My informal summary of Cava 361
When I enrolled in the subject I thought I would get to learn how to curate an exhibition, I thought I would get all the tips I would need to go out into the art world and put on my own show.
In reality, thats exactly what I got but in a round about way.
I learnt that its not just a simple process and a lot of thought goes into creating exhibitions and maintaining exhibitions once they are up. Large scale high profile exhibitions are a lot of responsibility and there are a lot of ethical issues that need to be considered when staging such a production.
I also learnt that keeping track of works is tedious, condition reports are tedious, meticulous care needs to be taken when handling works. There are extraordinary ways of detecting damage in works that I would never have dreamt of.
From some of my other subjects I also learnt that a combination of knowledge across a broad range of subjects is a good thing as I could recognise works and styles in a gallery that I couldnt have done a few years ago.
The thing I didn’t learn but I think would have been helpful was how to navigate wordpress…. for example….. how do you change the colour of the text on this damn thing like on Chris’s page….. I would love to know how to write in red.
How do you put pictures all the way through your document? And while we are on the subject of picures… how do I take photos on my phone and get them to my computer?
How do you enter a blog so that it is in chronological order if you have already but for example week 15’s blog in and now you want to go and put week 12’s blog in???? can you do that????
Were the blogs supposed to be in formal language? because lets face it the word BLOG is not that formal. Is a blog a personal thing?. Are blogs supposed to be long or short?
So in conclusion and in good humour I would have to say I will never be a blogger or a curator, but I am having fun learning about both.
At times this semester has been a bit rough, however in difficult circumstances and in the face of adversity I have managed to have another great semester at UOW. I have learnt heaps.
thank you
Cheers
Field trip Looking at an Art Gallery
Worksheet 2:
For my field trip even though it was late I chose to focus on the NSW Art Gallery, firstly because I am familiar with the route to get there and secondly I went with a friend for moral support and we saw the Pop into Popism exhibition. I was not disappointed….. in fact I had no real desire to see this other than the fact that I had to do some kind of report but I was so happy that I went. I learnt a lot and really appreciated some of the finest pop art in the world. I got to stand in front of Andy Warhols works and to be honest a few years ago I didn’t even know who he was and didn’t really care either. So this report like many of my blogs will probably deviate from the usual as I get caught up in what really turns me on about art and that is.. the conceptual and the emotional stuff. This exhibition was brilliant!
THE MAIN IDEA OR THE STORY BEHIND THE EXHIBITION was to showcase the influence pop art had on the development of contemporary art. The exhibition was curated by Wayne Tunnicliffe with the assistance of Anneke Jaspers.
Pop art was largely informed by the media and a new form of consumer awareness and consumption that was sweeping through the world in the 1960’s. As Michael Brand – Director of the Art Gallery of NSW says ‘ it broke the barriers between high art and popular culture forever'(Tunnicliffe & Jaspers 2014). the exhibition was the most comprehensive pop art exhibition to be seen in Australia and showcased works by artists across the world as an example of the role pop art played in the development of contemporary art ( Tunnicliffe & Jaspers 2014)
THE TYPES OF ARTWORKS IN THIS EXHIBITION come from all over the world. The works have been borrowed from several art museums in America and Europe and the exhibition has also drawn on generous borrowings from private collections. For example Roy Lichensteins work ‘In The Car 1982′ was borrowed from the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Edinburgh, whereas Roslyn Drexlers work ‘Race for Time’ has been borrowed from Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. Some of the works have come from Australian galleries as well…. so you can see this work is from all over the globe. This was great because it examined Pop Art from a variety of countries and enabled a categorisation of the works, allowing them to fall under specific sub-titles. And of course with audio guide was well worth the $7 and gave an insight in to many selected works.
These categories were
1 The Future is Now
2 Swinging London
3 The American Dream
4 Euro Pop
5 Made In Oz
6 Late Pop
7 Popism
Here is what Andrew Frost, art critic and writer for the Guardian had to say about some of the exhibition.
“English pop at the beginning of the 1960s was painterly with a graphic edge – David Hockney’s The Second Marriage (1963) and Peter Blake’s Self-Portrait with Badges (1961) are the link from a more orthodox figurative painting into the highly stylised work both would later produce. By contrast, Andy Warhol’s Triple Elvis (1963) and Roy Lichtenstein’s Kitchen Range (1961-62) are prototypes for the screened and mass-produced work of the next decade.”
The works as said above have been arranged in sections or groups and this helps to transport the audience seamlessly across the globe appreciating the social politics impacting on contemporary art at the time.
Another great example of this was in the Late Pop section where artist Marth Rosler makes a poignant statement with her House Beautiful Bringing the War Home 1967 – 72 series. The prosperity of America and the dream of the family home was juxtaposed against images of the Vietnam war in collages suggesting that in spite of the brutal suffering and casualties brought about by war domestic consumption continues in the homeland.The message was very clear.
The Lighting of the exhibition was bright to enable a full appreciation of the works and of course they were on the white walls allowing a full focus on the exhibition at hand with no distraction.
While Didactic plates were at all works with a brief explanation the addition of an audio guide gave definite benefits. It was great to hear some of the explanations of the works and let you look at them in more depth and pick up on things that you may otherwise have missed.
A pop to Popism guide and map was issued at the beginning of the exhibition and these were necessary to guide you and ensure you didn’t miss any of the works. there was also a POP play section for children so that they could discover the joys of creating art using interactive activities.
In the guide and map there is also a time line that gives you an insight to some of the other events unfolding across the world at the same time. For example
1950 saw the first credit card,
1954 saw the end of war rations
1960 Oral contraceptives were approved for sale
1961 the Construction of the berlin Wall
1962 Marilyn Monroe Dies
1963 President J F Kennedy assassinated
1965 Prime Minister Robert Menzies sends the first Australian troops to Vietnam.
The era of pop was an era of huge social change, uprise and protests and the art of its time reflects this.
The last question fo our worksheet asks us to select a work that I found central to the exhibition. In reality there really isn’t one. However the iconic work of Andy Warhol Marilyn Monroe screen prints I would have to say is one of the most important works there. It is significant in the fact that Marilyn Monroe was an iconic image of the time and easily recognisable by most people in the world and also it is symbolic of the mass production and consumption that was happening at the time.
However it must be noted that a favourite piece and one that I could really relate to because of other subjects that I have studied this semester is that was Alain Jacquet’s Dejeuner sur L’herbe (Diptych) 1964. photo screen print on two panels…. it was a direct reference to Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass with model Victorine Meurent (1867). The Nude female in the foreground daring to stare back at the audience, the clothed men, the pose and the secondary female figure in the background with the pool substituting the brook in the original work of Manet. Even the rolls of fat and the ugly foot were all depicted in the work.
Bibliography;
Frost A, 2014, The Guardian, The Australian Culture Blog viewed 08/11/2014 http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/australia-culture-blog/2014/nov/03/pop-to-popism-review-shock-and-social-critique-with-an-australian-thread
Tunnicliffe W, & Japers A (eds) 2014 Pop to Popism, Art Gallery Of NSW, Sydney
Practical Project and Report: Condition Reporting and the Conservation of Art
Cava 361 assignment
Condition Reporting and the Conservation of Art
Conservation of artwork is imperative in an art gallery situation. Likewise it is important to preserve private collections in the same manner. Specialist art conservators and restorers are employed in art galleries for precisely that reason. Sometimes the piece of art needs to be cleaned while at other times they need to be repaired. This process will often be used to slow and often reverse the effects of decay and damage.
example of Laser Cleaning
Fig 1. Milford Sound New Zealand Frame during Laser CleaningImage http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/discover-art/how-the-gallery-works/conserving-our-collection/ viewed 22/10/2014Fig 2. ‘ The Boar Hunt’ before and after treatment <img
Some of the potentially damaging effects of elements include damage from light, humidity, dust, insect infestation, vibration, temperature and of course vandalism. The vandalism may be intentional but often paintings are also damaged through thoughtless positioning resulting in accidental damage.
Fig 3. Restoring ‘The Flood in the Darling’ Image http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/discover-art/how-the-gallery-works/conserving-our-collection/ viewed 22/10/2014
Restoring ‘Flood in the Darling’
The first step to preserving artworks however is the meticulous documentation of condition. This is often done using microscopes, x-ray, or infra red photography. These methods help give the team of conservators an insight to how the artwork was constructed.
Preserving an artwork may mean controlling its environment and use however this is sometimes not the intention of the artist and prohibits the artwork from speaking so a missing or damaged area of the artwork will be reconstructed which allows the art will be exhibited as the artist intended.
Specific treatments for specific mediums have been developed over the decades particularly the more traditional mediums however new materials mediums and technologies present and ever changing challenge to the task of protecting and conserving contemporary art.
Some contributing factors to damage include positioning, light, temperature, humidity, insect infestation, salt and vibration.
Here are some tips to preserve your works.
Salt; If artwork is housed by the sea salt is a problem as it absorbs more moisture which leads to corrosion. Only air conditioning can remedy this problem.
Humidity; while High humidity for long periods of time encourage mould, insect infestation and corrosion, low humidity can do just as much damage by warping and splitting wood and lifting paint from canvases. It is recommended to keep artworks of stone and metal at a humidity level lower than 35% while artworks made of paper, wood, canvas and other organic material should be stored in areas with a humidity level between 40% – 60%. Always avoid areas of extreme for example, bathrooms are highly humid encouraging mould and not a good place for art and similarly areas beside heaters are extremely dry encouraging splitting and cracking. However, it must be noted that some sculptures actually benefit from long periods of low humidity. Most importantly avoid fluctuations in humidity and always watch for insect infestation.
Vibration; Avoid transporting artworks without compensation for vibration. This will mean that artworks will need to be packed and supported to minimise movement.
Light; While stone and metal are unaffected by light, dyes and paints fade in both natural and artificial light. Light damage is irreversible. This is why most galleries have low lighting. Watercolour and ink artworks with are particularly sensitive and should be kept out of direct sunlight and reduce artificial lighting where you can.
Temperature; Heat usually lowers humidity and cool raises it so it stands to reason that artworks should not be placed on cold walls and risk the pitfalls of high humidity eg condensation. Acrylics and wax have low melting points; this means in hot weather dust may stick to paintings. The best remedy for this is to avoid extreme temperatures. A cork or spacer placed behind a frame can assist in air flow around the artwork. It is best to keep artwork as dust free as possible as dust encourages corrosion. Ideally textiles and works on paper should be framed under glass. If dusting is required try not to abrade (scratch) the surface and only ever dust gently.
Positioning; avoid thoroughfares and places where the artwork may accidently come into contact with people (e.g. near opening doors etc) Hang works on interior rather than exterior walls to avoid fluctuations in humidity and temperature. When storing art works ensure that conditions are pest free, secure, dry and clean.
Finally here are the buidling reports for McKinnon Building 67 at the UOW. Due to technical difficulties and lack of knowledge on my part I am unable to post these photos any other way…I found the exercise of recording condition reports to be daunting in terms of the amount of time it takes to write condition reports and how tedious they are. I have decided that this is something I definitley dont want to do for a living!! What was surprising was the number of works that did not have labelling or even acquisition numbers on them. There was a high incidence of damage in some areas. Many of the works in the Mc kninnon building that experienced high traffic or that had been put in ‘silly’ places ( eg a fabric work outside of a female toilet where people will be shaking their wet hands) were damaged an in need of urgent attention. Unfortunately due to medical reasons I was only able to complete reports on one of the buildings.Building 67 condition report 1
building 67 condition report 2
building 67 condition report 3
building report condition report 4
building 67 condition report 5
Bibliography;
Beck J, and Daley M 1993, Art Restoration, John Murray P
http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/discover-art/how-the-gallery-works/conserving-our-collection/
http://www.aucklandartgallery.com/search/keyword/conservation
Curating: Contemporary Curators
Never in a million years would I have imagined that there would be so much involved in curating an art exhibition, or at least on a high end art level. For the sake of curiousity I cut and pasted a document on Catherine Davids Documenta X ‘Introduction by Catherine David in the Short Guide’………. well if this is the short guide I would hate to see the long one. It is a 2591word verbous document that is incredibly hard to understand. While I understand the words she is using I certainly have no idea what she is saying with them. Here is the link;
http://universes-in-universe.de/doc/e_press.htm
Unfortunatley I am not inclined to read it. Lets see if I can find some other clues.
This is a bit more like it!
http://artnews.org/documenta/?exi=18039
In 1997 Catherine Davids was the first woman to be appointed as an artistic director of a documenta. As found in the Oxford Dictionary documenta provides evidence for. Davids decided to take a critically review the past fifty years as this would be the last documenta prior to the new millenium. She wanted to present a documenta that recognised the state of the world using certain key political dates where wide reaching social and cultural upheavals. however Davids wanted to extend the concept to more than just a traditional art show. Accordingly she presented a discussion formum – 100 days 100 guests- this was a platform for artists, scientists scholars architects and authors to offer and answer questions on all things pertaining to art and society.
Here is a list of the contributing artists which is extensive in itself. Imagine curating all of these artworks and trying to keep all of the artists happy, while maintaining an aesthetic fluency in the show.
Artists:
Vito Acconci
Robert Adams
Chantal Akerman
Pawel Althammer
Art & Language
Joachim Blank
Marcel Broodthaers
Chris Burden
Charles Burnett
Jean-Marc Bustamante
Mark Catteau
Stephen Craig
Richard Dindo
Stan Douglas
Marcel Duchamp
Ed van der Elsken
Walker Evans
Haroun Farocki
Fischli/Weiss
Dan Friedman
Jean Luc Godard
Dan Graham
Jordon Grandall
Ulrike Gosshart
Hans Haacke
Raymond Hains
Nigel Henderson
J�rg Herold
Christine Hill
Susan Hiller
Thomas Hirschhorn
Carsten H�ller
Christine & Irene Hohenb�chler
Felix S. Huber
Internationale Stadt Berlin
Karl-Heinz Jeron
Jon Jost
On Kawara
Mike Kelley
William Kendridge
Martin Kippenberger
William Klein
Rem Koolhas
Suzanne Lafont
Maria Lassnig
Antonia Lerch
Helen Levitt
Daniel Libeskind
Brice Marden
Chris Marker
Gordon Matta-Clark
Yana Milev
Reinhard Mucha
Christian Philipp M�ller
Bruce Nauman
Olav Nicolai
Carsten Nicolai
Helio Oiticica
Gabriel Orozco
Tony Oursler
Blinky Palermo
Raoul Peck
Michelangelo Pistoletto
Larrie Pittman
Philip Pocock
Gerhard Richter
Adberrahmane Sissako
Thomas Sch�tte
Alison & Peter Smithson
Robert Smithson
Aleksndr Sokurov
Nancy Spero
Erik Steinbrecher
Jean-Marie Straub
Rosemarie Trockel
Ben Vautier
Martin Walde
Jeff Wall
Harry Walter
Lois Weinberger
Garry Winogrand
Andrea Zittel
Heimo Zobernig
Nicolas Bourriaud AlterModern; again the curator has gone to extreme lengths in researching the topic of the exhibition re examining our present. He looks at how artists are responding to issues of Globalisation and the creolisation of society .In addition to the actual show there is of course a whole plethora of information regarding the exhibition on the website below with links to various talks given by speakers at the exhibition.
There is a great video recording on this site if you click on the manifesto link;
ART in a WAR ZONE
Art is definitely impacted in a war zone. The artist’s life is so crucial to the work he/she makes. So it is only natural that the events surrounding the artist will be reflected in their work. Such is the case in Syria. The Guardian ( 23/06/2013 ) reports on a London Art exhibition where Syrian Artists have risked threat of persecution to tell their experiences of a war-torn home.
Tarek Tuma’s portrait of Hamza Bakkour, the 13-year-old boy shot in the face during a siege in Homs, February 2012. Photograph: Tarek Tuma/Mosaic Syria.
As horrific as this image is it is important for the artist to tell the world of the horrors of war. It is estimated that it has cost over £30,000 to smuggle artwork form the war zone to the English Art exhibition that explores and highlights the new humanitarian crisis.
The Exhibition is called #Without Words, Emerging Syrian Artists: The Show at the P21 gallery includes artists who have fled the country and artists who remain there. Many of the artists fear that they would be traced if the artworks were stopped at borders so some have chosen not to sign their works for this reason.
another artwork titled Light after Dark is informed by the artists experience of torture. Although he himself was not tortured he witnessed and heard the cries of others who were. He lost many friends to torture and the single shaft of light depicted in the work illuminates the hope of the prisoners in their final moments of life.
Artists are painting the horrific scenes that they are living with in their day-to-day life. Just as with any other art movement artists are inspired by what is happening around them and in this case an uprising has invigorated the art to a level that has not been witnessed due to oppression under dictatorship.
Similarly Syrian refugees are trying to make sense of their world through the medium of art.
‘A painting of a screaming head by Remy al-Haddad leans against the wall at the Art Residence Aley.’
A century old stable has been converted for artists to work and find refuge in their art.
A similar story is evident in Pakistan as reported in the newspaper Express Tribune. Five artists depict the memory of their childhood while living in a war torn country. Images of blood and trauma infiltrate their work.
It is reported in the same article that one university professor was shot dead after printing posters of his own paintings showing artists being killed by soldiers.
Here is a link to the story
http://tribune.com.pk/story/432732/time-to-reflect-making-art-out-of-pakistans-war-zones/
Extra post; Distraction is a wonderful thing. Although this is probably more to do with CAVA 231 and CAVA 203 I found great information on art movements and styles
I have been somewhat stressed so I have been puting this to some good use at least and found this great you tube series on abstraction and some of the artists we have been studying in cava 231
I like this fellas idea of the relationship between music and abstract art…. having studied music when I was younger I understand it…… music has movements eg Rondo (ABACA) binary form (AB ) ternary form (ABA) and Sonata….to name a few, and each movement becomes part of a whole, just the same as an art work…. similarly the chords that are played in a pice sit together differently depending on their arrangement, eg a plagal cadencs sounds different to an impropper cadence or propper cadence so too do colours and sequences of patterm and movement play crucial parts in the composition of a work.
Discovering the modernity of light and there is even a mention of a manifesto of light…… how cool is this discovery in terms of distraction and so relevant to what we have been learning….. up until recently I didnt even know what a manifesto was, now i understand them and have written one and can participate in a conversation that talks about them if I ever have the opportunity instead of staying silently on the edge of a conversation for fear of seeming foolish.
I like Haegels philisophical rule that “every element is determined by its contrary” I like Mondrearn ?( not sure how to spell that one ) idea “offering a line… but also a gap” forcing the viewer to consider the lines, the edges of those lines and the painting itself the gaps andthe spaces in between them all. his works have an ‘elegant order capable of endless interpretations”.
‘The painting is a visual work of art that demands to be seen on its own visual terms’ …. this is a very profound and enlightening statement.You have gotta love you tube!!!!
6.00miniutes gives a compelling explanation of Malevich
The black square is the feeling…. the white surrounds in beyond Feeling……. it is all so clear, Why hasnt anyone said this to me before….. this is how it needs to be taught, with passion and articulation that a passionate only person can understand, it now makes sense!!!!
There are always rules; the canvas in Pollocks works are ‘ regularly and rhythmically occupied’ ( at 6:09. on the video) with the heavier lines contributing to the complexity of the work. you are forces to see that the paint is paint and you are forced to read the materials for what it is…. paint!….. the differences in the texture and thickness of the paint he is using is what makes the painting a visual symphony of the materials he is using.
7:44 to 9.20 shows a great idea for grounding and creating a cohesive base to a body of works by using a large piece of canvas and covering it with colour and then cutting that canvas into smaller pieces and making individual works out of them that will sit together naturally because of their similar grounds…. ( why didnt I think of this?) …. Paul Tonkin seems to have some great ideas and creative processes that I could draw from.
Dan Perfect; Mamoth 2014 likes to make his paintings feel like they are floating and to do this he makes sure there are no drips to indicate gravity. pretty smart! he builds on an underpainting that almost becoms obsolete in the finished work, thus indicating the importance of letting of the preciousness go during the creative process. as the narrator discusses that meaning might just be as simple as the way paint is put on….. thats a revelation!!!! yes I can use this in CAVA 203 for sure, as is the case for mark Rothko where he is said to ‘make the surface breathe’ ( 0.26)
Bloody hell Rothko thanks for that!!!!( NOT ) you have put me right back to where I started from … so much for the distraction…….(2.50 to 3.27) .
Stessed world, 2011 by Ell Anatsui. and his following works and excplanation how he coms to these pieces is great! He looks at the wealth of gold and contradicts this by using discarded wrappers from the tops of alcohol bottles to create a wonderful wall haning that imitates textiles in its visual impact. A great piece and a great way to infiltrate contradiction into your work.
loved the closing line that ‘art processes contradicitions’.
An opportunity to travel to the Venice Biennale 2015
well you never know what you may find when researching one subject that suddenly is relevant to another subject at UOW…. While researching grant writing I found this little treasure on the Australia Council for the Arts site. I thought some of you might be interested considering it is all about emerging curators. Just cut and past the links below if you are interested;
and then there is this one for volunteer exhibition attendants;
Week 8 Reflection: Commissioning Works and Viewing more of the UOW Collection
This week we got to see some very old local paintings and drawings from the UOW collection. I am still amazed at how much of these artworks are locked away for safe keeping, and rightly so as to display every one of them would only lead to their deterioration and devalue them. Wrapped in acid free tissue paper and stored in special dust free air tight boxes helps to ensure their longevity.
Curator – Phillipa mentioned that the UOW has a special interest in older images of the Illawarra which reminded me of the Lithographs and even a watercolour drawing that my father has stored at his house, I will see if I can remember to bring them in for Phillipa to check them over. They were found by my dad on the Minnamurra tip face many years ago ( the tip is not there anymore) and they apparently depict the Richmond area. He has a water colour of Lake Illawarra at Kemblawarra that shows the lake when it had two entrances one being near Coomaditchi kemblawarra , the other at Windang Island. The drawing has a Aboriginal woman depicted in it.
We then moved onto taking a walk to Building 24, but before we did we went down and had a look at another storage area with more great work and a greatsliding door/rack system for storage, we then went to look at some weaving done by a local Aboriginal lady who practices down at Gerringong Aboriginal art centre named ‘Boolarng’
Building 24UOW has a wonderful selection of commissioned works. They are on 3 levels with every level being distictly differenct from each other. The First Floor had works on panels that had pices of glass work included in them while the second floor was more of a mixture of pieces on the wall and on panels and the third floor had huge black and white duck cartoon works on panels. All of them seemed to provide a light entertainment for the corridor giving the audience something to look at as they attend class every week. the more you look at the works the more you see and I would suspect that students see something different in them in every week. A great deal of discussion is involved with stake holders when undertaking a commission to ensure that the artist knows what is expected and that the customer knows what they are getting.
4 1/2 hours in building 67 is far too long not to mention 2 hours of typing it up
Well I never realised that condition reports would be so tedious. A team of three of us firstly numbered all the works in a particular section , then 2 would do the reports and one would take photos. It was time consuming and tedious. Just mapping the works onto the maps was tricky enough. I am glad we did this as a team and didnt split up or the work load would have been very uneven….. there are far more works on some floors than others. It was interesting to see just how many of these works had no labelling at all. It makes you wonder if such an extensive collection has been recorded at all.
Post Grad Week
Well,That was interesting! Prisms hmmmm……. I had never heard of it, although I had heard of surveillance society. But to be truthful I had never thought about it being so deeply embedded in our world. This made me curious so I went fishing and found this little site; http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/17/4517480/nsa-spying-prism-surveillance-cheat-sheet
I now vaguely know what people are referring to when they use the word Sigads,
An analyst starts by inputting “selectors” (search terms) into a system like PRISM, which then “tasks” information from other collection sites, known as SIGADs (Signals Intelligence Activity Designators). SIGADs have both classified and unclassified code names, and are tasked for different types of data — one called NUCLEON gathers the contents of phone conversations, while others like MARINA store internet metadata.
I even have an idea who Snowden is….. I just had some idea that he was an older gentleman caught up with the Royal Family, but this is another person.
I was also amazed at the concept of the film clip ‘Men in Grey’ and wonder if this is really possible? a film clip about Computer Hacking.
I guess they was the unexpected things I got out of Post Grad Week which are still beneficial, I also learnt a bit about Cloud, and this was a very interesting part of the key-note talk. Honor Hargan, Director of the Art Science Museum Singapore gave an interesting insight into the intersections of art and Science. Of particular interest to me was the work of Tim Arnaul and James Bridle. Although they themselves done consider themselves as artists The museum of Science and Art Singapore saw the artistic potential in a project they were working on looking at the energy used by Wi Fi in a neighbourhood. Using Neon lights they were able to track the power usage of an everyday neighbourhood connected to Wi Fi. The Space of reception was then slowed down in this was transformed into a creative art installation enabling a more meaningful vision of its “critical content”. This installation was like a painting of light. It was with the use of light and time that the invisible landscape was changed into a visible one. This intersection of art and science was then discussed after a break on a panel, It was more like a think tank really. This was a follow on from a recent research camp at Bundenon called CAST.This discussed the ‘critical and practical tensions in research that addresses contemporary concepts of nature’. Unfortunately I didn’t get a lot out of the panel.
Annotated Bibliography for presentation on Ethical Issues
Alexander A, 2006, The Companion to Tasmanian History, Table of contents page, http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/T/Truganini.htm
This gave a very brief insight to Truganinis life in a condensed version confirming other information I had read. It looks briefly at the interuption of Traditional life for Palawa (Tasmanian Indigenous people) when the colonial invasion started.
Florek S, 2011 Australain Museum Nature Culture Discover, Truganini (1812? – 1876) A life reflecting the tragic history of the first Tasmanians, 14/06/2011 viewed 22/08/2014 http://australianmuseum.net.au/Truganini-1812-1876
This short Blog confirmed the violend details of Truganinis life and gave information relating to her language group and more specifics on the people she belonged to. It also had a beautiful example of a bust sculpture of her that sits at the museum. More importantly it gave insight to the fear that would later become a reality that Truganini had of being cut up or put on exhibition at a museum.
Hine H 1932, The Museum in Transition, Smithsonian Books, Washington pp 88 – 107
The chapter of this book Museum Ethics and the good life of the Public Servant is centred around the challenges and oral obligations a museum has to undertake to operate in an ethical manner. It examines the fact that most ethical conduct is derived from a supernatural or spritiula source ( as diety of some kind) and discusses the remains of sacred objects preserved in museums as being excluded from moral discourse. Although it also discusses that the role of the Museum is keeper of collections that has a moral obligation to act in a reverant manner. This is an outdated book but had some interesting and useful viewpoints.
ICOM Nathist 2013, Code of ethics for Natural Musems, Internatiional Council of Museums, http://icom.museum/the-vision/code-of-ethics/code-of-ethics-for-natural-history-museums/
This website gave valuable information into the sections of the policy that cover the repatriation of human remains and other dethical codes related to museum practices. It has been developed to address specific issues relating to the life and earth sciences and establishes a minimum standard of practice.
Maloney, 2012 ‘Encounters’ Saturday Paper, Monthly Quarterly EssayAustralian Politics Society and Culture, May viewed 22/08/2014 https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2012/may/1340936573/shane-maloney/truganini-george-augustus-robinson
This small newspaper article was helpful as it gave an initial insight of the hardships that Trugannini encountered at a very young age. This caused me to search further for verification of the story. It was a brief and easy to read article that had condensed but informal language.
Smith B 1980, The Spectre of Truganini, The Australian Broadcasting Commission, Sydney
I read this book sereral years ago when I first commenced study in an INDS 150 subject. It caught my interest and I will probably revisit this book again some. This is the book that alerted to me to the story of Truganini. It was the seeding concept of my presentation and gave me the scaffolding for the task at hand. I cannot specify a particular chapter of this book that was better than the rest as they were all very interesting and gave a comprehensive account of events in the life of Truganini and linked that with the Mechanisims of Forgetfulness and the Ethics of Conscience.
Tasmanian Government, Department Premier and Cabinet,Truganini, Date unknown viewed 22/08/2014 http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/csrt/information_and_resources/significant_tasmanian_women/significant_tasmanian_women_-_research_listing/truganini
This article was borderline offensive in that it gave a bland overview of events and whitewashed them. I found it typical of a political obligation to note a story without taking blame. Phrases like the ‘acquisition of her bones was the antithesis of her expressed wishes’ and murders being referred to as drowning and deaths may be politically correct but it is offensive and shows little or not empathy for the horific history of Tasmanias first people.
NON Academic / Other Sources;
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/australia/16c.html
It is hard not to get caught up in the story when you are researching and this is what little story was good for. Unlike some of the other articles it gave a more compelling and emotional account of the story of Truganini. There is no said author, just a little story about Truganinis life and this story plays on the readers emotional strings. Overall this story appeals to the morality and conscious of the reader.
Reflection on Ethical issues presentations
Well there are more ethical issues arising our of art and exhibitions that you can care to mention. Some of them more confronting than others. My reflection of the september 11 presentation is quite simple , it is still too soon for me to revisit the trauma that was imposed onto the world and into the living rooms of millions on that horrific day. It is still too raw and still far to real to deal with. PTS is alive in my heart when I think of that day. I cannot imagine what it must be like for the families of those who were lost. Take the falling man image from Sept 11 ….. what if you were the family of that falling man? What if he was your son? What if that falling man was your falling child?
Yes… put this in a museum, but I will not be visiting it any tme soon I can assure you……
Repatriation of bodies and cultural items was an interesting presentation and not unlike my own presentation on Trugannini in many ways.
Exhibitions regarding disabilities was interesting too.
The presentation from Chris on the Bill Henson Photos surprised me in that I didnt realise I had such strong viewpoint on the matter. I think this has come with age, as I see clearly now the boundaries that were pushed and see them in a different light as a parent than say an adolescent or young adult would. Life is funny like that….. and surprisingly I let my opinion be known in no uncertain terms to the point that it may have been considered as condascention, for which I apologise. 
But for me the most interesting of them all was the last presentation about the censorship of exhibitions, lots of case studies and lots of things to consider. The Piss Cross was very interesting and although I can understand the outcry by the public, the actual image was quite aesthetically beautiful. Nevertheless to have life threats connected to its exhibition? Well nothing is worth that!
Lets look again at the piss cross. A token of blasphemy on many fronts…..some would say big deal so what….. but what if that piss cross was a piss Karan, what would the fall out be there??? The artist claims that he is a christian and the everytime he sins he is reminded of the piss cross as this is how he feels when he is being sinful here is a quote from the artist himself 
If I chose sin over Christ, then I have “pissed on Christ,” and I have transformed the wood of the Cross into the throw-away, cheap plastic of a world condemned by its own appetites and I have knowingly rejected the Path of Salvation and chosen the path of damnation, hell over heaven.
(The Fine Art Diner sept 28 2012, http://thefineartdiner.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/what-does-piss-christ-mean-why-is-it.html)accessed 05/09/2012
People get emotional over lots of things, and thats good as thats what makes us all different. Art is supposed to make us feel uncomfortable or at least provoke kind of response that makes us think. But when it upsets people so much that it causes physical or emotional pain…. does the artist really have the right to inflict this pain onto others? As a curator where does a gallery draw the line? Should some things be tucked away and not shown, or displayed in a different context.
Overall the presentations were interesting and gave a new insight to some of the ethical dilemas that can face a curator when considering the content of an exhibition.
Early Start Program
I missed out on going to the centre this week which puts me at a bit of a disadvantage to write this blog however it seems obvious here that the early start program could be a win win situation for all. But I am a bit sceptical of the some of the motives behind some of the initiatives. I think it is definitely a politically driven project. This is what I got out of their page
‘A SHARED SPACE FOR TEACHING, RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT’ is a strong mission statement!
With a clear use of action words carefully written strategies to deliver measurable outcomes the business plan is put together on the front page of the web site. How could they go wrong in delivering such a message when they have state of the art technology and proffessors to help them do it? What better way is there to get more grants and funding than to provide a facitility that has intergenerational educational outcomes that could potentially skew unemployment figures in an area with high unemployment rates
“With a clear focus on pedagogies that shape learning for the 21st Century and beyond, Early Start offers a ‘world class’ facility that will transform teaching, research and community engagement in the higher education sector. The range of facilities that Early Start provides will encourage innovative ways of shaping pedagogies based on real-world experiences. The opportunities for academic staff to be creative in their approaches to teaching and learning extend well beyond any experiences that are currently available in Australia.”
Lets consider the bias of the writer!….and perhaps some ulterium motives….. you will have to pardon my synacism on some occassions.
These facilities will enhance the training of students across disciplines, empowering them to work collaboratively with children and young people, their families and communities…
……….roughly translates to …… this dualism will provide the university with cheap labour for a new childminding centre for staff and students, which has the potential to increase productivity for the university because parents will be happier to leave their children at this new complex.It will also assist in meeting the requirements to fulfill course obligations in terms of teacher placements therefore making the uni look better on all fronts. IS it a win win and a cost cutting measure at the same time?
They will also encourage the development of new and rejuvenated subjects and courses to meet the demands of regional, rural and remote communities.
Perhaps this one might have the hidden agenda of being part of the closing the gap campaign. Which will of course be a benefit tosome of the community but who is driving this? Where are the funds being allocated to? Regional rural or remote? or have they just put it all under one banner so that it does not have to be identified? I suspect that not much will filter to the remote areas and most will go to regional / rural….. Regional rural and remote are keywords that also attract funding. It stands to reason that this would be in there strategy to attract funding to the university!
Perhaps it is a way for the uni to attract more funding by restructuring the Dept of Education curriculum…. or is it a govt cost cutting exercise to get the Uni to play a more critical role in the education of our young, ensuring that more students are geared for a uni degree from a very early age. This keeps the economy looking good with more kids in study and on a study payment and less on Unemployment benefits.
Or is the Govt merely keeping up with the challenges of the 21st century and the technology that goes with it, so providing this facility holds us in good stead with the rest of the first world nations education standards….. Who knows???
The CDC will act as a catalyst for breaking down the ‘invisible force field’ that so often isolates higher education from the rest of the community by inviting public engagement with the sector.
At the heart of this exciting initiative is the opportunity it provides for addressing social, educational and economic disadvantage.
I hope that they realise that on most fronts “social economic disadvantage” is the cause of the ” invisible force field”.
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COMPARISON WITH EDUCATION AT MY FAVOURITE GALLERY :
Truthfully I dont go to galleries very often, largely because of my social and economic disadvantage, but when I do I usually only go to The Art Gallery of NSW.
This happens about once every 2 years or so. Because of this subject I have found that they have a great educational program catering for a lartge range of ages..
Similar to the UNI early start these programs are based on learning for life and encourage interactive activities. As seen on the website for UOW Early learning
A world-class Children’s Discovery Centre, and Australia’s only example of a USA-styled ‘children’s museum’ promoting learning through play and the importance of life-long learning.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THEY INCLUDE
Primary K-6 WOW free art adventrue tours!!! Secondary 7-12 programs that meet the syllabus requirements
Tertiary self guided tours, drawing in the Gallery, Internships, e letters, they have a whats on for teacher page, and Age appropriate access programs.
Education Kits; Particularly impressive kits as seen below, That’s why I left the links
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Collection notes and exhibition kits available free online
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A series of A4, loose-leaf education kits on various aspects of the collection, available for sale from the Gallery Shop.
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Activity booklets for children for some temporary exhibitions and permanent galleries.
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Catalogues of exhibitions drawn from the Gallery’s collection.
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Subscribe to the Gallery’s e-newsletter for Years K-12 teachers.
Thats all for this weeks Blog.
thank you
Interesting readings
‘#If they gunned me down which picture would they read’ is an interesting article on perception and racism. It is pretty close to the mark in terms of bias reporting in the media. On the other hand the article about unravelling the mystery of a couples life in photographs was a little more light hearted. Both articles touch on ethics of differing kinds.
Is it a good thing to search for someone who you dont really know and you just happen to find a heap of photos? or is it a bit of a creepy obsession? Why had those photos had been thrown away in the first place and how would you feel about someone going through your dead friend or families stuff and plastering it all over facebook as some kind of game? Or is it completely harmless? The jury is still out on that one for me.
As for the article on perception and racism. I suppose if they gunned a person down there MAY be a reason for it… I am not saying that there always is but sometimes perhaps…. and yes then for sure they are going to show the bad guy in order to uphold their own image…. and they always seem to do this to the “other” . A sad part of human nature.
Didactic Plates
Examples of Didactic Plates As defined in the online Oxford Dictionary Didactic means
Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive: and has its origins rooted in the Mid 17th century from the Greek word didaktikos, which comes from another Greek word didaskein ‘teach’. Didactic plates can vary depending on their situation. It is important to hold the attention of the audience for just a few seconds as their design can be the differenct between success and failure. (McLean 1993, p.111-113) Essential information must be conveyed in a minimal time.
Some Synonyms for didactic include;
instructive, instructional, educational, informative, informational, teaching, pedagogic, academic, scholastic, tuitional; enlightening, illuminating
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/didactic
Condition Reports; An Essential Part of Curatorial Practice
I had never been into the collection room of the University Creative Arts Dept before so seeing it was quite a treat. I never dreamt that keeping art would be such a difficult job and carry so much responsibility.
We had a look at some of the works that needed to have condition reports done on them and had a try at doing one ourselves. Attention to details is what is required and a keen eye for observation. You would get better at it with practice and some may enjoy it but for me it reminded me of very tedious housework.
Much care has to be taken when handling creative works, in particular those that hold a bit of age. White gloves were worn to avoid contact with oils and acids from the skin touching the work. Every mark was recorded carefully and then a diagram of each work was made mapping out marks and tarnishes on the works. This was a practice run for the work that I will be helping with during the semester.
Sometimes you just find treasures
Hi there,
While I was researching artists for cava 203 I stumbled across a website that made me curious and I did a little digging and look what I found.
In our class the other day we were talking about internships, coincidently we were also talking about this in CACS 301 professional development. Well maybe it wasnt a coincidence and maybe the lectures are structured that way. Nevertheless I found a website with some great opportunities for a young ( or not so young ) student that I would like to share with my cohorts.
If I was younger and had no ties I would definitley look into this so I hope some of those in my class take a peak and see what a great world we have out there.
click on any of the links and it will take you to an internship in the US.
I know this is not our homework but what a great opportunity to share
More useful sites for museums
I originally put this on another page but then realised that you might not find it there so here are additional wweb address and sites that you have requested that we forward to you in terms of museums in the Illawarra and adjoining areas.
Why not take a peak?
https://plus.google.com/local/Albion%20Park%20NSW/s/Museum?hl=en
here are some more websites to look at
institutional member website links
Australia’s Museum of Flight
http://www.museum-of-flight.org.au
Balgownie Heritage School Museum
http://www.balgownie-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/museum
Belgenny Farm Trust
http://www.belgennyfarm.com.au
Berrima Courthouse
http://www.berrimacourthouse.org.au/
Berrima District Museum
http://www.collectionsaustralia.net/org/159/about
Berry Museum
http://www.berryhistory.org.au
Bradman Museum
Bundanon Trust
http://www.bundanon.com.au/indexold.html
Camden Historical Society
http://www.camdenhistory.org.au/index.html
Gerringong District Historical Society
http://www.collectionsaustralia.net/org/793/about
Illawarra Motoring Museum
http://www.motoringmuseum.com/contact.htm
Illawarra museum
http://www.illawarramuseum.com/
Lady Denman Museum
Meroogal
http://www.hht.net.au/museums/meroogal/main
Nowra Museum
http://www.shoal.net.au/~rflorance/page4.html
Pioneer Museum
http://www.shoalhavenmuseums.com.au/pf.htm
Port Kembla Port Corporation
http://www.portkembla.com.au/index.pl?page=22
Tabourie Museum
http://www.ulladulla.info/museum/welcome.html
Tongarra Museum
http://www.shellharbour.nsw.gov.au/default.aspx?WebPage=243
Wollondilly Heritage Centre
http://www.oaksheritagecentre.com/
Wollongong City Gallery
http://www.wollongongcitygallery.com/
University of Wollongong
Another Useful site when looking for Museums on the Southern Highlands
Hi there,
Here is another great site if you are looking for museums in the southern highlands and Illawarra. It gives you the website of several organisations.
http://www.museumsaustralia.org.au/site/page199.php
Here is a useful site for finding museums in the Illawarra.
https://plus.google.com/local/Albion%20Park%20NSW/s/Museum?hl=en
Week 1 part 2; Mapping corridor
Mapping the corridor in building 25 wasn’t as easy as it sounds, but in doing so it highlighted a number of considerations involved with curating and exhibition.
As this exhibition is in a corridor the flow of traffic has been considered. This is evident by the spacing of the creative works. These spaces have been made so that there is a comfortable interval between works that can be enjoyed at a walking pace.
Some observations were the groupings of paintings and the patterning of the lay out.
Indigenous works were grouped together. All Indigenous artists were appropriately identified by their language groups.
The works moved from the figurative to the non figurative or visa versa depending on which way you were travelling.
It could be considered that the bright Screen print by Indigenous artists Ngukurr was a key work providing an exclamation mark between the Indigenous and non Indigenous work or perhaps just marking a half-way point in the corridor, Similarly, the large bright oil painting of Peter Lorenzo acted as the start or end of the exhibition, again depending on which way you were travelling.
The flow of the work tends to make you look from side to side while walking down the corridor. 
Week 1 Mock plan of a musuem exhibition
In Week 1 we had to think about how we would situate a punishment box in a museum display. We worked in teams of two. It was interesting to see how everyone had different ideas.
As a kid I hated going to museums…. I thought they were the most boring place in the world and had little or no interest in the displays. So I think our concept was influenced by this, trying to bring some fun into learning. However this could have been achieved by using an inauthentic object instead of the real thing. Reflecting on the lesson I feel that the sober and solemn installation of the genuine item is the only way that this could be appreciated. Perhaps our plan could be included in a kids interactive learning centre somewhere in the same building to reinforce the teachings. Attached is an image of our plan.
An Internship at Bundanon with Jeanette Riley 