Yesterday I visited a few more GI exhibitions, but the highlight of the day was Gareth Moore's exhibition at the Whisky Bond. I thought it was very good for many reasons. Aesthetically, the exhibition was very cohesive with earthy, warm colours echoed throughout and some beautifully crafted pieces. There was a high-level of workmanship and skill involved in the construction of some of the pieces. I also really liked how he managed to bring the found and acquired materials together in such a way that they blended into each other quite seamlessly. For me, he succeeded in making the detritus and materials of everyday life look beautiful and opened my eyes to the variety of materials that can be found and used in the local area, yet it was also thought provoking in that it made me consider discarded/waste items as artefacts.
Probably the piece that I found most impactful was Dawn Chorus, a large wooden structure housing a number of smaller wooden structures that would hold animals at various times of the exhibition, for short intervals only. These included guinea pigs, mouse, rat, cat, dog, tortoise, snake, small dog, large dog, lizard, insects, birds, rabbit and frog. At the time I was there, there were rats in a small green box. Sitting quietly on the bench, I could just about discern the scurrying sounds coming from the box and in some ways it felt quite surreal. The experience made me really listen to the quality of the sound and consider it in a different way. I think what I liked most about that piece was that the large structure was designed so that the viewer also becomes part of the work as they entered it, and its shape echoed the smaller boxes inside. Furthermore, each box was made with attention to its function and the type of animal it would hold.
However, on a more critical note, I think the large central piece almost overpowered the whole show. I wonder if it might even work as a stand alone piece, or in a separate room. I am also not entirely easy with the idea of using animals in artworks. Although the animals would only ever be in the boxes for very short periods and viewers were asked to enter the space quietly, I guess there is still an uneasiness about the ethics of involving animals.
Probably the piece that I found most impactful was Dawn Chorus, a large wooden structure housing a number of smaller wooden structures that would hold animals at various times of the exhibition, for short intervals only. These included guinea pigs, mouse, rat, cat, dog, tortoise, snake, small dog, large dog, lizard, insects, birds, rabbit and frog. At the time I was there, there were rats in a small green box. Sitting quietly on the bench, I could just about discern the scurrying sounds coming from the box and in some ways it felt quite surreal. The experience made me really listen to the quality of the sound and consider it in a different way. I think what I liked most about that piece was that the large structure was designed so that the viewer also becomes part of the work as they entered it, and its shape echoed the smaller boxes inside. Furthermore, each box was made with attention to its function and the type of animal it would hold.
However, on a more critical note, I think the large central piece almost overpowered the whole show. I wonder if it might even work as a stand alone piece, or in a separate room. I am also not entirely easy with the idea of using animals in artworks. Although the animals would only ever be in the boxes for very short periods and viewers were asked to enter the space quietly, I guess there is still an uneasiness about the ethics of involving animals.
Finally I was really interested in the way he had given thought to the viewer's experience and the layout of the show. The normal entrance was blocked with bricks in order to divert viewers to walk thorough another smaller entrance where the first curtain work was situated. This also meant that the viewer would generally walk around exhibition in the anti-clockwise direction around the works.
I think this has opened up other considerations for my own project. If I do opt to go for a gallery type setting, there is no reason I cannot adapt the space to enhance the viewer's experience of the work or to add to the work itself.
In terms of how this show has influenced my own thinking, I am considering going down the route of creating some kind of structure that would 'house' the work, regardless of it being in a gallery or in the public, though I am thinking more of a glass or translucent structure that would allow viewers to look into and out of the work (possibly akin to Dan Graham's pavilions) so that the viewers also become part of the work. Maybe time to start sketching some ideas...
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