its a bit messy towards the end but this will be edited and improved greatly before january hand in date :) this is y first moc please be kind with your comments lol cheers
Visual and Cultural Theory: Assignment One
Review of the curation of an exhibition
‘Power of Making’ at the V&A museum is an exhibition that focuses on craft skills and techniques. These key aspects are the focus of the way the exhibition has been curated. The exhibition includes a diverse range of crafts and the curator has tried to communicate the accomplishments of craftsmanship and also the expertise in the pieces in order to give the viewer an experience of admiration for the techniques and processes used in the pieces. In this essay/review I will be questioning the impact of the curators techniques, looking at how the curator interprets the work, the technologies used and how they impact on the experience of the exhibition.
The curator of the ‘Power of Making’ exhibition, Daniel Charny, has united many global items into a gallery space which seems to be undersized and going against traditional 21st Century exhibitions where the pieces are side by side or have single wall space. Therefore, this has influence on the exhibition because it prevents the viewer from relating the exhibition or its pieces to traditional gallery spaces of the more conceptual type. There are large 3D sculptural pieces and manikins in the centre of the floor space, as soon as you enter the room you are surrounded by many different pieces which overwhelm you. The pieces seem cluttered on the walls and floor space forcing the viewer to look at the pieces all at once and as a group. All of these different factors are taking the viewer away from a conventional gallery space.
The lighting in the room has been used to create a lot of shadow and the walls have been painted grey which forms a dingy kind of atmosphere. The glass cases in which the items were placed are held up by large steel rods which reminds us of raw materials and mechanics linking back to the craft theme. The way the exhibition was put together changes your perception of the pieces. The layout forces you to explore the pieces altogether rather than going in a clockwise direction. This approach of interpretation for the gallery pieces is impressive, the grey walls, black iron and glass displays add to the dingy effect, this exhibition does not feel like a gallery it gives the impression as if you were in a factory work place.
The exhibition uses many different technologies of display within the exhibition. There are many glass display cases used to display the smaller more delicate pieces and also in the centre to display some of the manikins. The smaller cases are held closer to the viewer with the use of steel rods enabling you to get a closer look and possibly elaborating the finer details. Lots of the pieces are held onto the walls hanging or on stands in a geometric yet cluttered style. There are also a number of video representations for different pieces, some use projectors and are projected straight onto the grey gallery walls while other pieces will have a monitor standing next to them enabling you to examine the details of the piece while experiencing the video.
The captions are all matching white card explaining the pieces but in this exhibition the descriptions are very factual and to the point. They explain what it is, how it’s made and its use all in factual information. There are also other large captions mounted around the exhibit. These are all matching with the same style title font so the viewer knows the are to be considered together. These larger captions give you information on craftsmanship and design processes again linking back to the theme but also making the viewer start looking for this information in the pieces and start making you look at the pieces in this manner.
The exhibition that the curator has put together has a certain kind of impact, if it was laid out differently such as each item in a different room or spaced out from each other we would see the items mostly for what their use is and maybe the people who would use it. The pieces would be viewed in a different light because these items are united in this one room and we can see what they have in common which is the process of creation and craft skill being emphasised. As you walk into the exhibition the pieces don’t seem to fit together, shotguns and representations of plastic surgery are exhibited together in the same glass case, alongside manikins and huge 3D sculptures. However, when you start to look around you can notice that all of these items have gone through the process of design and craft which moves them away from their differences and they become united. The fact that the curator has characterised all the items into one room we see a relation between all the pieces, changing our perspective and forcing us to examine how they were made. Daniel Charny has curated a pattern in the room between the pieces forcing us to look more closely at the design, craft and skills used to create the various forms.
Daniel Charny, who has curated the exhibition, quotes “We aim to show how the act
of making in its various forms, from human expression to practical problem solving,
unites us globally. ” [1] I think this relates strongly to my findings, this exhibition is intended to relate these items as forms of skill and craftsmanship. The chosen display techniques, technologies of display, captions and layout are intended to give us a more factual approach enjoying the process of design and the viewer is in awe of the different crafts that are being presented. The way the materials are formed, put together and the technologies that man has created are all key aspects of the exhibition. It is a global celebration of our accomplishments as man. This exhibition looks at craft in a very professional way and this approach reflects on the work accordingly. You are left in awe of designs and inspired but also proud of what man has created. The focus is very much the power of making and this shines through in every way I have evaluated, even the catalogue is craft orientated.
The curator is pushing a (cannon?) in this exhibition, he intends for this group of pieces to be seen as masterpieces of each of their craft skills, we are intended to look at the pieces in admiration of the skills and processes used to create them.
The atmosphere the curator has formed, is one which goes well with the actual theme of the exhibition as the viewer is able to experience.
The result experience of this exhibition is one which makes you look at the craft skills and materials that were used in order to create the objects. We admire the skill and craft that was used.
We don’t see the concept at first in the pieces
