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An explicit study of curation as a definition and as a practice, its historical contexts, altering states and

encapsulating applications.

EGRD3015

Curated by Sibley & Page

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To View Our Portfolio Please Visithttp://issuu.com/rpage/docs/untitled

Since collaborating in 2010, together we have gone on to professionally form as a creative duo, combining our similar aesthetics, ideals and interests. Over the course of the two year collaboration, we have learnt how to effectively and efficiently utilise our skill sets and potentials to create projects that we hope are thought provoking and unique. Ever concerned with the means and contexts in which we work, we aim to produce work with a deeper purpose than just perceived aesthetic beauty, research being that of our structure, we endeavour to create work that is reflective of the world around us.

Definition of practice is one that has channelled itself towards being multifarious, whilst we prefer to par t with singular definitions such as ‘ar tist’ and ‘curator’ we find ourselves working under these practices as a duo, thus, our final major project follows in suit, structuring itself around ar t and curation.

Through collaboration, we aim to produce a series of installations within a space of which mimics that of the gallery to communicate the curatorial technique and highlight the process of modification that has led to curation to become a known term within modern culture. The installations and this project will be framed through the use of a publication and website, both will act as archival and research-based narrations presenting texts in which we will write collaboratively together surrounding the curatorial techniques, either contemporary or historic, that have impacted us both. Whilst the core of the project surrounds curatorship, the framing device finds itself in the boundlessness world of ‘contemporary ar t’ and thus will consist of a selection of related texts and imagery not only from the domains of ar t/curatorship but from other areas of visual culture of which may interest ar tists, curators, photographers, writers and theorists.

Opposite Page: Example Works of Curation:

(Left to Right)

1. ‘Persuasion’, Installation Exhibition, UCA Epsom Courtyard, 2010

2. ‘The Lab’, The Rag Factor y, East London, 2011

3. Jamie Reid: Peace Is Tough Show, The Bearpit, London, 2012

4. TDC Exhibition, JWT, London, 2012

Featured Page: Example Works of Other Mediums

(Top to Bottom)

1. Tortilla-de-Patata Installation

2. Becks Art Label Submission, IG Galler y, London

3. Crow Installation

4. ‘The Distance Between’ Art Film

4. Fringe Theatre, London

5. ‘You’ Imager y and Text Publication

Collaborating together has seen us examining our practice throughout our working time together, after finishing a creatively satisfying year two of study, and undergoing real-world experience in the form of several internships we returned to university for semester five somewhat lost and confused as to what our practice was. After curating the Lab exhibition we were quick to label ourselves ‘curators’, whilst this was something we were enthusiastic about at the time, we quickly became frustrated with the limitations that the label seemed to be attached to. Our differing opinion of the professions definition to the cultural perception has been something that we have spent many hours discussing together. Throughout semester five we found ourselves restrained by the lack of freedom that our misconceptions of the profession placed upon us. Under the impression that to curate was merely an act of placement and the enshrinement of others we found ourselves flustered with the barriers we put up, stunting our creativity that we no longer felt we were able to exercise. Semester five saw us creating a confused body of work centred around the curation of our own works into a show which we had originally planned to complete for our final major project.

Over the semester break we were both working on and completing our disser tations, this saw us given the freedom to research and contemplate ideas, to be creative in the form of composing a document of research. Through this process we were able to re-engage with our creativity and began to embrace the freedom of having concepts and ideas through research. Whilst working as a duo, on occasions our differing interests are individually addressed, this was seen throughout the disser tation process, whilst Ruth’s disser tation was conceived through the concept of documentation and hyperrealism in ar t, Jade’s disser tation saw the examination and exploration of the historical and modern contexts of curatorship. Individually examining our par ticular interests provides us with openings to discuss and question notions with one another and through sharing our knowledge and discoveries we are able to open broad dialogues within the fields of ar t and more often than not, curation. It is through Jades discoveries of the transitional curatorial roles within her disser tation that the entity of our project was developed and formed. As a text, the disser tation uncovered knowledge

that we had previously been ignorant of, formed as a archival time-line of the altering state of curatorship, the research and discussion which it generated allowed for the formulation of our own ideas and opinions many of which have been explored and documented throughout the course of the project. Research forming a large par t of the disser tation process and suppor ted by discussion we both began to increase our knowledge of curatorship and as the disser tation writing drew to a close, we began to form ideas that fed into the progression of curatorship. We realised the potential to expand on our notions of curatorship and were confident to explore the field through active exploration. The disser tation unear thed a notion of curatorship that we felt much more comfor table being an active par t of, the ar tist-curator. As such we saw the oppor tunity to creatively curate and to create our own works as well, thus, feeling less restricted by our previous narrowed view of what the profession was and instead now saw the potential to harness curatorship as an aspect of our ar tistic practice. Through these new discoveries we outlined the ways in which we wanted to explore the notions of the curator, through installation ar t, research methodologies and our graphic communicative skills. This led us to our final major project in the form which it is presented to you, a study and overview of curation, its changing roles and modern manifestations explored through research, writing, practical experimentation and documentation.

“CURATOR?

Producer, Maker, Midwife, Manager, God, Platform

Provider, Diviner, Medium, Artist, Godmother, DJ”

-Paul O’ Neill, Curating Subjects.

To begin our extension of previous research highlighted within Jade’s disser tation and our conjoined prior knowledge we began reading texts and researching instances of contemporary and historical exhibitions both in books and online. We both have an intense interest in the writings that surround fine ar t and curation and consider them to be extremely beneficial and impor tant to be familiar with so as to ensure that we fully understand the origins and contexts that have come before and thus we do not repeat what is already present in the curatorial world.

Here are a select few publications that we have utilised throughout our project.

All images taken from Google

Research Sources

Although the historical contexts of curation could be examined purely through secondary research from its initial forms to its current manifestations, difficulties arouse when examining ar t and curatorship through writing when not witnessed first hand. Understanding that the way in which ar t works or the curatorial method is often only explainable through writings, it was decided that in order to form a structured essay surrounding these fields that writings and observations from others must be combined with first hand experiences, thus we endeavoured to experience the modern world of curation through select shows in London open to us during our research period.

Through the tools available such as the South London Ar t Maps, three maps covering Bankside, Peckham and Deptford, forming as guides to galleries in South London, time-out.com, relevant magazines and online database searches through keywords such as ‘ar tist - curator’ ‘curation exhibition’ etc, along with word of mouth, we selected the exhibitions to view through evaluating what was communicated to us via research, selecting those exhibitions we deemed to be relevant to our exploration.

Once deciding upon which exhibitions were most relevant to our project in concept and form, together we formulated a time plan which would allow for us to visit as many of the chosen exhibitions as possible in the time frame available to us without hindering our own personal production. Understanding that we both could spend the duration of the project simply visiting shows due to our fixation of curation and exhibitions, time management proved key in us being capable of visiting the relevant exhibitions rather than getting carried away by our interests and seeing everything available to us regardless of relevance.

Exhibition Visits

(Top to Bottom)

1. ‘Waste Not - Song Dong’, The Barbican, London, 2012

2. ‘The Invisible Show - Brian Griffiths’, Vilma Gold, London 2012

3. ‘Midday - Lydia Gifford’, David Roberts Art Foundation, London, 2012

4. ‘Topophobia - Curated by Eggbert and Gould’, Danielle Arnaud Galler y, London, 2012

5. ‘|| Profeta - Magenta Manzelli’, Green Grassi Galler y, London, 2012

6. ‘The Dan Cox Librar y for the Unfinished Concept of Thingly Time - A project by Andy Holden’,

Cubitt Galler y, London, 2012

(For Further Details and Imager y)

1. Pages 10-13

2. Pages 14-15

3. Pages 16-17

4. Pages 18-23

5. Pages 24-25

6. Pages 26-29

“Waste Not” - Song Dong

Barbican, London15 Februar y 2012 - 12 June 2012

Showing at the Barbican until 12th June, ‘Waste Not’ is Chinese ar tist Song Dong’s first exhibition in the UK. Curated in museological groupings, the exhibition showcases 10,000 items collected by the ar tist’s late mother throughout her life.

The exhibition comes to the UK in no better time, whilst money is sparse for most, the exhibition aims to depict cultural differences and the act of hoarding, highlighting survival instincts in times of need, showcasing the ideal of reusing and recycling. The items which fill the Barbican’s Curve gallery allow for a sense of curiosity and wonder, whilst at first glance, most of the items seem to be those that would be thrown away after use, such as empty toothpaste tubes and empty bottles, the exhibition showcases the ways in which consumer throwaways can hold emotional ties to a par ticular owner, Dong’s interpretation and display of the items not only relay the concept of being frugal, but relay his concept that all items assemble the whole, serving as a physical archive, his exhibition installation serves as a historical representation of memory and family life.

“Waste Not” - Song Dong

Barbican, London15 Februar y 2012 - 12 June 2012

The Invisible Show - Brian Griffiths

Vilma Gold, London12 Januar y – 19 Februar y, 2012

Brian Griffiths’ ‘The Invisible Show’ was unfor tunately not invisible, it was however an interesting insight into the appropriation of materials and their reworking into sculpture to be given both value and meaning within the gallery space.

Constructed from beige canvas material, steel structures and other ‘wor thless’ and throw away material, the sculptures present themselves as huge, dwarfing sculptures which in turn makes them impossible to ignore. An exhibition for contemplation, ‘The Invisible Show’ leaves you considering what you are looking at and why you are looking at it, once you recover from the initial discovery that nothing is being concealed, you return to the central concept to the show, how can an exhibition be invisible? We see Griffiths’ placing normally overlooked or ‘invisible’ materials, colours and shapes at the forefront of his show, openly demonstrating that with the exhibitionary framing, ordinary objects appear significant, visible.

Midday - Lydia Gifford

The David Roberts Art Foundation, London. 27 Januar y - 24 March 2012

Painter, sculpture and installation ar tist Lydia Gifford features her latest works within the Midday exhibition held at The David Rober ts Ar t Foundation in London. Featuring paintings and sculptures, Gifford creates in-situ installations within the gallery itself, the gallery forms a space for ‘experimentation, a testing ground, a mental space.’ Initially the show presents itself as random instances of placement of discarded and useless materials such as planks of wood, board and carpet tiles supplemented by paint smears on the walls. It is only after considering the suppor ting material that you become able to consider the show as a state of un-interruption, an unfinished symphony.

Her works within Midday make apparent the impor tance of experience and self discovery, through removing the need for a studio space, Gifford’s works are attached to their context, they originate from the place in which she works, creating their own conditions, limitations and perceptions. The lack of hierarchy within the exhibition is apparent, the exhibition is a space of possibility, ‘be it a mental space, or more physically, the space of a page, a room, a cardboard box: a suppor t structure’. (Gifford, 2012) Midday presents an exhibition in which her works are reinvented by the viewer, critiquing the relevance of the studio space whilst questioning the impor tance of the public gallery.

“Topophobia” - Curated by Eggbert and Gould

Curated by Eggebert-and-Gould Danielle Arnaud Galler y, London, 13 Januar y - 19 Februar y, 2012

Held within a house in Lambeth, Topophobia is given a setting to match its intent. The title meaning an irrational dread of cer tain places or situations, presents itself in the most familiar surroundings it can find, a home, this allows for the pieces of work within the show to act as alien encounters within the normality of the surroundings, the works themselves become uncer tainties and thus connote the title.

Topophobia has been ar ticulated into multiple versions due to the sequence of different exhibition spaces, ‘the reconfiguration of installations, the addition and subtraction of elements in a series, and the inclusion of late new ar tists’ commissions’ the spaces themselves function as the exhibition, concluding the concept of dis/locatedness and dis/placement, Topophobia seeks to join spaces (and the fear of them) with the works of ar t through curatorial concepts, realisations and aesthetics.

“Topophobia” - Curated by Eggbert and Gould

Danielle Arnaud Galler y, London, 13 Januar y - 19 Februar y, 2012

“Topophobia” - Curated by Eggbert and Gould

Danielle Arnaud Galler y, London, 13 Januar y - 19 Februar y, 2012

|| Profeta - Margherita Manzelli

Greengrassi, London19 Januar y - 25 Februar y 2012

Ravenna based ar tist Margherita Manzelli showcases a selection of recent paintings encompassing por traits of withdrawn and almost alien-like waxy women, mute and still, the women are engaged in no activity other than staring, their eyes confronting the viewer. Manzelli’s paintings present an eerie mood within the walls of GreenGrassi gallery. Meticulously hung, the curatorial approach of a small body of work exhibited within a large gallery space with no background information or texts surrounding, the concept for the show begs to be questioned and critiqued.

Very much an acquired taste, personally we were more interested in the curatorial approach and the beauty of the white gallery encasing the paintings rather than the paintings themselves. Believed by many is the prestige that is automatically given to ar tworks once hung in a white cube via the curator, if true, then the exhibition seen here within the GreenGrassi gallery at first glance seems to circle this idea of curator as arbiter of taste, as mediator. Yet whilst the white gallery space overshadows the paintings, no texts are provided for the show, us as viewers are left to draw upon our own conclusions, completely unattended and alone. We are left to experience the exhibition in a fashion which actually rejects the curatorial approach for one which exists purely for ar tistic appreciation, thus, here we see the curator hanging up his role of arbiter of taste in favour for one that puts us in charge.

The Dan Cox Library for the Unfinished Concept of Thingly Time

A project by Andy HoldenCubitt Galler y, London17 Februar y - 16 March 2012

Dan Cox Library for the Unfinished Concept of Thingly Time is more than just a mouthful to say, it is a constructed space to consider. A project by Andy Holden, sees Cubitt Gallery transformed into the library of Dan Cox who sadly passed away in Feburary 2011 whilst he was curating Andy Holden’s exhibition at Kettle’s Yard. ‘Each week Dan, in his dual role of friend and Theoretical Advisor, would visit Andy’s studio and the pair would record their conversations, the day before Dan’s death, he had proposed a title for the exhibition: Chewy Cosmos, Thingly Time. Chewy Cosmos is a slogan Dan found on the underside of a Cadbury’s Starbar, conjuring up images of ponderous masticatory dialogue and the possibility of consuming the known universe. Thingly Time was to be Dan’s Great Theory, drawing on Marx and observations from Andy’s sculptures, of a three par t-division of Time: Time as Intensive, Extensive, and Thingly.’ (Cubitt, 2012).

Posed as a collaborative visual library, the exhibition contains an array of Cox’s books, in arrangement to Holden’s sculptural pieces, the space becomes one for dialogue, one to learn in, think and explore in, connoting that of the relationship between Holden and Cox.

The Dan Cox Library for the Unfinished Concept of Thingly Time

A project by Andy HoldenCubitt Galler y, London17 Februar y - 16 March 2012

These exhibitions cemented the ideas and knowledge that we had progressively been building upon, viewing them in physicality, we were able to identify the current states of curation and expand on our own ideas about the under takings of the curator. The physical exhibition research not only increased our awareness of current curatorial practice but also allowed us to begin to think about how we wanted to communicate this new awareness as the project progressed. Knowing that these exhibitions would feature within our publication to coexist with the essay that together we had been forming throughout the semester, collating what we had experienced played an impor tant role. Through the act of compiling exhibition case studies, consisting of Jade documenting the exhibitions through photography, and writing collaboratively together after our visits, a ‘mini review’ which featured the synopsis, narrative and conclusion to each exhibition was forged. Through this act we were able to examine, interrogate and relay what was placed before us in terms of curation. Collaborating on each case study, we were able to improve upon our writing ability and style which was an aspect to our project that needed to be addressed in order to communicate efficiently

through the channels we wished to relay our project manifestations. Through critically examining the exhibitions that we found most illustrative of our research and the time-line of curation that our essay forms, we integrated examples of contemporary curation in conjunction with well documented examples of historical contexts to provide a detailed outline of curation in its forms through history to present day, thus we were able to collate a sense of critical judgement that was needed in order to not only continue the essay that would be the pivotal point of the publication and the project itself, but to generate ideas for our own works, those being installations.

Exhibition Visits Conclusion

Installation ar t refers to the acts of placement, construction and creation within any possible space, the method of displaying objects within an environment to communicate to an audience as to relay the ar tists message through allowing the viewer to physically enter the environment is one that is often described as being 'theatrical', 'immersive' or 'experimental'. Presented to you, and those who view our body of work for this final unit are works depicting installations. Constructed as objects within a space, the factor of audience par ticipation is removed in order to communicate ideas through the realms of digitisation and print which enable the works to communicate to a larger audience through documentation, thus, relaying their visual essay construct to multiple receipts rather than limiting them to be constructed to be only readable via physical interaction. Although rendered unnecessary to be positioned within a space to be viewed physically by an audience, it was still pivotal for us to obtain a space in which we would be able to experiment and construct our works of installation within and thus document for the publication, website and project.

We explored many avenues to appropriate a environment that would provide us with the space, aesthetic and location that we required including garages, storage units, residential

and commercial proper ties however we found the most logical and best suited to our requirements was that of the ar tists studio. A studio would allow us the space and freedom to experiment without being constrained by a buildings rules and regulations, we would have access to natural light and be able to install works as we wished in a contained environment which only we have access to. We set about looking for studio spaces that met our requirements for lighting, spatial layout and access. Researching through site visits and online negotiating via telephone and email we discovered that many studios had substantial waiting lists or proposal based submissions all of which we did not have the luxury of time to accommodate. Eventually we found Wimbledon Ar t Studios. Situated in Earlsfield, London. Not only did the studio provide overhead natural light, gallery-esk similarities which would prove essential in terms of our installations and 24 hour access, the studio was a shor t train journey from our homes which meant more time could be allocated to the creation of works rather than the commute to and from the space. Understanding that the installations themselves would cost a substantial amount, we were able to negotiate the acquisition of the 17 x 13 ft space to £450. Deciding this would be the ideal space to house our experiments, we signed a one month contract in which to

complete the experimentation and installation processes. The size of the studio provided us with ample space to conduct our experiments and contain our materials as well as allowing distance for a range of photographic imagery to be produced to document.

Intentions and Studio Acquisition

Studio 211Wimbledon Art Studios Earlsfield, London

The displays which were created over 34 days within the studio, remove the audience par ticipation so familiar within installation ar t, instead they relay their message to the audience only through the imagery recorded whilst creating the installations themselves, thus, presenting an arbitrated experience through the mediums of documentation and text, serving as visual essays, the works are to be absorbed and to be communicated, to question, enlighten and suppor t the dialogue surrounding the disorientated state of the curatorial process.

With the installations and publication coexisting, serving as a suppor t structure for the basis of one another, the installations situate themselves with relevance to the text surrounding, thus the concept and formation for each installation is forged through par ticularities, such as the specific transformation of curator that is being discussed within the text, the historical or contemporary definitions and roles of the curator, the research of which was collated through exhibition visiting and so four th. With this said, the installations themselves within the publication need little contextualising in comparison to the essay itself. To dismiss the possibilities of repeating ourselves through the publication and this por tfolio, yet in order to still address each installation within this context, a difference of writing is to be employed to discuss the installations in a illustrative way.

Installations Introduction

“Collection of Chilled Goods”

Supermarket Produce in Fridge 84 x 55 x 61 cm

Through thorough secondary research into the cabinets of curiosities or the ‘wunderkammers’, where curation is evidenced to have begun in its simplest forms, along with first hand experience of todays remaining models seen at the Natural History Museum and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, “Collection of Chilled Goods” presents itself as a direct response to this research of the museological beginnings of curation.

The wunderkammers that saw the origination of the museum and thus the gallery were once private housed collections collating of objects of interest to the collector himself, only shared by invitation to close friends, relatives and powerful wealthy individuals, these collections were ‘curated’ according to taste and personal preference rather than through any educational structure. As the shift from wunderkammer through to museum took place, collections were reconsidered and archived to form knowledgeable and

educational musings. A well-known example of this, a private collection curated to become accessible and usable by the public is that of Sir Hans Sloane. Sloane is credited to have complied one of the largest private collections of curiosities of his time. Sloane complied more than 71,000 objects before these were eventually placed within a public house in 1753 after his death. ‘The idea of general welfare crept into and modified the government of any given country, the ruling powers of that country in many cases confiscated or purchased these collected treasures, added other purchases and gifts to them, made them so-called public collections and deposited them for safekeeping in national buildings’ (Dana, 1917, p10). The national building in which Sloane’s collection was deposited into became the worlds first national public museum and is now one of the worlds best known, The British Museum. The curator began to position items according to categorisational and organisation methods such as date, size and medium, each display as a means of education and enjoyment. Inevitably, the curatorial technique continued to transform over time with the collections role and value to society, as the merging of the curator and ar tist began to combine during the 20th century, so to did the collections. Now in the hands of the ar tists, the collection was reformed to relay connective messages to the public and was, as is now, seen as a public spectacle to be contemplated and considered.

Photographed ‘as is’ by Jade, “Collection of Chilled Goods” is a re-construction of a mutual friends refrigerator within our studio space. A true to life private collection, the refrigerator that we contain within our home often sees us using ‘curatorial’ techniques to form our own personalised collection. Organised through categories such as impor tance (personal preferences, taste), dates (best before, use by), size, colour and types (produce), the installation displays a modern instance of the wunderkammer.

Initially the installation was to be formed of two par ts, one a re-constructed bathroom cabinet and the other the fridge. Although previously aware of Damien Hirst’s “Pharmacy” we did not expect our bathroom cabinet to bare such strong resemblances, unconvinced that the installation would not be viewed without connotations of Hirst’s “Pharmacy”, especially knowing that another installation we had planned was in fact a direct link to Hirst, we decided to exclude this from the installation and utilise the fridge as the sole collection thus allowing to clearly communicate that which we intended.

“Collection of Chilled Goods” & “Cabinet Collection”Process

Whilst examining the working relationship of the curator and the ar tist, the act of curatorial placement inevitably arouse. After looking fur ther into Marcel Duchamp, Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol, ar tists who revolutionised the way in which we view the 'ar t object' through curatorial placement and gallery enshrinement, it became apparent the curatorial power that the curator is able to harness through creation of an exhibition, reminding us that as the status and prestige of the curatorial role increases, so too does the its influence as the 'arbiter of taste'. An homage to Damien Hirst and his 1991 installation "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living", "Hearse" sees us examining this subject matter of curatorial placement through using connective associations and signifiers such as colour, subject matter, context and curatorial placement. We tested multiple ways to realise this installation, originally we intended to suspend a dead goldfish in the same solution that Hirst used to suspend his shark however we soon discovered that the original substance Hirst used was now illegal due to health implications

and the substitutions for the substance were not only expensive but hazardous to use in confined spaces. Discarding the idea of suspension we utilised food colouring to give the overall impression of the substance that Hirst used and decided to depict the goldfish as it would appear naturally when dead. Although we found this composition visually appealing we did not feel that it communicated curatorial placement and only relayed the power to harness connotations to the original work. Thus, the curators hand was introduced to communicate curatorial placement in a stronger way, through the 'curator' holding the dead fish against the studio wall (that to mimic a gallery in imagery) we were able to maintain the strength of curated connotations.

“Hearse”

“Hearse” Installation Test #1

“Hearse” Installation Test #2

“Hearse” Found Purchased Object, Photo Colour Manipulation

Whilst we believed this composition bettered that of our original, whilst shopping for materials for our next installation, we came across a object for sale at a car boot sale which could be utilised to form a parody of Hirst’s subject matter, this led to the final imagery for the installation as it combined all elements, (curators hand and subject matter) that formed the concept of curatorial placement.

Through using photo manipulation to construct similar colours to the “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living”, and an obvious associated subject matter, that being the fish, we were able to frame the placement as a nod to Hirst’s work and utilised the idea of placement through the positioning of the curatorial hand in the display of the composition.

“Hearse” Process

"White Entities" (#1,#2,#3,#4)

Whilst our research progressed, as too did our subject matters. What became apparent during the middle of our research and writing process is that of the 'white cube', the response from institutions and curators to the demand for spaces committed to the presenting and thus viewing of contemporary ar t. The white cube brought with it fur ther subject matters for us to consider within our writing and installation making, a place in which ar tists works and selected, displayed and presented, ar tists themselves have examined the white cube within their work throughout history, this in some cases has manifested into fixations and obsessions with the colour that the 'white' cube boasts. From Piero Manzoni's 'Achromes' to Alfredo Jaar's 'Lament of the Images', the colour white is used to transcend notions and connotations, providing a blank space for contemplation. Associated with the prestige of the gallery space and a pureness of un-interruption, white is able to transform via its encasement and frame that which is placed in its grasp. "White Entities" shows a collection of objects transformed into works of 'ar t' via their enshrinement by the colour white.

Working with a range of different items and structures to emphasis the nature of white and its ability to be applied to anything to reform and reevaluate them in a new, ar tistic context, "White Entities" uses real materials to construct each installation, to relay the associational value of the individual materials and connote 'everyday life' or 'every day found items', harnessed to subver t our ingrained responses to the cultural meaning of the objects, this power of white is utilised to rever t our common response in order for us to reevaluate the objects in a new creative and ar tistic light.

"White Entities #1" 71 Found Purchased Objects, White Spray Paint, White Acr ylic

A collection of 71 items purchased from the first car boot stall upon entrance to the Wimbledon Car Boot are transformed from insignificant and kitsch objects into 'ar t' using spray paint. After much research and testing, spray paint seemed to be the easiest method to employ in order to apply an even coat of paint to the varying surfaces of the objects such as ceramic, glass, plastic and card. These differing surfaces provided a number of problems throughout the encasing process which took us two weeks to complete. Our first attempts to coat the glass and ceramic objects saw us applying too thick a coat creating bubbling and dripping upon the objects, we were able to correct this problem by increasing both the drying time between coats and the distance at which we sprayed the items however this increased the time it took us to cover each item as de-c http://untitled-sibleyandpage.com/# oating we required in order to restar t the process again. The more porous surfaces such as detailed ornaments and card that packaged the purchased objects such as battery packets, UHU glue and so on were heavily coated and glossed and therefore needed far more coats than we first had anticipated. In total we needed 15 500ml cans of white matt spray to evenly paint the 71 items.

“White Entities #1” Spray Paint Set Up

"White Entities #1" 71 Found Purchased Objects, White Spray Paint, White Acr ylic

For fur ther imagery and film see websitehttp://untitled-sibleyandpage.com/

"White Entities #2"Found White Canvas, Wall

Wanting to continue this subject matter and with numerous ideas of how we could create installations in reply, we created a number of installations rather than only testing out the first idea we had. "White Entities #2" features a found white canvas on a white wall. The white canvas, a reoccurring ar t piece throughout time appropriated by many ar tists, including Rober t Rauschenberg who is discussed in the accompanying essay within the publication, not only highlights the ar tists obsession with white but the ability of the colour to hold no connotations, thus, allowing the viewer to contemplate what they wish from the surface that they are encountering. This instance of white enshrinement shows the gallery walls enshrined as a implement to frame as well as the work as an ar ticle to contemplate.

"White Entities #3"Found White Interiors, White Acr ylic

"White Entities #3" appear pure and ar tistic via the application of white acrylic. Positioned within a communal area of the studios in which we were working, the exterior electrics and radiator were painted white to match their surrounding walls moulding them into an ar tistic space rather than of normality, thus rendering them as ar t through detracting them from reality.

Our theor y of the white encasement was proven shortly after the installation process when we sold one of the pieces to a fellow studio resident.

“White Entities #4”Water, White Acr ylic , Wall

Water is mixed with white acrylic and adhered to a wall showing a white-on-white enshrinement of both the water and the wall as they interact with each others white components. Mixing the water with enough white paint to create an opaque liquid substance we projected the liquid onto a white wall, this installation not only shows the enshrinement of white on both the ar t and the gallery space but also shows how the ar t and gallery are connected, thus continuing the white-on-white enshrinement.

“White Entities” (#1)Process

"Unknown Artists"

Outsourced Film Photographs (111), Picture Frames

"Unknown Ar tists" is an exhibition-installation highlighting the curator as ar tist and exhibition maker. Out sourced, the three collections of family photographic typologies were selected, installed and communicated from our own concept of relaying personal ar ticles detached from their author, thus, the curator, in this case us, adopts the authoritarian role. We decided to use photography that we did not know the authorship of so as to strengthen the message that the curator can be the creator and that exhibition making is as much an ar tistic role as ar t production.

Once we had gathered the imagery for use in the installation from internet auction sites, charity shops and personal sources, we began the selection process choosing photography for its honesty and depictions of the family as a unit. The exhibition is installed in a salon style hang and the bright colours of the film photography accent and communicate the chaotic notions of family life. The frames chosen and displayed create a sense of nostalgia through placing the viewer in the position of imagining their own family photograph as it more commonly appears within the home. The honest depiction of the documentation of the family units is crafted by curation as it can be assumed that the photographer did not intend their personal photographs to be seen in an ar t context thus it is the placement that por trays the communicative message.

For a full image catalogue of the photographs exhibited see website or follow this link: http://untitled-sibleyandpage.com/Unknown-Artists-Image-Catalogue

"Unknown Artists"

Out sourced Film Photographs (111), Picture Frames

“Unknown Artists”

Out sourced Film Photographs (111), Picture Frames

“Unknown Artists”Process

"Exhibition-Maker"Sibley: Right Hand, Page: Left Hand & Paint.

"Exhibition-Maker" projects the thoroughly discussed notion of the curator as ar tist, as ar tist Daniel Buren discusses in his essay "Where are the Ar tists? - Exhibitions of an Exhibition" originally formed in 1972, the repositioning of the curator as ar tist is something that has been progressively altering for some time, "More and more, the subject of an exhibition tends not be the display of ar tworks, but the exhibition of the exhibition as a work of ar t.", Here Buren discusses the notion that whilst the curator continues to diversify its roles to fall under new definitions and 'labels' such as author, creator and so on, the forefront of an exhibition is more often than not, the exhibition and the curator, rather than the individual ar t works that form the whole. Today we see the curator free to exercise their craft, and to curate shows of authored concept.

The installation depicted in "Exhibition-Maker" was formulated through chance, whilst installing "White Entities #1", specks of paint from the newspaper which the objects were spray painted on to keep the studio floor clean, transferred onto our hands thus more literal than not, highlighting the act of creation that is used within the curatorial technique.

This display connotes the phrase "getting your hands dir ty", as a form of creational activity. Relaying the notions that the curator is an integral par t of the realisation of ar t works in the forms which they are composed, and thus, to the formulation of the exhibition as a new realisation of ar twork, therefore becoming an ar t work itself, thus, authoring the curator as the ar tist.

"Gallery 211" (#1,#2,#3,#4)

With the influx of options now available to those requiring a space to show ar t, the progression of appropriate spatial considerations within curation is one that requires deep consideration. The space in which work is shown directly affects the work within it, a building comes with connotations, locations provide cultural anomalies and aesthetics can directly add to, or subtract from, the message which is relayed by the works exhibited. As the gallery space surrounds the work which is placed within it, the impossibility arises that one is not able to only consider the works presented, the gallery is also within sight. Thus the gallery space becomes a component to be considered as much as the ar t is.

"Gallery 211, (Untitled)" #1

White Paint, Plasterboard, Concrete, Pinewood, Steel, Fluorescent Lighting Tubes, Electricity, Stainless Steel, Iron, Corrugated PVC, Nails, Screws, Plastic Socket, Electrical Wires, Tape.

17' 1" x 13' x 10' 2"

Often viewed as a blank canvas in which to show work in an uninterrupted state, "Gallery 211", 211 being our personalised numbered studio, show the empty vessel of the 'gallery space', thus, reconsiders the role of the gallery as ar t.

"Gallery 211, #2, #3"

Excess galler y material emphasised as art.

This series of installations moves on to consider the elemental proper ties of the gallery space and how the physicality of construction becomes in itself an ar t from through its framing of contents, reflecting this idea, the installation series frames left-over skir ting and plasterboard as ar t so that we can consider the material production of the 'gallery' space as ar t.

"Gallery 211, #3"

Excess galler y material emphasised as art.

"Gallery 211, #4"

White Paint, Plasterboard, Concrete, Pinewood, Steel, Fluorescent Lighting Tubes, Electricity, Stainless Steel, Iron, Corrugated PVC, Nails, Screws, Plastic Socket, Electrical Wires, Tape.

17’ 1” x 13’ x 10’ 2”

Reflection of Gallery 211 framed as ar t.

"La Châsse du Pape Côtes du Rhône Reserve Red"

Wine glass, La Châsse du Pape Côtes du Rhône Reser ve Red Wine, Picture Ledge

Named to illustrate the brand of wine we used in the production, "La Châsse du Pape Côtes du Rhône Reserve Red" stems from the idea that the exhibition has lost its ar tistic focus in favour of a more experiential activity in the form of the private view. By positioning the wine glass in the place of ar t and on a picture ledge, intended to house ar t, the installation illustrates the ways in which the draw of the exhibition has changed through the emphasis of event, privacy and prestige. The private view is a system that has been in place for decades, in 1970 ar tist Tom Marioni began drinking with friends in gallery and studio contexts, in 1979 his work "The Act of Drinking Beer With Friends is the Highest Form of Ar t" made an appearance at the museum of modern ar t in San-Francisco. Arguably an act of social intervention in the place of ar t, the installation caused the social to become more impor tant than the ar t and in terms of the private view we can see this process of event

before ar t progressively increasing through events such as London's "First Thursdays" which promotes new ar tists using open invitation events that supply free alcohol in return for attendance. In many ways the exhibition event has come to measure the success of the exhibition itself, if people want to attend and if they talk about the event, then the work itself is seen as a success, rather than being measured on the communicative proper ties of the ar t on show.

To highlight these issues within the curatorial practice which sees the event now becoming the forefront of the ar t scene, we experimented with different ways of highlighting the wine glass in an exhibitionary context. We decided that

the final realisation of the appearance of the installation would be a single wine glass placed at the end of a long picture ledge denoting the shift from an ar t world centred around ar t-works to one centred on the ar t-event.

“La Châsse du Pape Côtes du Rhône Reserve Red”Process

"Hans-Ulrich Obrist"Projector, inter views featuring Hans-Ulrich Obrist

Addressing the emerging 'superstar' quality of the modern day curatorial field, the installation "Hans Ulrich Obrist" was a screening of interviews and conversations with the famed curator.

Obrist is just one of the many figures prominent in the curatorial world known for his par ticularly active role within curation and its relaying to vast audiences. Today he has become an extremely influential figure enshrining the notions of what is and is not considered to be good practice. Other well known instances of 'the curator' are curators such as Okwui Enwezor and Massimiliano Gioni who have recently been hailed along with Obrist as 'Star Curators' who are 'bridging the gap between ar tist and audience thus defining contemporary ar t through their own rules. (Phaidon)

The increasing enshrinement of the curator means that now a show can enter the populace via the association of the arbiter of taste. "Hans-Ulrich Obrist" as an installation looks at the possibilities of curatorship to be the main draw and focus of an entire exhibition. As the glamorisation continues to grow, and whilst more curators utilise this new contemporary form of curating, it allows for the role models of this field like Obrist to adopt a 'god-like' figureship.

"Personal Curation" (#1, #2)Found Installations

As we find ourselves more familiar with the term 'curated' or 'curated by', the dialogue surrounding the de-professionalism continues. Today we see the term being used to describe a simple set of actions: select, interpret, display and present. This set of actions is one that unknowingly or not, we all find ourselves par taking in. Today we see cosmetic ranges, cars, menus, TV shows and websites now being 'curated'. Websites such as thingsorganisedneatly.com, pinterest.com, curateyourlife.tumblr.com, faveous.com all show how curation is fast becoming a hobby of the masses. These document just a few of the instances of how people curate their own belongings, desires and interests etc with the aim of 'exhibiting' them to visitors, customers and for themselves.

“Personal Curation" shows imager y taken of instances of curation in ever yday life, each one showing this set of actions that involve selecting, interpreting, displaying and presenting, thus each installation showcase a 'curated' collection.

“Personal Curation” #1 Found Installation, Carpenter’s Studio, London

First of the two instances of personal curation is that of a studio resident carpenter named John. John has a wealth of materials and documents contained within his three studios, being a social member of the ar t community which practice in Wimbledon Ar t Studios, he often hosts meetings and social gatherings within his studio and thus his door is always physically open to the judgement of others, as such John openly admits to organising his belongings to ‘show-off ’ his works and maintain a welcoming environment for others. The photographs taken of his ‘curated’ collections feature the ways in which he organises and categorises his materials into either formation or disarray, depending upon which studio was photographed.

“Personal Curation” #2 Found Installation, Car Boot Sale, Wimbledon, London

"Personal Curation, #2' presents itself as a collections of badges, medals, pins, watches, spoons and jewellery. These 'curated' collections were found at Wimbledon's well known Car Boot Sale in Wimbledon Stadium car park. Here we see how people organise their belongings and position them in neat, attractive formations to project notions of impor tance, desirability and to showcase a large collection at once in a busy environment, these curatorial techniques also project a positive image of the stall holders themselves, thus probably increasing sales, much like how a curator employs a technique to make ar tworks seem more attractive within an exhibition to better the chances of gallery sales. After asking each car boot stall holder their permission to photograph and use the images within the publication and website, on approval we photographed the collections without altering them in any way.

The instances that from the imagery for this visualisation were chosen to show two completely different situations in which personal curation is physically present in society, although we considered examining the extensions to the digital realm to collect imagery that depicted this we were overwhelmed by the amount of material and unsure about the appropriation of the images as they may have read as our own and confused the project.

“Curated Consumption”Found Installation Curated by Ikea

A new application of the curatorial role is that of curated consumption. Today we see shopping depar tment stores being deemed as ‘concept stores’, those curated to mimic that of an exhibition or feature aspects that have been ‘curated’ for you. For years we have been under the curators influence in terms of taste and judgement thus when something has been ‘curated’ for us we automatically read it as being something more of wor th and significance to us than the objects or situation that has not been ‘curated’. An example is that of clothing brand Urban Outfitters, with the current trends of second-hand goods and one-offs at affordable prices Urban Outfitters curates its stores to appear as charity shops with a vast array of collected goods on sale which mimic the endless rails you would expect to find in charity shops and vintage boutiques. Where charity shops display as many goods as possible to generate funds for their respective causes, Urban Outfitters searches and selects only that which they deem fashionable and promotes these items within its stores for consumption.

Another example of this curated consumption that doesn’t shy away from its personalised curated experience is that of international home furnishing franchise IKEA. An example of the creation of an ‘authentic experience of self realisation’, IKEA encourages the viewer (customers) to experience what it is they want rather than be told directly what they should buy. The curation of the environment in which IKEA places its goods to be sold encourages a sense of recognition within its customers, they are able to experience the goods as they would in their own homes. Allowed to interact with the furniture through ‘home set ups’, IKEA automatically puts the customer at ease and dispels the notion that goods are being forced upon them, rather, IKEA encourages the familiarity that the customers may feel when experiencing their products. This inceptive form of adver tising through using words such as ‘curated by’ or ‘curated for you’ paired with the curated set ups of ‘home’ means that the consumer falls under the manipulation of the enticing-to-buy company through the use of complex signs and signifiers, those being ‘curated’.

With so many choices of high quality goods now available to consumers, curated consumption edits down those choices, presenting only what they give their arbiter of taste seal of approval to, the consumer revels in smaller selection choices of what they want, hand-picked for the consumer, they are made to feel impor tant and tailored to by the companies who are trying to entice them.

“Curated Consumption” presents a series of images that document this changing role of the curator within modern day society. Identifying the acts of the consumerist world which has adopted curatorial techniques to aid selling “Curated Consumption” observes the ways in which the furniture store IKEA utilises curation to promote consumership to its visitors, along with imagery of its ‘curators’.

“Curated Consumption”Found Installation Curated by I KEA

“Curated Consumption”Found Installation Curated by IKEA

“Curated Consumption”Found Installation Curated by IKEA

“Curated Consumption”Found Installation Curated by IKEA

"Live Feed"Webcamera, Ustream.com

The documentation of curatorship is something that is not often addressed. A private profession, in its exhibitionary terms, the focus lies with the end result which is crafted to appear for the first time as a event which can be anticipated and built up to, the process, planning and organisation, installation and creative decision-making are concealed to reveal the show only in its final manifestations, thus, to communicate only as the curator intends. As the interest in the curatorial field of study increases and the transition of curator to maker continues to grow, together we wanted to add to this debate through allowing the documentation of our curatorial process viewable.

Revealing our own practice and decision making, we activated a live stream to coincide with our time in the studio which presents our production within the studio space itself and re-frames the curatorial practice under our own personal strategies.

We set up our live feed using the streaming website ustream.com, hailed as the 24/7 Youtube, it allows its users to stream live footage via a webcam to

audiences across the world. The most prominent problem that we had with ustream were instances of video freezing and adver tising which lasted 25 seconds at the beginning of a viewers initial viewing and then at intervals throughout, although there was nothing we were able to do about the adver tising as it was too expensive for us to remove for all our viewers, we contacted ustream about the instances of video freezing and they were able to direct us on how to correct the problems so that streaming would run smoothly. The backlog of videos which stored under our ustream channel meant that people could choose to watch previously streamed footage when we were not active in the studio, this meant that there was always something that a viewer was able to access to see the curational and creational practice involved with our project and installation building.

Through social networking, and a link prominently placed on the home page of our website we were able to direct people to view our live feed creating a stream of regular viewers, through social networking, our link was retweeted by other ar tists and designers, increasing the traffic to our ustream and thus our project.

Live streaming was a strange experience for us as we would occasionally remember that we were on film, however for the most par t it was an non -invasive process that allowed our work to be documented and the curatorial process to live on past its temporary activity which is something we will continue to utilise in our future projects.

To see past recordings visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/content-curation

Social Networking Documentation

"Live Feed"Webcamera, Ustream.com

"Alternatives" A selection of images presenting the alternative ways in which we were to curate/create our installations.

One of the most intriguing things about the process of curation, to us, is the uncer tainty of the options trialLed. To see what was considered to be present within a space or as a display before coming to the final solution reveals in a greater depth why the choices that were made occurred.

In the same way that our "Live Feed" operates to showcase the decisions and processes of curation, "Alternatives" showcases a collection of some unused options created during our time in the studio. Ranging from showing a difference in location to a difference in subject matter to simple composition changes, we collected these options to showcase a usually unseen par t of curation, the selection and display process.

To open this topic up to speculation we have provided this section within our website called "Alternatives" which gives audiences an oppor tunity to view ideas tested within the space and by doing this we hope to fur ther clarify our reasoning for our final choices, whilst showcasing a usually secretive aspect to curation.

To see the full archive of “Alternative” installations visit this link

http://untitled-sibleyandpage.com/Alternatives

These installations together act as illuminations of ideas and notions present within the curatorial practice. They allow for contemplation and for an opening of dialogues and thought processes. The displays work both independently to discuss a message, through the harnessing of a small caption within the publication and website, formulated to identify a generalised theme of thought, and also function within the wider context of curation as a field through its alignment with the essay published in our publication. Whilst the recording of installation ar t is a par ticularly hard craft to master, as the photographer must integrate into the imagery a three dimensional space into a two dimensional

one that still reflects the physicality of space and its contents, as such, it is hard to create a reflective document of a piece of installation ar t as it is site, object and physical awareness dependent. To counter the problems of recording physical situations, Jade took a vast number of photographs, which can be seen in the "Stats" for each installation, and in some cases film. If it is perspective that causes a viewer to experience an installation through two dimensional means, then by considering how a space is constructed through imagery, the viewer is able to place themselves within the space and imagine how the works would have been communicated to them if they were able to view the installations first hand. Putting ourselves both in the position of the viewer that may have viewed it, Jade constructed as many compositions as possible through photography to see how they relayed the sense of space and thus the work, then together we went on to choose the final selection of unedited images for each installation in which Jade went on to edit once chosen. Once Jade had finished editing the smaller selection of imagery for each installation, which usually varied out at around 20 images per installation, we then continued the selection process together to decide on the final image of the installation to showcase in the publication and a small number of images which would feature on our website.

Image - Jade Photographing the || Profeta Exhibition at the GreenGrassi Galler y in London

Installations Conclusion

Our time in the studio came to an end and thus ended our exploration with physical matter in the space. At this point, we needed to continue to collate all our research, expanded knowledge and discoveries into essay form, a form of writing that is impor tant for us to be able to critique and relay our own opinions. Ekphrasis is a word used to describe a visual description of works, thoughts and ideas in ar t. Of Greek origins the act of this form of writing is something still notewor thy in the ar t world today. Ekphrasis refers to the act of texts being studied to form habits of thinking and writing. This is present within the field of curation as knowledge of the subject is passed through history as the temporary physical states of exhibition are relayed in written form. As such, writing forms an integral par t of curation and indeed any form of ar t communication. Using Jades disser tation as the

foundation, we continued to expand and develop the essay to create a more detailed time-line of curatorial events that included examples both from historical contexts and from contemporary culture. We wanted to communicate our own discoveries and ideas throughout the essay and showcase how they fit within curation, always intended as visual essays which highlight the points we wanted to make in our essay, the installations would act as visual references for notions discussed within the text. We took a great deal of time to formulate our essay ensuring it was the best to our own ability technically and that it communicated our thoughts, research and installations the best way possible. Throughout our working time together,

we have learnt to write collaboratively, we are aware this may seem an unusual process however it is one that we find strengthens our communication. We have different ways of relaying information and by combining our writing styles we are able to consider the best and most communicative ways of saying essentially the same thing. The way in which we collaboratively write together is usually over Skype, we find Skype gives us both the space to think about what it is we are trying to compose individually, whilst allowing for a fast transfer of text, enabling us to modify accordingly as text is passed between one another as ell as keep up with progress. To combine both our writing we usually take both instances of what we have individually wrote and cut, paste and modify so that the text flows cohesively and communicates the best sections from both our work. We find this to be an extremely beneficial process as it allows us to consider our writing from two different view points which highlights what does and doesn't communicate that which we are trying to say.

Publication Creation

Screenshot of collaborative writing over Skype

Having received feedback in the past about our constructed text pieces that have lacked a sense of good grammar, spelling and redrafting, we were determined to correct these problems to the best of our ability and learn from our past mistakes. To ensure that our writing was of a better standard, so as to communicate our findings and research efficiently, we sent our essay off to be proof read, we hoped this process would correct the kinks present due to the gaps in our grammatical knowledge and would ensure that the work was looked over with fresh eyes. We found this process incredibly beneficial not only to the project itself but to us as a duo in terms of writing together. The checked version highlighted to us the ways in which our writing communicated directly to others, although we kept some of the sentences structures suggested to us, there were instances which we felt our writing style had been changed and thus we re-worked the original sentences ourselves with the checked version to create a finalised essay as it reads within the publication.

Screenshot of us going through proofed document, making alterations to copy

Proofing

In order to gain a better knowledge about our intentions for making a publication and the reasons for relaying ar t through this frame, together we went to a discussion hosted at the ICA titled "I Don't Wanna Make a Book" which directly suppor ted their current exhibition "In Numbers: Serial Publications by Ar tists since 1955" and the Publish and be Damned book fair held at the ICA itself. The panel of speakers of which included publishers, ar tists, curators and zine makers discussed the 'relationship of books, journals, magazines and other forms of publishing to the ar tists' work' (ICA, 2012). Whilst the panel discussed self publishing, including points that we ourselves needed enlightening on such as printing, binding and selling, the talk although helpful was not as informative as we had first anticipated, more of an overview of concerns rather than a detailed account of instances which left us still with questions and concerns about our own publication. The exhibition "In Numbers" was much more of use to us, not only did the exhibition showcase instances of creative curation, as books are notoriously difficulty to house within an exhibition space, it also showcased examples of large projects which had been contained within publications in-order to distribute them to a larger audience.

“In Numbers” and “I Don’t Wanna Make a Book” talk.

(Top to Bottom)

In Numbers: Serial Publications by Artists Since

1955, ICA, London, 25 Januar y 2012 - 25 March

2012

I Don’t Wanna Make a Book, ICA, London, 17

March, 2012

Throughout our research we came to the realisation that our publication, being one designed to display and contextualise our essay, was not going to be the standard ar t book aimed at mass distribution to communicate an ar tists works. As such we agreed that we would only endeavour to make a small run of copies that we would try to place within libraries post graduation so as to separate the essay from student work and thus be better received. We decided that the book would be formulated as an ar t piece in itself with a limited print run, we would number the books ourselves and select libraries to apply to send the publications to. For the purposes of this por tfolio we will discuss the book as a singular entity as its distribution will not be considered other than digitally until after the project has been completed.

The reasons for creating a publication include the easily digestible nature of a book format, the recognisable system which creates a sense of impor tance surrounding the contents and the ability to create a narrative of information. Acting as a housing for our essay, our publication is aimed at curators, ar tists, creatives and others with an interest in the curatorial field and placement culture. Whilst discussing the format that we wanted for our publication, we considered how the essay would flow throughout the book and came to the conclusion that we did not want to follow the standard conventions laid out by information books.

Chapterisation causes a book to be easily digested through its ‘chunks’ of information however it does not allow as easily for the communication of an ever-mutating and evolving time-line of events which collate a whole. We came to the decision that our essay was not suited to being in a chapterized form as it did not reflect the information contained. To chapterize the book would be to interrupt the instances of flow from one curatorial instance to another and would break the links that connected each sequential manifestation of change. We decided that instead our writing was best suited to being one flowing essay interrupted only by instances of visual suppor t in the form of historical and contemporary examples as well as including our own visual essays, the installations, to cement our personal opinions and viewpoints.

Chapters:

Not wanting to confuse the publication by centering it too heavily around our own installations we crafted precise captions that would suppor t the work as visual essays rather than going into depth about our process and opinions in an informal ‘we did this because’ manner. While these breaks do split the essay into a form of sections, each installation or example placed acts as an extension of, and introduction to, the progression that the essay carries a reader through.

Type:

Having been criticised in the past for our typography and layout choices and grammatical skills we endeavoured to learn as much as possible in order to make the publication hold the right balance between legibility and design. We decided to use Gill Sans as our main body text because of its legibility, whilst retaining a modernistic clean design aesthetic. Known as the ‘Helvetica of England’ the typeface is easily recognisable and thus creates a sense of familiarity which results in a ease of legibility and readership. Described as having “the legibility of a serif face, balanced with the authority of a sans-serif.” (Boulton, 2005) Gill Sans seemed to us the perfect choice to relay complex information in an easily digestible form, its simple appearance allows for the text to communicate on its own rather than being over-emphasised or fading into the background next to imagery. We carefully worked with hierarchal systems, grids, tracking, leading and density to ensure that our copy was as legible as possible to best communicate the complex and lengthly notions discussed throughout.

Grid:

Using a grid to formulate our body copy into columns we were able to ensure the length of readable lines allowed for the standard 7-10 words per line so as to reduce the ability of the reader to loose their place whilst reading the occasional larger sections of text. The column system that our text was confined to also allowed for the entire publication to maintain a constant aesthetic whilst still being manipulable into interesting layouts which ensures the readers familiarity and interest throughout as well as promoting ease for the navigation of information.

Publication Design

Screenshot of layout design using grids

Our page numbers were positioned in each of the four corners of the double page spreads that the publication formulated, we made this decision as we wanted them to ‘frame’ the work on each page. Much in the same way a gallery space denotes ar t having taken place, the connotations of the materials which are used to install the works are able to carry these same connotations. The frame has been a method of display for centuries often used to position works of ar t within a compound of impor tance. We wanted to utilise the connotations of the frame by allowing our page numbers to create a referential frame in which to contain the pages information and imagery.

At this point we needed to formulate a title for our publication, viewing the project as a never-ending process of research, discovery and debate we decided to adopt one of the ar t and curatorial worlds most commonly used titles, ‘untitled’. Used to name works without a name we felt this would allow our project to not be restricted throughout its continuation whilst curation continues to change. Connotative within the ar t world, the title would also promote to our intended audiences that the publication and content was of an ar tistic nature, we have used the title ‘Untitled’ to name the project, publication and website to encapsulate the project as one entity throughout its varying forms.

Page Numbers:

Right Page:

Example of page

numbers framing white

space

Page Numbers

Together, we decided that we wanted to take creative control over our publication beyond the process of layout design. This decision stemmed from the want to create a publication which best communicated our discoveries throughout the project, we did not want to be bound to a limited set of constraints as outlined by some of the online book publishing companies such as Lulu and Blurb. We wanted to take creative control over decisions such as paper-stock, binding and format.

Whilst we did not wish the book to be centred around our own practical explorative discoveries we did want to make a point of them in a more subtle way, we decided to use two different paper stocks so as to differentiate our works from the flow of the essay to encourage viewers to contemplate the installations that were presented to them in the form of visual essays. Much in the same way that adver tising favours a thicker paper-stock within magazines etc, we decided that by placing our own works on thicker paper, they would appear impor tant and of high quality giving them the best oppor tunity to be considered and contemplated by the viewer. Using the two stocks to create pages of white as separators the book formulates its own breaks rather than being chaptered. Our stock choices also reflected the quality of our imagery; we put a great deal of effor t into photographing our work so as to achieve the best result and fur thermore Jade spends hours editing photos so as to por tray our work as it was intended to be seen, putting the printing aspect of the book into the hands of someone else meant that the quality of imagery and print quality could not be monitored, which can present variations of standards that we would find dishear tening. Committed to the idea of sole authorship

we endeavoured to bind the book ourselves. We visited various print and binding supply shops to ensure that we had all the materials needed to form a professional standard publication that did not detract from the intellect of the contents contained. Through visiting specialist paper-stock shops such as Shepherds Falkiners, John Purcell Paper and the London Graphics Centre, we realised the wealth of paper that was either available or not available to us depending on which shop we went too. With this overwhelming choice, using our 'highly commended' award for last years PaperCo submission to get our foot into the door, we emailed PaperCo to arrange a meeting to discuss paper stock possibilities and sponsorship and whilst they were happy to help, the time frame in which they could see us meant we wouldn't be able to make the book in time.

Paper Stock Research

Email reply from PaperCo

regarding our enquir y concerning

paper choices and sponsorship

Not dishear tened, and understanding that we needed more first hand knowledge of what type of paper stock we specifically wanted, we visited MAGMA to look at their zine, magazine and publication section to see how different paper stocks reflected different imagery and text in the hope it would help us with our choices. We decided on using a matt double sided coated paper weight 170 gsm, stock for the pages which featured the essay itself and the imagery and text from the primary research that we under took which fed into the essay. For our installations, we decided on double sided glossy photo paper at 285 gsm. For the cover of the book, two paper stocks were bought, as both specialist ar t papers appear as gleaming white sheens, we felt this extended the notions of white ideology, curatorial glamorisation and connotative placement as the stocks give the book feelings of specialisation and exclusivity, all these topics are discussed within the book’s formulating essay and thus the cover will be a reflection of the contents.

Through visiting these paper and book binding specialist shops we also unear thed a new knowledge of book binding tools that would help us with self printing and binding the book, wanting the book to be presented in the best possible way in terms of how it looks, we purchased a "no smear - dry cleaning pad" something that neither of us had been aware of before but had realised its potential as soon as we saw it within the shop. Understanding the mess that self printing and binding can cause, we had already brought gloves to protect the book whilst in this process however this cleaning pad meant we could clean the book thoroughly before submitting so that it was in its best form to to be viewed.

(Top to Bottom)

1 - 2. Tate ETC Magazine

3 - 4. Street Photography Now

5 - 6. Fanzines

The Tate ETC magazine was

printed on a high gloss low

weight paper which we felt may

be too flimsy for our publication,

Street Photography Now however

had a thicker gloss stock, we felt

this type of paper stock would

compliment our installation

imager y whilst working well in

combination with a differing

paper stock, such as Fanzines

matte stock which communicated

type well.

Paper Stocks

(Left to Right)

1. Heritage Imperial, 100gsm

2. A4 White Glitter Card, 200gsm

When discussing how to self bind the book, we considered printing the book in sections that would be stitched and bound, having bought an A3 printer to assist us with the project, we found that the quality of the imagery produced by the printer did not best reflect the quality of the imagery itself, images appeared dull and without definition and the ink either soaked into the paper or bled on the surface, at this point, we

Printing the Publication

decided to purchase a Kodak printer, we had prior experience with Kodak and as such, we were sure of the quality the new printer would produce, it was able to print high quality photographic imagery as well as intense black for text and other details. Unavailable in A3, the Kodak printer led us to print the book as single A4 pages which meant we no longer had to consider and regulate the number of pages of each paper stock we wanted to use, instead we could position them within the book as we wished. Although this decision made it harder to bind the book it gave us much more freedom in the books layout and meant that we would not have to compromise on image quality all of which were extremely valuable in the books production.

To bind the book ourselves we bound the single printed pages using glue strips between each page, aligning the pages in sections, before cutting the publication to size. Once the smaller sections were all bound we then attached them all together with the cover, using a specialist spine binding tape. We have both previously bound books with success, however, we had not immediately anticipated the size of our book which once complete contained 78 separate pages, combining to a thickness of over an inch. While initially our perfect binding held, we were un-confident with the pull on the central pages of the book, which meant the publication no longer presented the quality we were looking for. Cutting down the book to size also came with its own problems, broken into sections, the books alignment was altered when clamped and as such we were unable to get a perfectly lined-up edge that would promote the publication to its best standards. Although confident that we would be able to correct these issues of alignment and would be able to present a book that was perfect bound, we were not confident that the book would stand the test of time and would eventually fall apar t during periods of extended handling.

At this point we decided to abandon the perfect biding, whilst we believed we would be able to perfect the process over a period of test books, we did not have the time to exercise these actions. We decided to send printed copies of the book to two different book binders to ensure that we did not damage the quality of the project by trying to do everything ourselves and so that we would not run out of time by trying to do so. When selecting book binders to send copies of the publication to, we came across numerous companies who were not willing to bind a one-off book for us, however we had already spoken to the book binders at Shepherds Falkiners after visiting their shop in Holborn for paper stocks, they were happy to help and were suppor tive of our choice to print the book ourselves for them to bind. For the second copy of the publication we found City Bookbinders who were happy to use our paper stock but insisted on printing the book themselves so that they could align the pages correctly for use with their printers.

After our initial binding did not turn out as professionally we we would have hoped, when thinking about alternative ways we could bind the book we were reminded of a project that we had discussed with Mike Nicholson which formulated a ring bound publication which could be extended and constantly updated. As curation is a field that is always progressing, which the project depicts, we decided that it would be interesting to see if we could bind the book loosely in an addable-to-form. We discussed this idea with Shepherds Falkiners, they suggested that they would be able to drill holes through the book and then stitch through these holes loosely so as to allow a cut and re-tie process whilst maintaining the books durability. This meant that the book would be presented in a journal form so that it could be added to and grow as the world of curation continues to do so. Set on this idea we decided that it would still be wise to send the copy of the book to City Bookbinders incase we were not happy with the outcome of the new experimental journal form.

City Bookbinders copy of the publication was a great disappointment, the imagery was printed in bad quality with white images appearing blue, green and purple and the binding was too tight. This tight bound meant the middle section of the images that lay over two page spreads was now lost. Needless to say we were unhappy with this version of the publication.

Once we had collected both books its was obvious to see that the journal book was a far more interesting culmination of the project and better reflected our wants and needs, the spreads remained in tact and the stitching was prominent so that we would easily be able to alter the books. As we are not intending to distribute the books to individuals we will be able to control the adding of information ourselves with the help of Shepherds Falkiners as they have very kindly offered to help us in the future by keeping our files and alignments on their systems for future additions.

After receiving the book block back from Shepherds Falkiners, we needed to address the cover choice. Having two paper sticks to choose from, we wanted to test each one on the book to see which best communicated our message of curatorial glamorisation. The first stock we tried, Heritage Imperial 100gsm, was too thin to be used as a cover stock, we had to bind this paper to card to create a thickness appropriate for the covering of the book, we did this using think adhesive glue and after a few practice runs we were happy with how these turned out, the cover created an understated statement reflecting the contents of the book.

The second stock was a much brighter and more obvious glitter paper and at first we had thought this may appear too gimmicky, after testing this stock on a book we found that the stock provided an aesthetically appealing encasement as well as more prominently conveying our communication of the glamorisation of curation. We decided to bind the final copy in this second stock 'A4 Glitter Paper' (purchased from Pullingers ar t supply shop) to make our communication as strong and as effective as possible.

Right Page Imager y:

Examples of the book we bound,

showing the imperfections of

alignment and pull on central

pages

Book Binding

Book Binding Process

City Bookbinders Printed and Bound

Imager y showing the

imperfections relating to printing

and binding

Shepherds Falkiners Drilled and Stitched Binding

Imager y showing the ‘journal’

style binding

“Untitled” The Final Publication

The book contains a visual bibliography of images used within the text however quotes and other sources used are referenced on the archival website which is hosted on Cargo, a website we are familiar with and currently host our personal joint website on. Aimed at attracting those who wanted more information to the project, we decided this would be a good way to link the extension of the publication within the natural flow of the books contents.

We began to examine ways in which we could formulate the website, which we intended to be used as a archival source that would enable people to interact with our research, work, process and the project in general. We landed on a simple depiction of organisation using a list as an archive and navigational categorisation. We ordered our headings to present themselves as links to separate pages that would take the viewer through the projects and exhibition material that was being presented to them.

Although happy with the functionality of the website, we noticed that the archival look and feel of the website in its simple and literal forms did not present information in an interesting manner and we found ourselves under whelmed by the appearance and information of the site which did not communicate the project, research or process as we had intended. We wanted the website to act as an extension of the book, to archive material and exhibitions we had encountered and to showcase and comment curatorial processes. Within our essay we discuss the notion that the curator is now receiving interest and that the public are becoming more aware of the actives that craft an exhibition, as such we wanted to highlight our own process giving a time-line of events as well as putting a spotlight on things that we found interesting within the curatorial and ar t world. We tested other ways of creating the website to form an archive, our initial designs were ver t simple and clear in their communication but they lacked the ability to convent the information in an interesting way that may appeal

to a viewer much in the same way the first test did. Wanting the website to be a true extension, something that was not only wor th a visit, but something that would give a greater insight to our project for the viewers, we moved on to testing alternative themes to get a feel for what we did and didn’t like. During this process we realised that most of the themes on cargo were restrictive and appeared static, confused as to what we were trying to convey we went back to the roots of the website to consider its necessary communications.

Right Page Imagery:

Website Design #1Screenshot of our first initial website layout

homepage and page detail

WebsiteTo Visit Please See:www.untitled-sibleyandpage.com

At this point, we re-evaluated what we were trying to communicate and realised that we wanted people to be intrigued by the processes of curation but we were not allowing for self exploration, we decided to create a layout for our website that would create a time-line so as to guide people through the process. By using a sporadic layout and making images different sizes we aimed to guide the viewer through the information allowing them to consider the separate projects and examples as well as consider them within a whole process. This lead us to our final design.

Using this layout form, we aimed to visually navigate our audience around the different works, we curated the site so that some projects would be more prominent so as to capture the attention and not create a monotone of information. It is our intention that these larger images will draw a viewer into a section which they can then work out from, they are aimed focusing attention and interest before filtering it out to surrounding projects and creating a progression of exploration and thus learning. This process of self exploration is continued through the

use of Cargo's tagging system, using the following tags : Research, Documentation, iPhone, Instagram, Finalised Installation, Publication and Writing, we are able to not only allow the visitor to the site to choose specific items to view, we are able to communicate in a non-invasive way what is what in terms of our project, understanding that our finished installations may get lost within the content on the website and thus loose their impor tance, tagging them as 'Finalised Installation' allows for the visitor to see which installation image is our final.

Website Design

(Above)

Screenshot of final website layout

Title links at the top left of the page show

the viewer vital information about the project.

There is a page for general over view, one for

the publication itself which we digitalised via

issuu, the bibliography and live feed. Separated

from the rest of the projects in layout, this

presents the viewer with a base from which to

start their exploration into the curatorial world

(Right)

Example of tags used for a finalised

installation

Website Imagery

Screenshots of www.untitled-sibleyandpage.com

The website opens projects individually above the time-line layout so that a viewer can still consider each project as a time-lined event whilst deeper discovering the information held within. The eye is drawn around the layout to examine all the information and can pick out instances of interest of view them in sequence by clicking a next icon on the project overlays. Intentionally we used a more casual tone of voice for the website in comparison to the voice used within the book, the website is thus able to communicate to viewers on a more personal level so as to discover more than what the 'final pieces' that are placed within the book allows, we also wrote new copy for each exhibition that we visited to ensure that what was read in the publication about the exhibitions we reviewed was not repeated on the website.

Talking in first person and in most cases, discussing projects how we would to each other, we paired this casualness with the use of iPhone and Instagram imagery, whilst we would never usually present these instances of photography within a professional project, they seemed to fit with the tone of voice, through using these amateur photographs, we are able to not only keep a 'friendly' and 'familiar' atmosphere within our website, but also allow for the website to be a true extension and exploration of the project itself.

Website Features

(Top)

Screenshot of the “Unknown Artists”

installation exhibition catalogue project

opening in a new window

(Bottom)

Example of instagram imager y taken on a

research trip and posted onto the website

with the relevant tags

The website is hosted on Cargo and uses "Untitled" as its name so as to promote its content as being related to the ar t world. We purchased a domain for the website so that it stood independently to cargo collective and worked as its own information site, instead the url of the website reads www.untitled-sibleyandpage.com, we used our names within the website address to promote the authorship that 'curate' by holds as a phrase, structured in the same way the exhibition title would read to a show or an ar tist to his ar t work, we hoped this would emphasise the authorship of curation

as creation. Although we use cargo as a host site to allow for quick and easy upload and upkeep of information, we designed and coded the website editing xhtml and css so as to keep the look and feel that we want our viewers to have. Linked on our website (sibleyandpage.com) as well as in the book, we are able to promote the material as interest to our ever-expanding wealth of visitors which are supplemented by twitter, Facebook and word of mouth.

(Right)

Website Coding

Screenshot of editing the css and

xhtml for website

Hosting and Coding

To ensure our visitors could get a greater knowledge of the project itself, we decided to digitalise the “Untitled” publication so that it could reach a wider audience and suppor t the website contents.

Whilst there are multiple ways we would be able to publish our book in digital format, the first and most familiar way to do this was through issue, we would be able to embed the publication on our website and thus allow for people to easily read it in a book form, the second was as a PDF through Google docs which we had experience with in the past, the third option was to create an EPUB which would allow for the book to be easily read and accessed on iPhones, iPads and other mobile devices. Although expor ting an epublication would be the obvious choice, we were made uneasy by the act of selling the publication which we felt would limit the audience we would be able to reach. Publishing a PDF through Google docs meant that the pages appeared singularly rather than in spreads, this separated some of our imagery and thus disrupted the flow of the book. As such we decided to publish the book to our website through issue. Issuu’s familiarity of book form would make for easy usage for audiences, as such, we would be able to ensure the document was viewed as we intended. To ensure a professional look and for the viewers benefit, we

upgraded our issuu account so that the publication would be free from distracting adver tisements, allowing only our content to be contemplated by the viewer.

(Right)

Digital format of publication

on website

Digital Retelling of “Untitled” project and publication.

Initiated by our previous collaboration and discomfor t with our preconceived notions of the title we had adopted of curators during year two, “Untitled”, as a project, has aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the historical contexts of curation and how the role of the curator has transformed and mutated through application into its modern day profession. Examining examples from history as well as present day the project aimed to present its findings and explorative subjects in the form of an essay contained within a publication, documentation, website and ar t installations intended to formulate suppor ting visual essays to the main text of the essay. The project was born from Jades disser tation which provided a research and historical base from which to expand our writing and ideas, uncovering the changing roles of the curator, the disser tation highlighted to us both the freedom that curation actually encompassed rather than the restrictive profession we had been envisioning. Freed from our notions that we were no longer able to create we built the project systematically through research and practical exploration.

Our project is a detailed study created from research, contexts, original thinking and narrative, exploring the world of curation it provides an insight into a secretive profession, how it has changed and the instances that directed its course through history. The project is aimed at those wishing to expand their knowledge of curation and develop their own ideas, it is largely information based as is much of the curatorial world, it not only showcases our skills in research and critical thinking but channels our communicative skills into relaying information and ideas. Formed of two par ts, research with exploration and informative material production, the project combines our conceptual creativity with information curation to provide audiences with crafted knowledge and projects.

The installations we created were completed as we explored our own personal ideas and opinions of the curatorial world and how it has progressed. It was impor tant to us to convey our own conceptual messages

whilst examining the generalised world of curation as a whole. Through this process we would be able to actively examine questions that we had formulated and arguments that we felt strongly about. Our visual essays (installations) examine and highlight topics and instances of interest to us providing us with the ability to actively and physically explore that which we may not understand or that which we find interesting. White Entities for example, was an installation crafted from our personal interest with the colour white and its prestige and ability to encase, it was something that we wanted to explore both physically and through research and as such we created the installation to see if our opinions could be relayed in the real world through application.

Something that we both took a lot of time considering throughout the project was that of audience, it would be fair to say that in the past we have been selfish with distribution and creation often favouring a secretive approach rather than applying our work to as many channels of distribution as possible, this project saw a change to this habit. The ideal of increasing our knowledge of curation and of its contexts was something that we wished to relay and share post our discoveries, we decided to make a publication which we hope to place within libraries and which is available in digital form, this decision stems from our own researching processes. When looking for information one major point of call was the internet, having the essay in publication form on the internet would make it easily assessable to a wide range of people meaning that our discoveries would actively be able to be read and researched by others, another primary source of research which we favour is reading physical books, the library being a great housing of information and impor tantly free we decided this would be a good way to get our message to people in physical form if we are able to place the publication within libraries over time.

In order to address as many people as possible we also crafted a website which would house our process and documentation as well as information suppor ting the project as a whole. The website houses the digital form of the book providing a star ting point from which users can interact with the

information on a more personal level. In order to address as wide an audience as possible we have used different tones of voices in the book and on the website, without creating too much of a intellectual gap the book houses a formal depiction of our work while on the website a more casual approach is applied. We hoped this differentiation would address different audiences without alienating existing ones familiar with one instance of the project before moving onto the next (either audiences who came to the website via the book or vice-versa). On conclusion, the website presents our explorative project in all its forms, through installation, writing and documentation, our process as a duo, imagery from exhibitions we have visited, suppor ting media from exhibitions (catalogues, price lists etc) and links to other projects that may interest our visitors. We intend to maintain an upkeep of the website and continue adding to it to create an extensive exhibition archive and explorative project base that we hope will continue to address and inform debates and issues surrounding curatorship whilst promoting our works as a duo.

In order to address our audiences we have become increasingly familiar with communication design, often apposed to being labelled as designers or believing in our ability to design at all, throughout this project we have been able to address issues of legibility, information communication and visual communication. We have embraced grammar, drafting, grids and simplicity. Deeply considering how the project could and would be communicated to audiences we have been able to improve vastly on our design skills and hopefully this is apparent throughout our finalised pieces.

Overall, we believe the project relays the historical and contemporary contexts of curation through practical discovery and written text, adding to the curatorial debate whilst addressing our opinions as ar tist-curators entering the professional industry.

Joint Conclusion Collaboratively written conclusion of the project as a whole

My passion for this field has seen me submerging myself in curation at any given oppor tunity, constantly trying to increase my knowledge of curation whilst engaging myself creatively through my own works, previous works with Ruth, internships and this joint final major project, I believe now I am able to cope with the broad field of curation that is out there for me to learn. The disser tation process that led to this projects basis saw myself struggling with the sheer quantity of information I needed to understand and learn to form my disser tation which aimed to provide an overview of curation through its first forms of museum curatorship to todays curated consumption, however through sharing my exploration with Ruth whilst completing my disser tation I was able to uncode what I was learning through discussion and dialogue between a friend and working par tner. This sharing of knowledge enabled a range of new concepts that myself and Ruth wanted to immediately work on. At a time when we both had lost confidence in our ability to produce work, and needing to form a final major project proposal, we decided together to take on the field of curation, and rather than limit ourselves to one ‘final piece’ we decided that

creating a number of works that form the project as a whole would only better our knowledge of contexts, concepts and processes.

Wanting to produce a range of creative works through critically evaluating the historical and contemporary practice of curation, a significant knowledge was to be obtained in order to apply a range of professional skills within this complex project. A great number of specialist techniques and processes had to be learnt, such as installation ar t, and how best to place and present those works to the outside world, executing a formal communicative text that encompasses a range of research methodologies, problems and opinions whilst maintaining independent thought, analysis and creative output and time management, having to guide, source and suppor t my own learning and creativity within the time frame given.

Whilst evaluating the project as a whole, I feel that with the little time myself and Ruth had to learn about a discipline in which we had little knowledge of originally, constructing a formal text, creating installations and making a website, that we both self managed well and together as a duo. I believe the knowledge I have gained and the skill set that has come with this joint project has left me well equipped and confident in my ability to not only produce works that evidence my knowledge of contextual and theoretical issues within curation and ar t, but also show that I am able to take this knowledge and evaluate it through transforming it into physical form through selecting the appropriate methods and mediums of working those which I now believe are ready to be viewed within a wider context away from the suppor t and ‘safety’ of university.

Jade Sibley Evaluation

With the size of the project greatly exceeding our expectations, our ambitious nature and ability to form works through challenging situations has not only proven our success as a creative duo, but allowed for a full body of ‘duo’ work to be formed throughout. With this new broad range of work created for this project, we are ready to present ourselves professionally as a duo with a por tfolio that addresses our practice resulting in original and critical works whilst showcasing the transferable skills we have acquired during this intense period of freedom to collaborate.

This project has seen my knowledge, skills, understanding and communication greatly developed. The most extensive project myself and Jade have worked on to date, it encompasses a wealth of different paths of exploration and output.

Working as a creative duo myself and Jade are constantly in a state of discussion about instances which formulate our actions, interests and practice. When required to conduct our disser tations individually we continued to exercise our collaborative processes and regularly discussed in length the ideas and concepts that we were individually analysing. It was through Jades disser tation studying the changing roles of curation that we became aware how little we knew about the extensive profession, we began discussing texts that Jade had encountered and re-discovered our excitement to both curate and create.

Previously considering the role of curators as a placement of the works of others and nothing fur ther stretching this, we felt restricted by our adoption of the role during year 2, not willingly to par t with the profession as it was something that we are both extensively interested in and enjoyed greatly we were subconsciously looking for ways to create whilst curating throughout our project base in semester 5. Jades disser tation research began to unear th interesting projects and instances of curation as ar t and thus curators as ar tists, projects which involved the conceptualisation and creation of shows as well as appropriation of works to highlight themes of personal interest. Through discussion we began to open up the world of curation and re-discover our creativity and excitement. Filled with new and interesting knowledge we began to formulate our own ideas and opinions about the language of display and notions of curation that we wanted to actively explore.

Now insistent on the idea that we would be ar tist-curators we wanted to relay and share our new found knowledge of curation while exercising our creativity creating ar t installations to visual explain our opinions. “Untitled” was born from the want to relay knowledge of curation and of our own ideas and opinions to a wider audience, by extending our personal thoughts and opinions into the real world we would be able to become par t of the ar tistic and curatorial debates present. We decided that we would write an essay that would form the base of our project thus relaying our opinions and ideas and contextualising it with historical and modern day examples to help strengthen our points, and position our work. By doing this we would be able to actively position ourselves within the industry as a duo concerned with real world issues and interested in thinking and knowledge.

Ever ambitious we endeavoured to create a project with multiple outlets so as to reach as wide an audience as possible exploring a range of different techniques and mediums. As documents of communication I feel that the publication and website are functional, aesthetically interesting and appealing, and contain a wealth of knowledge. I feel that myself and Jade have addressed new and exciting issues within curation and created instances for our journey to be discovered, accessed and addressed.

The project vastly exceeded my expectations in terms of size, although this presented its problems myself and Jade were able to utilise our skill sets to effectively and efficiently combining our individual strengths to formulate a project that we are both happy with and proud of that will position us in the creative industry with an extensive body of work.

We have extended our knowledge of, and increased our skills in, typography, layout, photography, web design, layout,

printing techniques, binding systems, installation, curation and effective communication.

All these skills will greatly increase our oppor tunities post graduation, I feel the project clearly shows our strengths as a duo, is informative, functional, exciting and interesting and the body of work which it has created will position us well within the curatorial and ar tistic industry.

Ruth Page Evaluation

“Thankyou & Goodbye”

Sibley, Page, Spray Paint, Overalls, Protective Eye and Mouth Wear

2012

We would like to take this oppor tunity to thank you for your help, guidance and suppor t throughout this year.

This is Sibley & Page signing out

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