Readings
Show and Tell
When working with AR as our own creative construct, I think it is important to understand the importance of curation in exhibitions, as we will work in conjunction with these institutions. I agree with this text, with the idea that creating an exhibition is creating a unique environment for different artworks to exist in, and create a special meaning which can only be experienced under that certain construction. This is entirely based on the thematics that the curator wishes to weave throughout the exhibition, not on the artwork’s chronology.
I believe that the quality comes down to the curator’s own expertise, however, as viewers we can also create our own perspectives as we wish. At the end of the day, we must trust the curation process as the curator is using specific artworks to create a playlist. Every song is up to our individual enjoyment but the “playlist” will follow a certain theme or feeling that is attempting to be felt. However, in this creation, the curator must always pay attention to not destroying the original meaning of each artwork in order to not hurt the original artist’s efforts to portray their own individual ideals.
The curator must use their knowledge, not their opinion, in order to provide unique information without obscuring any possible perspective that may be reached. One claim made by this text is that anything that supplants is art’s nemesis. However, I’m not sure I exactly agree with this statement. If any supplementary material will end up impeding the actual experience of enjoying the art, then why are we creating AR applications for museums throughout Berlin? I believe that it does not come down to the intentions of the creator of the supplementary material, but rather their expertise in designing information that will inform, yet also entice any visitors to the exhibition to further immerse themselves in the realities of the artwork.
One important idea expressed by this text is the idea that exhibitions cannot be constructed as a place of conclusion. They must let the artwork speak for itself and not impose any ideals that override the art’s original intentions. I fully agree with this statement as every exhibition must allow for every visitor to form their personal perspective in conjunction with the original intention of the artist. The curator must act as a intermediary actor of designing the art in order to be more understood, not creating their own meaning or imposing an individualistic opinion.
In this way, meaning can be expanded and perspectives can be created. The exhibition simply acts as a space where the consumption of art is transformed into an enjoyable process.
What is an Exhibition?
- “an organized presentation of a selection of items to a public”
I don’t agree with the idea that the exhibition should be a form of arguments arranged by a curator. There should be a theme, and a flow of ideas throughout the exhibition, but a form of arguments invites too much contradiction. The exhibition cannot question itself or it invites too much imposure.
It must present ideas, however leave them open ended to the intention of the original artists as well as an adaptability to be molded to the perspectives of the visitors. After all, most of the enjoyability of art is about the experience of viewing itself, not the digestion of random facts.
The curator must adjust to the content of its artwork. If the exhibition contains artwork that is informative, then let things be informative, but there cannot be the addition of opinions. The curator must challenge against already adopted empiricism, to avoid too many conclusions. The exhibition is a place of development of ideas, not the exposure of ideas that cannot be further developed. Rigidity is the death of the exhibition.
There is certainly a paradox in the construction of exhibitions, the providing of perspective and thematics without employing concrete ideas that impede the expression of every artist’s work and the understanding of the viewer. With the expertise of the curator, they must understand their position as a designer of experience, not a creator of ideas. In this way, the canon of exhibition can be achieved.
Humboldt Foyer
Planning Outline
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