I thought It would be useful to post my exhibition proposal on to my blog, so then I can compare how much my ideas have changed from the original proposal to the finished exhibition in a later post.
Title: The Alien Bestiary
I want to utilise the whole of the gallery space, to make this an ambitious exhibition. Splitting the gallery into different sections has allowed me to focus on each area individually, allowing me to curate it with more ease instead of being overwhelmed by the amount of space available. Sectioning the gallery into different ‘zones’ also means I can be more creative with the curation of the work. Entering the gallery, the first ‘section’ is very cleanly curated, with works more finished and polished. As you go further back into the gallery it becomes more busy, cluttered and ‘haphazard’. I want to display research and developmental works in addition to more finished artwork within the exhibition, as I feel that showing this material is important; the research behind it is just as interesting to me as the work created from these collected materials. Also I feel having this information on display will help with understanding of the works I’ve created and give more depth to the project and exhibition as a whole.
Dark room: Animation playing on loop, no sound. The animation will be of the clay sculptures emerging from a mass of clay with plants ‘growing’ out of the top, an animated version of the installation inside the gallery and window space.
Section 3: Research area, use of desk with light (image attacked below gallery map) my research exhibited alongside other works created during residency. Various Natural History or nature related books in stacks around the desk. Shelves on the wall with rows of glass jars containing various objects that already exist or ones that I have made (currently collecting the jars from various sources). I want to have a research wall on the opposite side, containing photocopies from my studio, sketches, drawings, items gathered from my research. It may be a possibility that I could use objects on loan from the Potteries Museum, such as boxes of specimens from their stores, depending on if they allow me to loan items from them (in addition, will also be asking if they have empty display cases currently in storerooms that I could loan for the exhibition to display objects in). I need to build a frame to hold six microscopes that will sit above a drawing– six pocket microscopes, create a possible frame to go above the drawing to hold these in place so the audience can view the small drawings through the microscopes.
Installation: The floor based work will take up a large area of the floor space, with the clay sculptures venturing quite far away from the area into other parts of the gallery. A large mound of clay will be on the floor to form the basis of the installation, with collected plants and materials ‘growing’ out from the top. The small clay sculptures will appear to emerge from the mass of clay and move across the gallery floor.
Section 2: Objects and sculptures I’ve created around ideas of nests, natural architecture created by unknown creatures, and will be displayed in both “nooks” either side of the gallery. They may be exhibited along with some already existing objects.
Section 1: “Finished works”, drawing based pieces on opposite walls. One drawing will be placed directly onto left wall, along with 3 to 4 (possibly framed) drawings opposite, each sheet of paper is 23×28 inches. If unframed opens up ideas of connecting the drawings together, continuing drawings from the paper onto the wall.
Window space: Small installation/sculptural based work, similar to the larger installation in the gallery, smaller lumps of clay, plants growing from the lumps, interconnecting them with roots etc possibilities of it extending down into the gallery on the floor.
Possible extra location: Depending on talks with Don Steward, I am going to see if it would be possible to place one of my ‘specimens’ amongst the natural history gallery within the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery. This would be a small, inconspicuous object that initially blends in with its surrounding specimens, but isn’t quite right.
Technical requirements: Projector, help with setting this up. Installation of shelving, hanging of drawings (yet to decide if these will be framed or unframed) Creation of a frame to hold microscopes in place above a drawing, can either be flat of a desk surface of fixed to the wall depending on technical capabilities/logistics of installing and creating it.
These are two images of some of the furniture around the gallery that I feel would be of great use within my exhibition. If I am able to use them both it would be ideal, as the desk will fit perfectly with the ideas I have in mind for the third section, or “research zone” of the gallery. The glass display cabinet will also be excellent to display some of the objects in during the exhibition. I hope that I am able to use both pieces, however I can compromise and have back up plans if I cannot use them within the exhibition. If I cannot use the glass display case, I will create a plinth to display the objects on instead and just curate the objects differently. Similarly, if I cannot use the desk, I can create a makeshift desk from two A-frames that I already own, and either create a table top from pine or use a sheet of MDF as the table top surface; if I can use the desk, this makeshift table will still be included in the exhibition.
