(Bad photo of) drawing of proposed outpost additions.
Collaborators reading & harvesting the first round of responses for roomsheets.
One example of the conversations that sprout up on the Contemporary Art Mobile Response Unit.
An audible silent response.
Self authored info panel.
Hi all,
we had a power meeting this morning with just 1 hour and the three of us available: Sian, Paula and myself (Liz).
It focused on three main things:
*How to modify the outposts so they can function better as a display for the responses generated in their respective galleries (with view to keeping the responses site specific). We now pose to you that: wires are attatched to the outposts and the mini bulldog clips we are using on the wall down stairs are attatched to the end of the wires for attatching the resposes. Concrete cinder blocks are also suggested - strapped on with the kind of blue tape you see around bundles of newspapers - for raising the height of the outposts - logic - temporary/functional/building site.
We want to get this done ASAP so please lodge your opinions now!!!
*Catalogue inserts: we had a chat about this but Paula has made a posting about it already, so see below: 'what to do with written feedback - catalogue' for that discussion. Additional comments included "that would be like slipping someone a note" and "nice and random".
*Managing distance: how can Andie, Mel and soon Tom contribute to the creative decision making process from their ends and avoid being relegated to the function of 'rubber stamping' decisions that Wellington members make?
We talked about the time-delay involved in making decisions (see above) and discussed the possibility of making calls for the group in peoples absence: when is this appropriate and when is this not? and the need for members to initiate potential new ideas for current and new projects from their end: see Andie's new post below for pre-emptive movement on that front!!
THEN:
We went next door to the city gallery and took away all of the responses (off the wall and the trolley) that had been around for a while (with help from an attentive gallery host) and Sian now has them to document. Since that meeting I have contacted Tom and Mel, fielded their (positive) reactions to the alternative roomsheet idea. We should be on task to collate responses into seperate piles for each work, and send them out to all us talented writers to collate compile and draft up an incorporative collective take on an alternative room sheet for situating next to Heather's.
This is going to be a creative challenge i rekon, so lets share methodologies in a similar way to the process we went through when making the flowcharts.
xxliz
8 comments:
ahh - forgot to mention that one of the hosts has suggested that we restock our trolley with post-its as it's their observation that the post-its are the material that is most popular with the public. I will send an email to city gal and enquire whether we have any money from the sale of our pencils to cover that potential cost & my question is do we need to stay with post-its???
do you think we might be able to get visitors to write on the walls instead? like what we did at Enjoy during every now and then? After all they let Lonnie Hutchinson do it!
post its are good becasue they are coloured. I reckon as long as we get something coloured it should be just as good.
I'm personally not keen on writin gon the wall just ebcasue it seems like a totally different feel to the proejct? I like how the notes are transferable and movable....they feel transitory whereas writing on the wall feels like something which stays there and then is covered up at the end.
Here is some response collationary reportage that Sian and I have been working on for Popcorn Mountain:
Popcorn Mountain by Steve Carr has elicited the most responses of any single artwork in the Prospect show. From 34 responses which have been collected by TAC and collated so far;
23.52% wanted to eat the popcorn
8.82% of respondents ate a piece of popcorn.
2.94% chastised the popcorn munchers
29.4% wanted to climb into or play with the popcorn
2.94% thought that after their experience of ‘Popcorn Mountain’ the wood under their car should also be counted as art.
11.76% had praisetory olfactory responses (enjoyed the smell)
2.94% had condemnatory olfactory responses (did not enjoy the smell)
Note on living in the shadow of the popcorn mountain:
2.94% loved the sausages on sticks
Currently the Contemporary Art Mobile Response Unit (CAMRU) has received no responses to Steve Carr’s video work ‘Cigarette Tree’
From this information, TAC concludes that ‘Popcorn Mountain’ is a work to which people have strong physical and emotional responses. Notably, it has been elliciting desires to get naked and disturb in its pyrimidal perfection, to kick it, eat it, and has ultimately been teasing its audience who are sweating out the viewing restraint required to comply with the institutional directive - DONT TOUCH!
CAMRU would also like to report that Popcorn has provoked the following challenges and questions; “Why not a chocolate mountain? MMMMMMMMMMMMM chocki; I think a pebble mountain should be next; Put the fan in front of the popcorn! Much more fun!; How many incestuous links can you see in a blink of an eye? Gonzales Torres?? Does not know of his work? Popcorn shit - a cup of corn -jokes – one line.”
By using an everyday and emotive material, Steve Carr has created a work which respondents feel a connection and sense of ownership over, to the extent that they want to eat the artwork. This is uncommon in the gallery setting, and leads us to conclude that Carr has created a true work for the people.
The Association of Collaboration invites you to contribute to the ongoing dialogue around the art in the Prospect show through their artwork the Contemporary Art Mobile Response Unit. This large orange trolley and its home base wall provides a place for your responses to be viewed alongside the work that ellicited them.
so what do you think of this approach guys? comment away please everyone - this is not a format that everyone else should follow necesarilly, but one that seemed to work best with the particular material garnered from steve carrs work - we are working on a flow chart pastiche for the responses garnered about CAMRU - stay tuned!!!
Here's my collation of comments. Feedback ahoy!
Ooooh, look at the pretty colours…..I don’t understand!
Prospect 2007 has engendered a fair amount of negative response from the public. The Contemporary Art Mobile Response Unit has of course become a repository for many of the questions, confusions, and straight out abuse that some gallery goers have expressed after perusing the show.
There are many who came away from the show feeling disillusioned about the state of contemporary art in New Zealand.
-I should have gone and eaten something before I saw the show – felt brain dead, divorced from reality, starved to distraction and slightly fucking demented – and then I realized, so was the art! Where has all the talent gone?’
Confusion reigned for a number of gallery-goers who also felt distanced from the work and suffered a total lack of engagement, stimulation and excitement from the works in Prospect. Comments included:
-I don’t find this very exciting
-Someone is taking the piss!
-Where is the art?
-What a load of pretentious bollocks!
-Not sure about modern art
-None of this is real art!
-Go home art fags, nothing to see here
-I hope that unicorn die
-I’m not sure what all of this means………..
Some felt alienated from the art works themselves, and targeted the artists’ lack of creativity, intuition, amongst other things.
I am really into art work but seeing what is displayed in this room really disappoints me. I don’t see any of the following is these art works:
1. feeling 6. new work
2. theme 7. modernism
3. character 8. story
4. culture 9. history
5. theatrical 10. life
For others, it was fault of gallery, the curator and others who work within the gallery system that resulted in a complete lack of engagement with show. Some comments were quite vehement and abusive, while others were much more sedate in tone.
-The most perfect chance to explore the hidden artist’s work and kick the curatorial habits the curb. Maybe next time.
-WELLINGTON CITY GALLERY: Where is the caring? Where is the involvement of the common person? The hot dog stand rocks my world. I am now devoting more the five minutes of my precious scribble to it. This art is very successful. I actually care. Well done.
However, the most common response that has been elicited, and may be read as a ‘negative’ response to Prospect, was the feeling that while the show sought to present ‘new art practice’ in New Zealand, ‘art’ actually trickles out of the confines of the gallery and is found predominantly in everyday life. This is where is seems a lot of gallery goers truly felt connected with ‘art’ in a meaningful and liberating way.
-All’s fair in art and love
-Is this art? I am not an artist but I am!
-We really liked the ‘accidental’ exhibit on the first floor – the three trolleys of stacked chairs. Wonderful patterns of lines, light and shadows. Wished I had my camera with me!
-We are all artists
-Reparation
Revolution
Reflection
Creation
We all make ART daily
WOW wee - Thats got impact!!
my 2 cents:
I think it’s important for the room sheets to be clear about how hokey our statistical process is, have you got a count of how many negative responses you have got (also remembering it's a small sample)?
It is great how you have picked up on the everyday art/artist sentiment from the responses, as reconfiguring the everyday is one of the curatorial themes that Heather G is using – maybe its worth commenting on, I guess those respondents didn't relate to that content of the show.
I think we should have a kind of summatioary round up at the end, like some condolences, apologies, suggestions and possible explanations. I think these should be a bit hokey and light hearted (and stay right away from being patronising).
I like the farce of The Association speaking on the behalf of all contemporary art.
It all seems a bit doomsday when the comments are layed out like that – maybe formatting the negative comments so the positive ones are on the other side of the paper or intermingled would be a good idea?
Definately sophisticated collationary tactikkleness Tom, and I am mondo impressed at your ability to get it out amongst boxing for intrepid adventures, much admiration & - bon Voyage to you!!!
hey this is paula...
in response to Tom's compilation..
GREAT!!!
really liike the format with your formal summations. they make sence of the sometimes confusing comments. you have made some wise and knowing associsations.
i agree with liz, seen all together it is a little doomsday. after about 3 sections of negativity i was feeling a litle dark about the show myself.
i don't think it should go good comments section/bad/ good/ but i think it needs a lift by soem kind of interspacing..l also think that more accuratly reflects the comments as they came in too.
good work!
OK comments on Tom's pieces, sorry feeling a littel braindead......yep they are negative but also that's just what they are I guess. Although with what I wrote at the bottom of the popcorn stuff in summary I tried to look for ways to sum it up without making the obvious comments you know like the patronising ones like 'plebs don't understand the artworks they just want to eat them' or something. So maybe as LIz said a lighthearted summing up would be good?
I reckon yes it is ludicrous and lovely TAC speaking on behalf of all the world. It feels like that's one of the nice things about CAMRU in general I reckon, that all of this effort and responses is great but really it partly just highlight how incredibly difficult it is to say anything meaningful about a really meaningful experience.
OK ranting, gonna stop and plan my opening now.
X Sian
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