art and Film Festival’ – which in effect questions the role of the object, planning, marketing and overall presentation. I took the decision to curate a smaller exhibition within the degree show as I believe not only was it the most appropriate manner of articulating my practice, but sticking with my underlying theme of interaction, to inform the viewer on the journey which I have undertaken whilst still keeping the viewer enticed through various approaches.
From curating these two exhibitions I have gained a wider understanding into the logistics of planning, and communication within a collective group, which I have developed through a series of different approaches in my practice. Firstly, identifying a constant need in conversation that at first was lacking with myself, and the students involved, and was quickly resolved through meetings, which I then planned each week throughout both semesters. As well as this, an awareness of venue location in perspective to the accessibility of visitors within a city - my time and cost management, as working towards deadlines and budget restrains was a constant whilst curating these exhibitions, and finally, the development of an exhibition theme, which overall is the most fundamental aspect, and which to organically evolve from an initial idea to an exhibition where the viewers leave feeling fulfilled.
Overall, the two exhibitions that I curated were highly successful, gaining a wide range of responses from the Manchester community, and therefore facilitating a conversation on the importance of preserving cultural anthropology, ironically with a city considered to be at the forefront of a developing contemporary heritage. My interest in the preservation of subcultures will continue, and I aim to incorporate, but develop this theme in later projects. The combination of articulating past and present culture is very much the discussion of now, and with an exhibition being the platform in which we can continue to highlight these cultural practice’s, I feel that it is an exciting time to be a Curator.
