– notebook presentation –
Having to select one or two elements from each week wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but I suppose it’s the curating of the content you produce that is most important in this situation. It did provide a more holistic view of what I had accomplished over 11 weeks.
– the TAKEOVER 2023 | c o n c l u s i o n –
I was actually dreading this day. I felt severely underprepared for the exhibition, but it was just nerves. Thankfully I had a pretty simple installation process, the anxiety is more about the interaction with audience members.
Having to introduce my work on the first tour was a bit awkward, as it was not made clear to me that we would be using an induction-loop microphone and speaker. The microphone stopped transmitting because the speaker was too far away. I was allowed to redo my speech. The second time, I didn’t want to risk anything so I decided to take a leap of faith, trusting myself to project my voice instead. I think the leap payed off, and it may have worked even better than the mic. I believe I said all the relevant information in my speech, leaving the audience to come to their own conclusions about my images.
I feel like my piece didn’t receive as much attention as it could, and perhaps that can be attributed the transient nature of the TAKEOVER, and the prompting of the audience to keep moving with the group. In my opinion, I’m not a big fan of the setting and temporality of the TAKEOVER, as I don’t think it works well for the type of work we as students are trying to present. The spaces are so spread out, up and down; and then of course we have the audience who could be on their lunch break, not wanting to sacrifice it, they could just be passing through, or have shown up from being invited. I suppose you could say the same of my choice of location to install my prints. It felt like walking under a bridge, which to me is always a bit creepy or awkward, so I just want to get out of there as soon as possible. After I introduced my project, I felt that the audience was compelled to walk through the arch, but I think because of the size of the groups, they might have felt that they couldn’t spend enough time looking at my work, so others could get a look at it as well.
I think that had the space been more succinct, or linear, or maybe smaller, that the audience would be compelled to return to other projects. But overall, it sounds like it was quite successful and I’m glad other students were satisfied with the outcome.
Installing my prints.
Although I was offered the screens to show my coloured variations, my suspicions were proven correct as there was glare from the windows on the screen, and I don’t think the images were as engaging as the arch leading to the bar. It was nice to have them there though, as I got to show more of my work off.
This has been a truly informative experience, all of it. I can’t help but feel a bit emotional writing this last post. I have enjoyed so much of I.P., leaving it feels only natural, even if I may be holding onto it with my pinky fingers. I wish all my colleagues success in all their endeavours, and hope to collaborate in future projects when our paths inevitably cross again…
I can now relax a little bit…
Love,
Matthew.