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The group advertised for creatives
to submit a nominated artwork they would like to see shown in
an exhibition context. This call for nominations was placed across
several North-East based mailing lists, and on the University
of Huddersfield's design and research mailing lists. The project
received over 30 submissions, containing a broad spectrum of
work in a diverse range of media.
At this stage, the venue had been confirmed as The Media Centre,
in central Huddersfield, and the entire group had seen the gallery
space. Details about the space had been collected, such as dimensions,
lighting spec, etc and a rough timeline mapped out, sketching
out a draft plan for the projects timescale.
The process of selecting work took place in a series of two-hour
sessions, spread over six weeks. It was intended that the submissions
should imply starting points for the thematic direction of the
project, and no preconceived ideas were brought to the table.
The preliminary sessions focussed on curation in
general. The group discussed different methods and approaches,
considering curation in a variety of different contexts. We were
interested to see what emerged from this unique approach; how
would the artworks nominated reveal a curatorial premise? The
group laid out all the nominations on slips of paper, and began
separating them out into categories. At first the categories
were simple, defined by the production method of the work; website,
advert, installation, interactive media work, product, game,
animation and photography. (See table below for nominees and
categories).
Some of the initial questions asked at this stage were:
- What parameters does the venue dictate in terms
of selecting suitable works?
- How important is the process of open discussion
to curation?
- In what ways can the location, architecture
and creative objectives of the venue itself contribute to the
selection process?
- Is there a responsibility for the curator to
frame and interpret the artworks, ensuring the exhibition is
accessible to all who visit it?
The group laid out all the nominations on slips
of paper, and began separating them out into categories. At first
the categories were simple, defined by the production method
of the work; website, advert, installation, interactive media
work, product, game, animation and photography.
See Table of Nominations
Over the sessions the categories of separation became more definitive,
driven by the groups discussion and perspectives at that given
point. It was emphasised that exploration took precedence over
determination, removing the tendency to grasp at works of personal
interest and hold on to them as choices instead of allowing a
natural selection to emerge.
The categorisation of situation/location raised lots of questions
and interest, and was sub categorised as below:
Ownership of space, challenging space, control of space, distortion
of space, moving through space, seizure of space, trespassing,
laying claim to space, network space, voiced space, local and
global space.
From these final sub categories, the idea of local
and global sharing emerged, laying the foundations for If
Elsewhere.
Overall,
the group defined their own learning experience through continually
challenging and questioning decisions and outcomes. Much thematic
ground was covered, creating a shared understanding of the project
and the selected works, and a solid foundation upon which to
base future practices.
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