Presentation and Exhibition Research

Throughout this project I have done a lot of research on theories, concepts, artist's works and projects and what the represent etc. However, it has come to the time where I need to understand how these works are presented in order to create the desired reaction from an audience.
I understand a viewer cannot be controlled in what they see, however I do believe that the way a project is presented can guide them to the meaning that was formed by the artist. If a viewer still doesn't understand or takes something different from this then it's no issue as the way we interpret things is so deep set in our minds, influenced by our backgrounds and what we've been through, however if you don't present it in a way that makes the essence of the work stronger, I don't think the project or work is completed to its full extent.

Within this post I'll be exploring the way artists that I admire present their work within an exhibition space in order to create the best outcome for the viewer.

Firstly, i'll start with Dragana Jurissic. I've done research on her work before, which you can find here. Jurisic's work consists of a number of different elements, including prints, polaroids and notebooks.

Key Points

• Everything is really open to reduce overwhelming a viewer
• Polaroids are displayed separately in glass table cabinets 
• Notebooks are hung on the wall. In one of the images they're in the corner of the wall making for a new and interesting way of presenting work that will engage a viewer while also feeling close and personal due to no longer being right in the open
• Her different chapters of her work is split into sections across the room
• Different sizes of prints and different gaps between them engage a viewer's mind rather than letting them just skim past
• Projector is there to show one of the chapters, meaning there's many mediums to keep a viewer busy
• Her prints fill up most, if not all of the frame in order to immerse a viewer.

Next i'll be looking at the exhibitions of Francesca Woodman, who I have also researched (found here) artistically.  I have found Woodman to be a large influence within my recent work and so this will be interesting to see how her work has been presented.

Key Points

• Usually, everything is very simply presented - in straight lines and perfect grids. This perfection contrasts greatly to the subject and meaning behind the images which perhaps creates a balance
• The images are very small within the frame. This means a viewer has to get close to see the images and its contents, creating an intimacy between Woodman as the subject and the viewer. When stepped back, however, it creates a distance between the two.
• The size also forces a viewer to move and walk around and interact with the work
• In some cases, portrait and landscape frames are places next to each other instead of a universal square frame. This difference creates a break to the eye and allows the viewer to re-engage. 
• Everything is very clean and open, which adds to the feeling of being distant from the images when you walk in.

Thirdly, I'll be looking at the exhibitions of Kirsty Mitchell (research here). Mitchell is my favourite photographer and was a huge influence on the birth of my own idea for this project. My work has evolved quite a lot since then, however I think her exhibition at the Fotografiska gallery in Stolkholm may be my favourite i've ever seen, and so perhaps I could take inspiration from this.

Key Points

• The black walls with little lighting (apart from spotlights of the work) makes for a very mysterious and atmospheric feeling to the rooms
• Some of the images are backlit, making them pop and be the only light in the room, drawing a viewer towards them
• There's a huge range of sizes, from covering a whole wall to postcard size looking prints - this creates a balance and an interesting display to look at because the mind has to adjust and take everything in individually.
• She shows artefacts and props from her shoots in display cases, giving a more hands on approach to the exhibition while also allowing a viewer to appreciate the effort that has gone into the photos
• Most of the images seem to be sorted into colour. Wonderland has hundreds of images within it and I think this is a really good way of organising the work because it all appears smooth for the mind and eye to follow, rather than creating a distracting clash of colour.
• The images don't just go around one room, there are walls in the middle of the room that a viewer has to walk around and interact with in order to see the full exhibition. There are also many rooms to be explored.

Next, i'll be looking at the work of Claude Cahun. While visually different, I feel that conceptually the work of Cahun is relatiely similar to my project.

Key Points

• Very open in order to create almost a blank canvas, and so the viewer doesn't get distracted 
• Often very formally and simply displayed, this uniformity will be easy on the eye
• The images appear rather small in the frame, again to create an intimacy between the viewer and the subject (Cahun) within the images.
• The black frames encloses the images within the space of the frame. A white frame would make the images look more open, however using a black one creates a border and it feels more restrained, as if the image and it's contents only belong within the image.
• Sometimes the size of the image differs, however the frames are usually the same size. This creates a uniformity easy on the eye while also creating a change to engage a viewer.

I've also been looking at how Joanna Piotrowska has her work displayed. 

Key points

• The use of coloured frames is different and interesting. The colours don't throw off the overall display because the colours have been chosen incredibly carefully, and seem to bounce off other things in the room such as the carpet. These frames make the whole room feel like the exhibit rather than just the images by tying it all together
• A lot of the space is very empty, making the viewer feel very isolated
• She uses both projected film and photography to give a more dynamic and varied experience
• The images completely fill the frame, allowing you to inspect every element with ease and having a different form of intimacy with the image.
• There are lots of different sizes, orientations, and spaces between images that some works feel separate from others which allows for a viewer to think of multiple narratives for different pieces rather than thinking of the whole show as a whole.

Overall I think that there's a lot of ways that I could present my work. While a lot of these seem similar, they do all have their differences depending on what suits the work better. I now have to figure out what images portray the message of this project best and which way of presenting them is going to spread that to a higher level. 

A lot of these artists have a lot more space than i'll have access to, however I can use what I have seen as inspiration in most of the other areas.

I chose to look at artists that I either admire or have similar concepts and cores to their imagery in order to get this inspiration, however it can really be sources from anywhere.