Tag: Exhibit A
Exhibit A – by its curator
I’ve been an avid devourer of crime fiction and tv crime dramas since I was 11 or 12 years old…. I blame my mother, who was a keen fan and allowed me to watch her favourite 70’s detective dramas Columbo and Kojak.
You might expect an exhibition inspired by a love of crime dramas and tartan noire fiction to contain work which was inspired by crimes and their detection. I did consider how we might do this but, in the end, realised I wanted to share the maker’s story – influences, inspiration, how they make and what tools and materials they use.
This really crystallized my belief that this would be an exhibition in which the interpretation materials were as important as the pieces to be exhibited. As a result, Exhibit ‘A’ has two elements; one gallery contains the work without the usual exhibitor name and title labels and the other, interconnected space contains a series of 2d & 3d displays or incident boards… the viewer turns detective to match the board with the work on display – ah ha, at last the link to crime dramas and tartan noir!
Exhibitions come together over a period of time; a loose concept becomes clear through a process of desk-based research, talking to colleagues and working with artists, designers and makers. There’s also an inexplicable alchemy involved; unpacking the exhibition pieces from artists and makers working in very different disciplines and with varied approaches to craft, I’m so often struck by the ‘magic’ that happens when individual objects selected are hung in the space. Technically, aesthetically and conceptually diverse pieces of work come together, producing a visually cohesive and inspirational collection of contemporary craft.
The exhibitors have been selected for their differing approaches, techniques, skills and innovation. There’s a wealth of practitioners to choose from who have Scottish heritage, are Scottish-based or have been trained in Scotland; our exhibiting artists represent the highest standards of ‘thinking through making’ which underpins contemporary craft practice.
Without giving too much away (you really must come and turn craft detective) the exhibition contains swooping, wall-based bird forms which seem to hurtle towards a beautiful egg-shaped vessel containing other bird motifs below; there’s another imposing wall-based piece which combines basket-weaving techniques with discarded plastics.
In a departure from the designer-maker’s usual scale, two large textile woven wall pieces incorporating padded repeat patterns hang elegantly in the space whilst an ethereal and haunting composition of doll-like figures – suspended, fragile yet strongly bound with stories just out of reach – create a contrasting but complementary display.
There are vessels which contrast the domestic with the industrial, offsetting the soft malleable qualities of one material with the hardness and robustness of another; wearable art is represented by art form pieces which act as visual communicators. Our final exhibit is almost like a ‘shape shifter’; as you walk round it, it’s dark, smokey form changes from a cube to a cone – to somewhere in between!
The ‘hunt for clues’ has re-enforced my admiration for the dedication and sheer persistence required to sustain both makers and their practice; I’m hugely grateful to have had the opportunity to visit their studios (often within their homes). Equally grateful to Fife Contemporary for the opportunity to work with them in bringing this ‘craft whodunnit’ to Dunfermline Carneigie Library & Galleries.
Exhibit A
Exhibit A is an exhibition conceived by Maggie Broadley of CoCreate for Fife Contemporary. The exhibition will be first shown at Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries 3 November 2018 – 10 February 2019.
Exhibit A will feature a selection of high quality, contemporary craft coupled with an interactive approach which links to the current popularity of crime fiction and Scotland’s own tradition of ‘tartan noire’. Whilst the exhibition is underpinned by bringing together a visually stimulating display of work, it places equal value on creating an interactive experience for the audience which places the object as an amalgam of hand-skills, material knowledge, cultural influences and intellectual investigation rather than having ‘magically’ appeared before them.
Statement pieces from makers working in various media, with differing approaches and motivations, will be numerically coded and displayed in one space. Within an adjoining space, supporting presentations and objects will be framed by the context of a police incident room. The purpose of this is to involve visitors in looking closely at work to decipher what it’s made from, how it’s made, any function etc. Research material, sketch books, exploratory maquettes, information on makers etc will help provide ‘clues’ and visitors will be challenged to solve the ‘mystery’ of each object, matching the exhibition pieces with their makers.
The craft artists included are: Jonathan Boyd, Johanna Flanagan, Grant McCaig, Mella Shaw, Heather Shields, Amanda Simmons, Lois Walpole.
ACCOMPANYING EVENTS:
Sat 24 Nov 2018 – Family Fun Day with ON at Fife Libraries! Includes a make-up artistry wound demonstration.
Thurs 10 Jan 2019 – Scottish crime writer, Lin Anderson, will give a talk on the ‘craft’ of crime writing; 7pm, tickets £5 (concession £4) from www.onfife.com
Sat 26 January 2019 – Craft Watch and Try Day featuring spinning and weaving by artists Julia Complin and Jan Hendry; 12.30-3.30pm, free