Norton Simon Project

Norton Simon Project: An Anthology of Public Voices.

“Yet when an image is presented as a work of art, the way people look at it is affected by a whole series of learnt assumptions about art” John Berger from “Ways of Seeing”

Every time I visit a museum it is a unique adventure. Each time, I am surrounded by a new community with which to share the experience of a being a “viewer”.
A memorable incident at the Metropolitan Museum of Art inspired me to create this anthology. I visited the MET with an individual who owned a gallery. We were viewing paintings by the artist Paul Gauguin, who is one of my favorite painters. This individual asked me, “Did you know he was a pedophile?” Suddenly, the painting I had known for years was different. I realized how the power of unknown information could quickly change my perspective.
Due to this episode, I developed a curiosity for the various perspectives in which viewers experience a piece. At museums, individuals range from scholarly experts to those who’s knowledge of artists and art work is vague. The range of the audience opens the range in opinions, and it is my belief that one opinion is no more valuable than another that may exist on the further end of this spectrum of observers. In order to investigate this further, I conducted an experiment that involved eavesdropping at the Norton Simon Museum. This book reflects the public’s interaction within the museum, as well as gives insight into the multiple perspectives that exist within an audience.

Volume 1: Canvas of Conversation–an exploration of multiple perspectives within Art.
The layers of conversation presented in Canvas of Conversation allows the audience to become the voice behind the painting.
Each time the reader turns a page, they are presented with additional conversations about the Art ranging from fact to fiction–hopefully allowing them to gain new perspectives about the work. The audience’s voice is a crucial part of how the work in the museum is perceived. Through the multiple opinions expressed by the audience, will the reader gain unexpected meaning about a painting?
When opening the book, there is a folder that holds layers of translucent paper stacked on top of one another to reflect upon the multiple conversations that were collected. This stack is to be displayed as one canvas portraying the viewers voices. The rectangles on top of the page represent the range of conversations based on fact to opinion. These rectangles are situated left to right. The first rectangle on the left side is colored red and the far rectangle on the right is colored blue; everything in between represents the voices between fact and opinion. For example, a viewers comment “There is a lot of green”, becomes a fact because they state the obvious of what is in front of them. This highlights the first rectangle, which is red. On the other hand, a subjective commentary on how the painting makes the viewer feel, or how they feel about the painting becomes an opinion, thus highlighting the last rectangle of the spectrum.

Volume 2: Depth of Dialogue– an exploration of multiple dialogues within Art.
Depth of Dialogues explores the dialogue between two individuals when conversing about Art. One opinion does not carry weight more than the other because both parties contribute to the conversation in order to create this dialogue. When eavesdropping, the listener hears pieces of the conversation, which can give a sense of what the conversation entails. In reality, when entering from an outside context, understanding the full depth of the conversation becomes limited. In order to display this relationship between the individuals participating in the dialogue, two roles were assigned within a page. Person A’s comments were lifted up and pasted on top of the page whereas Person B’s comments were di-cut into the page. To reflect upon the experience of being a listener when eavesdropping, there is a portion of the page that is cut out to give the reader a clue into what the audience may be discussing.

Volume 3: Retellings of Space– an exploration of public voices vs. the Museum
The public’s interaction within the museum gives insight into the multiple perspectives that exist within an audience, thus giving another meaning to the Art. The museum provides a certain amount of information for the viewer to digest. Whether this is a label description on the artist’s background or piece, it is what the Museum issues to the public along with the access to view the Art within their space. So what does the public give? Their commentary is much a part of the meaning placed on the art as these information labels. Retellings of Space allows the reader to listen to publics conversations by inserting a headphone into the manual. On the opposite page, exists a photograph of the painting. Underneath this image, is a description provided by the Norton Simon Museum. By juxtaposing the public voices to the Museum label, it explores various layers that gives the piece meaning.

view volume 1

[View with PicLens]

[View with PicLens]

[View with PicLens]

Listen to a few of the sound files from Volume 3 below:

oceanpark3

ingres

exoticlandscape2

bust

Project Luke

Project Luke

Project Luke explores the territory when the curator creates alongside with the Artist/Designer. Luke Johnson, a graduating MDP student was preparing for his Thesis exhibition. A problem emerged within his exhibition. As a media designer, Luke used the techniques of embedded observation, interventions and interviewing within his design work. Through these projects, he was able to work across a range of media platforms. In order to exhibit the artifacts created for each project, he came across the problem of how these artifacts would be displayed so the viewer could quickly understand what the artifacts represented. We decided to collaborate on the project because of my interest in portraiture and people knowing which was a big part of his thesis project. We realized, that he had a very defined methodology. Each project followed a certain process, which lead to the outcome. With this, we decided to design a series of labels curating his projects for the exhibition. Coming from a graphic design background, I assumed the role as the designer for this task. Luke provided me with the content, in which I broke down into a formula of what the artifact represented. The architecture for the formula was: Title, Question, Intervention+people+time + (process) = statement, designed outcomes, takeaway lessons and unexpected results.
This project reinforced my belief in that the curator should be a part of the making process if they possess the ability to do so. By doing so, the curator can have a better understanding of what it means to be an Artist, which can have the effect of creating a new experience for the viewer as well.

[View with PicLens]

[View with PicLens]

[View with PicLens]

Project Hong G

Project Hong G

Project Hong G begins to explore a possible role for a curator to assume. Hong G is a painter. Much of her work revolves around themes exploring the metamorphosis of memory as a space for time travel. Myself as a designer, I decided to assume the role as a curator when working with Hong G. During the brainstorming stage, we decided to take equal parts within creating the unknown. Because of mutual interests, it was decided that the concept or theme would revolve around memory. As individuals, do we remember the mundane? The days that are not memorable? If so, how and when? What does a mundane day look like? These were the questions that lead us to the project “process of remembering a day in the mundane” I gave the instruction to Hong G to write down her itinerary for three days. With this information, I chose what I believed to be the most unmemorable day.

The plan was that Hong G would paint for five days. Each day, I provided her with a new clue about the events of that day. The first day, she was given five constraints along with the clue. Each day, I lifted up a constraint, yet introduced a new clue. The itinerary I possessed was color coded with a key that separated the events of that day into necessity, transitional, relaxation and work. I chose to narrow down the subject to necessity. When things are done because it is a necessity, these events become habitual, which is something we may not reflect back on. The clues introduced a new color into the canvas which she could incorporate into her painting as well as the highlighted text revealing the events of the day. The hope was that a viewer would be able to experience the process of remembering the mundane. The project partially failed in this manner because the experimental territory of dealing with the unknown. New discoveries were made about how I operate as a curator. I had to let go of control, which is very difficult for me to do. Also, it was realized that next time, there needed to be more of a clear direction of how I wanted the piece to look so the constraints could be morphed around a more clear focused vision.

Hong G

17 Photos

 

Collections study

Collections

I asked people to photograph their curated collection. With these responses, how do I curate other people’s personal collections? The next step is to categorize these collections to explore the realm of why and what people collect.

view collections

Week 10

Week 10

Norton Simon Project
What is my role? To create a compliment for the museum that is a comments on the relationship between the Norton Simon and public.

I eavesdropped, listened, took notes on the comments people make when viewing art.
Outcome:
Book–Layers of Perspective
Visualizations of people’s comments
3 sections:
descriptive of the obvious
emotional
outside knowledge or artist/painting–factoids

Layers–
what the museum gives us, what the public gives back

Curating people’s voices.
Where does this exit in the imaginative space?

Project Luke
Working with someone who already has the most of their project done, but issues with one aspect of the project that he needs my help on.

How do you present the artifacts of the project without going into full detail?

Hong G study

How do you curate/paint the memory of a mundane day?

Have Hong G write an itinerary of her day for three days. Choose the most mundane day out of the three to create a set of constraints and clues for her to paint from for 5 days. These paintings should reflect the process of recollecting the Artist’s memory of a mundane day.

Question:

Why am I assuming these different roles as “curator”? What is the meaning behind all of this? How can I diagram where I exist within the public and space? And what is my interaction? Am I complicating, adding, subtracting or intervening to the interaction?

Week 9

Week 9 Notes

How to organize/curate large collections with more thought
Conceptual Art–fluxus movement.
What is the actual intent of the work?
Curating new Media

Steve Dietz and Sarah Cook–Curating Media Art.

Eric Carle—The Lonely Firefly–electronic in the back of the book.
Designing a book that has low tech and still embodies the essence of book/graphic design

Exhibit as a magazine
I act as the Editor.
Comparing the role of the curator to a film director/producer
Brainstorming all the different types of relationship that a curator has with an artist
Curator’s relationship to the environment.
The different constraints a curator can give the artist
ESTABLISH an Agenda
Documenting the process–Lars Von Trier–8 obstructions
the apparatus becomes a part of the work

Design Research–
Different ways of collecting. For example Project with Jiyeon,
Getting her to write down her itinerary and me sythesizing the data
Different roles:
Advocate for the concept!
Time and Space–process driving it.
Investing a way of seeing
Designer will advocate the integrity of form
good design=cohesive and appropriate.
50/50 Relationship with artist
This As That

What am I communicating? The Value of things? How we see things?
New Ways of seeing.
Is there a way to record the imaginative space–
How do I want to present myself?
The space between Curator and Designer = collaboration
break out of traditional interpretation of curating
non-traditional space
How do you set up a space in the beginning?
Selecting the way to brainstorm—depends on who I am working with. varies from business to artists to designers. How do I create a non-creatives stuff? Curate a seminar? conferences? Establish a criteria that can be adopted. The language is important. New places and opportunities for growth.
Test the different levels of interaction.

Art for the Masses
How can I foster/help art be more accessible, and how do I facilitate that?

Curator: Who is it for and how do I make it happen?
Designer: Make it happen

Define the constituency

Curator as matchmaker?
Amplify, clarify, deliver the MESSAGE

Current Projects/studies

Experiment: Folding clothes.
How do you deconstruct a mundane motion event?
Study in sorting, processing.
Problem: Chaotic to order, which differs from the intentionally curated.

Norton Simon:Eavesdropping
Create a compliment manual for the Norton Simon Museum.
Eavesdropping at the Norton Simon in order to gather content on the multiple perspectives.

HONG G study
work with painter HONG G to curate/create a series.

In order to do this, I asked myself:

What are the different types of relationship a curator has with an artist?

1. Curator as a mediator for the Artist’s and contemporary events
2. Curator as a designer for a system which the artist can apply to their creation.
3. Curator as a facilitator for aiding in the Artists creation to exist in different spaces.
4. Curator as a facilitator for the Artists wants to the greatest extent possible
5. Curator as a diplomat for environment/space in which the Artist is creating within.
6. Curator and Artist as one.
7. Curator as a facilitator for collaboration amongst Artists
8. Curator as an advocate for the Artists concepts
9. Curator as a documentarian/producer for the Artists dialogue and process
10. Curator to challenge the Artists in environment they are creating within.

On going projects:

Collections

Project Luke

Week 8

Week 8 Notes

Future Projects?
Concept: Breaking down the ideology of the gallery space
“Window Display for Artists”
Curating content based on the space/environment
“Window shopping for “art”
How do you change the relationship of Art and Buyer?
How do you break down the white cube and make art for the Public Mass?
How do you give accessibility to people not “welcome” within a gallery space?
Mediums are biased. Using the Medium as the message.
How do I curate more room for opinion through experimentation?
Provide spaces, opportunities to see in equal playing field.
The Person is not the medium, the medium itself is the core.
I’m the mediator instigator.
How do I create a methodologie that other people can adopt?

Questions for myself as curator.
How effective can you be when you arn’t that specialized in the field of curation or even the content that you are curating?
When do you need to know more?
New area of “curator at large”
crafting a different way to look at it.
new ideology of the gallery space? curating the voice?
keep in mind of the technology and materiality as a new way to look at the space.
As a media designer, I have the ability to manipulate the media of different mediums

Current Project:

Project Eavesdropping of the Mundane.
1. Go to a place of conversation to eavesdrop on conversations. (cafe)
A place to experience multiple perspectives
Project failed. Too much conversation, not specific enough. Go back to the gallery or museum space in order to gather conversation about the same thing.

Ongoing Projects:

Collections

Project Luke

Week 6.5

What next?

How do I curate and exhibit within a physical space?

Quick Experiment to showcase text spatially.

Week 6 experiment

5 Photos

 

Week 6

Design a space that investigates different points of view.

I gave myself a project brief to investigate different points of view through:
Optical technique–different glances. How does the first glance differ from the second or third?
Physical technique–How do you move physically to see the different view points?
Sound technique–How do you use sound to visualize different points of view? Narratives? Podcasts?
When brainstorming for this project, I juggled with the constraints of working with the subject vs the frame of these different techniques.
While struggling with my own project brief,  I came across a NYTimes article titled: “No Place at School for Aids Orphans”. It discussed how a group of parents in Vietnam were opposed to AIDS orphans attending school with their children. At first read, I was appalled! Quotes such as  “They were saying the children were going to die anyway, so there’s no need for them to study,” disgusted me. Then I read over the article a second time–probably because I couldn’t believe some of the things wrtitten. This time, my reaction was more contemplative. I realized that although the perspective of the other parents seemed ludicrous, it didn’t make their viewpoint less valuable. We read articles everyday, but how long before we forget the content of the article? I happened to choose an article that provoked my interest, but what about the other numerous articles read by individuals that may not have as much of an impact? How do you deconstruct and dissect an everyday article? And afterwards, what do you do with the pieces?
In my opinion, a well designed documentary or journalism( I used these examples because they are interests of mine other than design)  touches on multiple perspectives as well as composing a voice of its own.How do I combine the affordances of a documentary or an article and curate it into an exhibition? This lead me to experiment with taking one form and forcing it into a different structure using curation as the tool.

Deconstructing Narratives; Curating the pieces

dissecting an everyday article

Deconstruct the article “No Place at School for Aids orphans” by point of view.
There are two main views in the article. The opinions of the AIDS orphans vs the opinions of the parents opposing the idea of AIDS orphans attending the same school as their children. There is also everything in between. Creating a scale, from red to green, red represented the “AIDS orphans” and Green represented the “other parents”. Other statements fell within the colors between the Red and the Green. Going through the article, I highlighted the text corresponding to the two opinions.
Afterwards, I deconstructed the text and then reorganized it according to the color, from Red to Green.

In the second experiment,
I highlighted the text according to 6 different subject matters. First Person Voice, Second Person Voice, Adjectives(used within the voices), Statistics, Assumptions, and Facts. Afterwards, I deconstructed the article based on what subject was highlighted and pasted them on to each own sheet of blank paper.

VIEW PDF: Deconstructing narratives; curating the pieces-dissecting an everyday article

Week 5

Why Curation?

“What are my interests” Seems to be question that everyone is asking. As a designer, I feel that I can be interested in anything. “What are my interests” is a bit overwhelming. Growing up as an only child, I could find interest in the most mundane things. At age five, I had a sketchbook full of colored grids. My mother would draw these perfectly spaced grids for me so I could color the squares to every imaginable color combination possible. Also, my interests are broad—how do I choose and boil them down to what I am “passionate” about? So with the help of a Thesis support group, I started re-thinking how to narrow down the many interests within curation I have. My advisor asked me if there was a connection to why I was drawn to curating. The first thing that came to mind was the my eight grade field trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. There was a room filled with the shoes taken from the individuals.  As I looked at these shoes, a flood of emotions came over me. I was standing in front of the artifacts taken by the murdered individuals. The possible images, stories went through my head. Who had been wearing these shoes? I thought about how they must have felt when the shoes were taken away. The context in which the shoes were displayed provoked an undeniable reaction.

Notes
Emotional vs. Technique
Emergence through repetition.
Why am I drawn to curation?
Having a critical eye about a point of view, informed point of view.
First Look, Second Look.
Building a context for the Exhibition.
There needs to be a balance between embracing the moment and creating context.
The past present and post. Use three stages of time to impact the context.

VIEW PDF: hpaek_week5_pechacucha

currently reading: “Ways of Seeing” by John Berger