Yesterday, Rosamond and myself reached a decision on how to display my new set of drawings. After swaying back and forth between various possibilities, we have decided to present the 64 works on a shelf 1 inch in depth around the perimeter of the Nunnery’s large exhibition space. One of Madge Gill’s large scrolls will be positioned on a 6 meter long cabinet in the centre of the room.
I am really pleased with this conclusion. It will allow the viewer to experience the full materiality of my drawings as objects, rather than concealing them behind frames or perspex. There will also be a nice balance between the subtlety of my tiny works and Gill’s more direct scroll.
Obviously conservation will be a worry as the drawings will be left exposed. When I made the announcement on Twitter, curator Lucy Day tweeted: “Look good but wouldn’t survive a show or more than one. Speaking as curator with conservation in mind!”
I am pretty confident the drawings will be ok. The khadi paper is pretty robust and the space is incredibly self-contained, with an invigilator watching the work at all times and careful attention paid to environmental factors such as light and humidity.
We will have to see. There may well be a follow up blog titled “Dealing with having 64 drawings nicked.” Hopefully not!
