Known galleries - methods and considerations Flashcards
Discuss the characteristics of two exhibition spaces that you visited this year and the methods used and the considerations involved when presenting the work.
OS
Presented in The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), ‘Data Relations’ was an exhibition that ran from December 2022 - March 2023.
Data Relations brief intro
Data Relations features 4 installations, bringing together artist-led projects which wrestle with the challenges faced in a contemporary, data-driven society.
FLG OS
The second gallery space, situated in Flinders Lane Gallery, showcased their exhibition ‘Stories behind Precious Objects’ from Feb - March 2023.
FLG brief intro
As a tribute to still life, ‘Stories Behind Precious Objects’ sought to convey the beauty embedded in the simplicity of everyday objects.
ACCA entry into space
Inspired by the European kunsthalle, Data Relations contained one (rather than two) entry points to create a central route to view all works.
ACCA curator
The curator, Miriam Kelly, may have influenced the presentation of the exhibition space by liaising with both the artists and the exhibition designer (Shelley McSpedden), whilst discussing the floor plan, spacing and documentation of the artworks.
entry into space 2 ACCA
Upon entry of gallery space 1, a sterile, surgical almost futuristic scene creates an ambiguous atmosphere for the rest of the works.
Soon - presentation 1
When presenting Winnie Soon’s ‘Unerasable Characters II,’ a dystopian installation consisting of custom-designed software collating erased tweets, considerations of appropriate light levels, scale, and viewer interaction were key.
By allowing the projection to take up almost 8 m of the wall, the viewer is further encompassed by an intimidating darkness.
Soon - Presentation 2
To ensure the best possible projection quality, a mesh divider was hung between Soon’s and Mccarthy’s artwork, which contained bright fluorescent lights.
Additionally, because Soon’s installation contained an interactive physical copy of the metadata, viewers would be required to wear cotton gloves when flipping through the pages.
This ensured the pages were protected from any oils/fingerprints, further preventing the deterioration of the paper, ensuring the longevity of the work when being presented to the public.
FLG entry into space
Upon entry of FLG, a number of small, delicate plant sculptures were placed on a glass table in the front window on plinths 1.3m from the ground, along with Perspex casings to prevent damage from dust/fingerprints.
Davidson and Ackland
Both Julie Davidson’s oil painting ‘I Have Been Here Before’ and Margaret Ackland’s watercolour ‘Toile de Jouy with Poppies,’ were displayed hung on pure white walls.
This consideration was particularly effective for adequate presentation of the works as it drew the viewers attention to the work as a focal point, whilst emphasising the vast emptiness of the gallery space.
FLG - lighting
Like ACCA, appropriate lighting was also considered for the effective presentation of the works. As a result, the works were showcased under a cool-toned fluorescent LED lighting at 600 lumens, creating a striking and compelling atmosphere, whilst improving visual clarity for the viewer.
This was particularly important in the presentation of the paintings due to Flinders Lane being a commercial gallery; therefore, optical clarity is essential for viewers to clearly observe the more intricate details within the work.
