Activating
Research Assignment 6_ Reflective Summary
‘ … we
understand and become aware of our research activities as telling ourselves a
story about ourselves.’ (Steier, 1992)
I asked myself,
how could I produce a paper of value with something that relies on intuition
and improvisation more then anything else?
Does such a
project not rely on its uniqueness and the fact that it will not be replicated
in contrast to traditional academic research?
The curator
Matthew Higgs explains exactly my sentiments:
‘From the
outset, each project is determined by the specifics of its context. Curating
each project remains a largely intuitive act. My job – if it is a job – is to
establish an appropriate response to each situation. Consequently, each project
is different – determinedly so – and demands a distinct rationale.’ Higgs M (1999)
Conscious of precious
action time slipping away, I initiated discussions with peers and academic
friends in search of clarification of what might be expected of me. To find
more specific answers I was looking at the reflections on curatorial practice
by a series of fellow curators, but this gave me no more clear guidance for
this task. It did however reveal a distinct opportunistic aspect to all of the
journeys leading to curatorial practice including my own. A practice most
curators suddenly find themselves slipping into without truly noticing or
naming it. It is really only since the early nineties that curators around the
globe are starting to address their role in a contemporary world more in depth.
In hindsight I
think this is the question I should have asked myself for this assignment.
However with some
relieve I could identify with Donald Schön’s description of the reflective
practitioner and how professionals think in action.
‘…reflection in
action is a particular activity of professional practitioners and involves
thinking about what we are doing and reshaping action while we are doing it. In
this sense it is improvisational and relies on feeling response and
adjustment.‘
Schön likens it to
‘reflective conversation with the materials of a situation’. Schön D, (1983)
I now realise that I would like to find my own language and method that will help me to communicate and present my
practice without losing myself in the artificial pursuit of justification after
the fact.
‘To look at
one’s own practice that is reflected upon, taking on both a creative and
reflective role, in a sense creating a new research model using other models
but will inevitably have its own distinct identity’ Douglas
(1994)
Experimental
Practice Assignment 3 Reflective Journal, Summary
“The intuitive
mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have
created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift” Albert
Einstein
Why do I choose
to curate this particular exhibition?
My pragmatic
answer might be
- Opportunity
- I know, like and respect Tom Adams and
his work and would like to keep working with him before his story is lost.
- After some years of nudging, Torquay
Museum has expressed an interest.
- Because of the particular Christie
connection to the region, this is where this work belongs.
- The rise of Tom’s profile through the
exhibition will generate interest in the card pack and limited edition
print sales.
However, all of
the above is not really enough to sustain my tenacity and there are more reasons:
Alain de Botton
was recently asking the question
“Should art
really be for its own sake alone?”
“The problem is
that modern museums of art fail to tell people directly why art matters,
because modernist aesthetics (in which curators are trained) is so deeply
suspicious of any hint of an instrumental approach to culture. To have an
answer anyone could grasp as to the question of why art matters is too quickly
viewed as ‘reductive’. We have too easily swallowed the modernist idea that art
that aims to change or help or console its audience must be by definition ‘bad
art’. Hence the all-too-frequent question with which we leave the modern museum
of art.
Why should this
veneration of ambiguity continue? Why should confusion be a central aesthetic
emotion? Is an emptiness of intent on the part of an artwork really a sign of
its importance? (Alain de Botton, 20.1.2012
Guardian)
It is my believe
that one approach does not necessarily exclude the other. I do think of myself
as a facilitator and in some instances as a caretaker in the hope that my work
can benefit not only the artist or work presented but will also entice the
audience to this magical world. In collaboration with all the parties involved,
to my mind the professional curator should find the right framework,
concept/design and ambience in harmony to the work and the people behind it,
taking into consideration the social and cultural aspect and its wider
implications. I like to approach each project without preconception of trend,
status quo or artificial ‘must do’s and don’ts’ and with as much openness as is
possible within the constraints of any given project.
Dr Albert Barnes established 1922 the Barnes Foundation (Philadelphia
USA) for the purpose of "promoting the advancement of education and the
appreciation of the fine arts." Both his art collection and his educational
theories grew and changed throughout the course of his life. I do admire the
fact, that he has not allowed himself to be led or side tracked by any
conventions, fashions or critical movements of the time, but followed his
instinct and aesthetics with the most pure and passionate love for the arts and its
people and the desire to share this love. He not only acquired one of
the most beautiful collections of contemporary art but also displayed them in
the most harmonious way so that one can not be not enchanted and enticed to the
works on display, with or without art education. Not without huge controversy and to my disappointment this collection is being re-housed in May 2012, before I get
the chance to see it in its original home.
BB
 |
| Barnes Foundation left wing room |
LOCATIONB
I have found myself discussing all of these
issues on many occasions with a diverse selection of people with varying
interests and motives. I also had the chance to experiment and importantly to
observe the reactions of the audience to the different styles of exhibition
installations in the gallery. This has given me the tendency to think it to be
certainly at times, advantageous to give the audience a gentle guide to what
they might be looking at. Often this becomes a delicate judgment of balance.
Having said this, I also think it is
important to acknowledge the simple truth, that some artistic investigation can
only hope but never expect to be appreciated or understood by a casual
audience. This does not make it good or bad art. Again, surely the merit or
not, should be in its integrity and accomplished execution.
In the case of the
development of the Adams/Christie exhibition I would like to use Tom Adams’
life’s work to address a particular question:
Tom considers
himself a painter and illustrator. Throughout most of his career he suffered
from a slight disrespect for his work by his peers pointing to the fact that
many of his paintings are inspired by and commissioned for books or films. In
other words the paintings are potentially utilitarian and this makes him in the
eyes of some an illustrator and not a painter. Does this make him less of an
artist?
With this
forthcoming exhibition I would like to demonstrate that such preconceptions are
deceptive and navigate us into the wrong territory.
I observe, that
this ‘value classification’ across the professions is a particularly prominent
feature in the UK and no doubt is a sticky hangover of the class system
perceived or real. Somebody, that works with their hands is apparently somehow
of lesser value then someone who works without getting their hands dirty. An
outstanding professional crafts/draftsman/woman is still less valued in
monitory and social terms then a white collar professional in spite of the fact
that we all know that one without the other could not exist.
Then,
somewhere floating between one and the other, there is the ‘artist’. We are
never quite sure how to categorise the artist, yet, where is the artist without
his specific craft? He becomes obscure and perhaps an entertaining salon
accessory for a while. Therefore I would like to belief that to any creative
practitioner the most enduring and profound attributes would be curiosity in
all things and the desire to share the exploration into our despair and love
for the world around us, along side the never ending search for excellence in
skill and ‘draftsmanship’.
I would argue that
our appreciation should be directed to the question of integrity and
accomplishment in whatever a creative practitioner endeavors to explore and
achieve.
In my view, Tom is
not only an accomplished painter, thus having the tools to be also an
accomplished illustrator, but has taken the ‘utilitarian’ task of creating a
book cover painting to a plain not many others have ventured to go to.
His painstaking
professionalism has led him to dive deeply into the core of any of the stories
in search for ‘his imagery’ of the mystery of the story and its writer. He does
not stop there. He intimately researches every element and artefact that he is
planning to use in his paintings. It is this great care and attention to detail,
that made his cover paintings iconic. His extraordinary skill is what I would
like to celebrate.
Format of the
exhibition
Thinking about the
format for this exhibition I could go two ways:
1) Making my life easy (as there is barely a
budget for remuneration of my efforts) and showing a series of Toms more easily
obtainable original paintings together with a number of informative texts on
panels. Clean, minimal, efficient and within the budget. Nothing more appears
to be expected of me by the museum.
2) I try to tell Tom’s story in regard to his
Christie collaboration and along side endeavor to give the audience a gentle
guide in understanding this artists extraordinary accomplishment. I hope that
by embellishing the exhibition with artefacts, sketches and a short film, I will be able to create an
ambience that is in tune to the story I am proposing to tell.
Professional
pride, added value for the audience, extended audience interest in regard to
touring the exhibition, the particularity of Tom’s work, the Museum setting and
to keep myself inspired, I opt for the second version. However, this is where
it gets fairly complicated as the task gets bigger and bigger and yet even at
this stage, I can not be sure how much of my vision for the exhibition I will
be able to realise.
Progress of
acquiring the relevant works and artefacts is steady but slow. With every piece
that I am able to add to the collection the story and design of the exhibition
changes. At this point, I know I have an exhibition but the extend of it is yet
unclear. (see blog diary continued)
 |
| Tom Adams with C.E.O of Gallaghers Ireland 1969 |
Some wonderful key
pieces are dangling in front of my nose, but have as yet been unobtainable for
one reason or another.
Donald Schön’s
description of professionalism drives my conscience at this time:
“ ….the most
outstanding feature is the capacity of self-evaluation and self-improvement
through rigorous and systematic research and study of ones practice, where the
problems of practice are open to reflection and enquiry. The extended
professional then is a reflective practitioner-researcher.”
Donald Schön, (1983)
In my experience
perhaps the attribute tenacity could be added to this otherwise profound
statement.
The main reasons
for some of the issues arising in this project and in fact are presenting
difficulties in most enterprises of this kind, are highlighted by Robson in his description of a practitioner-researcher
‘…time availability and having to
acknowledge the complexity, dynamism and unpredictability of the real world.’ Robson (1993)
I belief that time
and time again a practitioner has to apply unusually high levels of tenacity,
self belief and passion to be able to secure a maximum possible outcome of any
given project.
At this stage of
the project I am confident that an interesting, enticing exhibition will emerge
from the apparent chaos.
The
minimal budget is no doubt a concern and might not allow the short film
projection to go ahead at this time. With the good will of some friends we
might be able to create the film. The mini projector ideal for the setting on
the other hand, would be a considerable investment, funds that I am not sure I
will be able to find.
Depending on the
generosity of some of the collectors abroad, I might also have to find
additional funds to pay for transport for one or two key paintings that I had
not in my sight when calculating the budget, but would like to see in the
exhibition if at all possible.
At present I am
investigating potential additional funding from the arts councils recently
published ‘strategic touring programme’.
Researching the
Arts Councils strategies behind the programme, I become aware that this exhibition
might not be an particularly appropriate candidate, however I am interested in
learning more about the distribution of the funding for other projects I have
in my vision.
Also, I have to
make a strategic decision between the relatively small amount of money I would need
and apply for in this particular instance - versus the huge amount of time and
effort that has to go into an application of this kind. I will reserve this
journey for another project yet to evolve.
Clearly this
exhibition is only in its development. It is a commitment I made just around
the time when I started the course. Living in the ‘real world’, time
limitations forced me to use the development of this exhibition in this first
module. It is crucial at this stage to plan, negotiate, investigate and of
course activate all the necessary links that will formulate the exhibition as a
whole. Personally I would have
preferred to cut my teeth on an experiment and investigation completely new to
me.
However, in many
ways every exhibition or project I develop as a creative practitioner is new
and raises unexpected questions that require innovative problem solving skills
and instant adaptation. The mystery of the unpredictable journey and meeting of
kindred spirits is what certainly drives my passion in these endeavors.
I look forward to
this August when I can present the exhibition in full and certainly hope that
it will stand up to its promise before touring onto new venues in due course.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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out of print, ISBN 0905895622
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(20.1.12) Guardian Should art really be for its own sake alone?
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(reissue 2001) An Autobiography by Agatha Christie, Harper Collins,
ISBN 9780006353287
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Agatha Christie’s secret notebooks, Harper Collins,
ISBN 9780007310579
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Carole Gray and Julian Malins (2004)
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0754635775
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