As part of my 2nd Year Fine Art course we were tasked with setting up a Pop-Up Exhibition, this meant bringing in any already completed work and then joining forces in groups of five or six to set up the work in the studio space. Sounds simple but there was no discussion beforehand as to who was going to be in what group and what work anyone was bringing in, this meant consideration as to how a random selection of art would work together and working with people that potentially all had different ideas about how things could work together and look once displayed.
In short the brief was follows.
Stage 1
Bring in some artwork to install as a part of a 1-day pop up/ pin up show. This work needs to be relatively easy to install and ideally fixed using temporary methods. If your work is too big, bulky or difficult to install then bring in some documentation of it e.g. a computer printout. In small groups (of about 5 students) you will install the work or documentation in an area of the studio.
Stage 2
In your groups discuss the themes and methods from the works that you have brought in. Are there any commonalities?
Stage 3
Imagine this was an exhibition in a venue where the public could see it. Start to consider and discuss what workshops or events could run alongside the exhibition to engage with the public. These events are often designed to demystify the work and help communities to connect with the arts.
The Pop-Up Show
I teamed up with Freya, Catherine, Rebecca, Joel and Zoë. We all knew each other but we were also near each other in the studio space, it was that simple. The job now was to complete Stage 1 of the brief and display the work. This wasn't just a case of sticking it on the wall, how each piece worked alongside other pieces had to carefully considered. What worked next to each other, what needed to be kept apart, should some be hung, placed or put on a plinth to raise them to a suitable viewing height. Also how does it look from a selection of angles and what are the boundaries of the exhibition space, we were just in the middle of a studio, so we had to decide what the parameters were to decide the journey somebody would have viewing the work.
We had quite a varied selection of work, as shown above, free standing sculpture, portraits, hangings and one of my aluminium Braille pieces. It did take quite a while to arrange and fine tune the positioning of each piece. Then it was just a case of temporarily fixing them up. Once this was done we discussed as a group Stages 2 and 3 and the idea of extending the exhibition as requested in the brief.
The Workshop
Fortunately we discussed options and agreed a direction for extending the engagement with our show on the day as the nature of this unit is very disjointed and with people not being in as much as usual we felt it was crucial to get things set in stone before dispersing.
We decided on an activity that was based on a common theme coming out of our show - Contemplation. There were several pieces that we felt had the feeling of contemplation or thoughtfulness, whether this was in the actual piece looking out at you or the way you need to engage with the work. The dictionary definition is:
con·tem·pla·tion | \ ˌkän-təm-ˈplā-shən , -ˌtem- \
Definition of contemplation
1a: concentration on spiritual things as a form of private devotion
b: a state of mystical awareness of God's being
2: an act of considering with attention : STUDY made the decision after much contemplation
3: the act of regarding steadily was lost in quiet contemplation of the scene
4: INTENTION, EXPECTATION"A considerable crime is in contemplation."— Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contemplation)
On this basis I wrote up a brief after discussing options that would allow an element of contemplation at the same time as creation. I proposed and it was agreed that we would have a selection of items to create something with and in the act of creating for the participants to record their thoughts that could then be put with the work if desired. The full brief is here:
BA2b Workshop for Monday 10th May, 2021
‘Exhibition adjuncts’ – Workshop
Our Pop-up show had a common theme of contemplation and for this workshop we would like you to consider your thoughts while you are creating from the materials supplied.
There is no theme for the creation but we would like you to document what comes to mind while you are making and creating, please note these down in a list on sheet of paper so you can refer to them later and develop as detailed in Stage 2.
‘Contemplation’ Workshop Brief
Stage 1
In the 6 containers are a variety of objects, each labelled 1 - 6.
You will be asked to choose 3 cards from the 6 over-turned ones, you can then use anything from the corresponding numbered containers.
These items can then be used to make a sculpture, print from and with, use as reference for a still life, as either a drawing painting or a photograph. You might consider making an intervention in this space or another or using them as part of a performance. There are no limits. Be spontaneous.
Don’t forget to write down your thoughts while you are creating. These can be random words, lists or anything that comes to mind.
Stage 2
Document your work however you wish and then consider how you could develop this on to further work or ideas. Refer back to the list of thoughts you wrote down while you were creating and use these for inspiration in creating further work, possibly connecting the words you recorded as text with images of your creations.
This also meant that everybody could bring in items and material, that didn't necessarily have to but it would be a good connection, linked to the work on show. Through a variety communications - email, WhatsApp and Messenger we all managed to collect a good variety of material; string, wool, wire, twigs, cardboard, paper, feathers, plastic, foam, polystyrene, strimmer wire, etc. These were then divided up into the 6 containers and numbered. Corresponding numbers were produced on cards that you chose from to give you the containers that you could delve into.
We also created a Risk Assessment form as there were some issues with some of the materials but also bearing Covid in mind we had to make sure contact was controlled and everybody was safe under the uni guidelines. Joel put this together so this was another aspect taken care of.
One part of the brief gave the participants the option to print using ink either with or on the other items. With this in mind and some of the other tools and elements we set up a table that had all this together, thank you Catherine for organising this element and supplying everything.
We had moved into the MA Base Room to give us the space to not only set this Workshop up but to also interact with the other groups activities. Had Covid not been a thing this would have meant so much more interaction. As it was we had plenty of takers and creators, which was great to see but also see the enthusiasm that they went about their creating. The results of their work were really quite something, with some great responses. Even Desmond took up the challenge and pitched in.
On reflection I am not sure how many of the participants took up the challenge of recording their thoughts for later use? Had the session been longer with further groups coming through we could have reminded people of this aspect, we wouldn't want to enforce it but remind everybody as to how they can extend their involvement and give themselves options and directions to develop their work, rather than just making it a workshop to create, it was devised for people to take things further, engage more.
While everyone was involved in the activity it gave us a chance to take it turns to participate in the other groups workshops and extensions to their shows. Some really good activities and ideas were on show within our three groups.
Clara, Olivia and Abbey were asking people to draw portraits without looking at the paper - automatic drawing. It is quite amazing what your hand and brain can do without your eyes correcting things. Everyone who did it still managed to make a recognisable character of the person they were drawing.
Catherine.
Joel
Brad and Molly were the only ones from their group but they had created a zine that detailed their work and each person had not only written about why they had created their piece as they had but also wrote a task for anyone to take on and do in their own time. I have kept a copy with the intention of doing at least one of them!