Module 4 – Week 6 – Some Considerstions

• What impact does your chosen space have upon your photography, and vice-versa?

I feel that the question of the space in which work is exhibited is the most important part, both in terms of what the location is and where it is.  How easily can people come to see your work? How accessible and inclusive is the space?
If ones photographic works are ver dark then what are the practicalities of using light boxes in a darkened room?  If your intention is for large numbers of people to see your work and to be able to take a step back and take it in then is the space big enough?  If your installation has sound then the hustle and bustle of a pub, bar, or other busy public space may result in the meaning becoming lost. 
There have been some great examples of artistic works being shown in commuter hubs only for most people to move past it swiftly and most likely unaware while they stare down at their phone screen.

• What is around the work that can direct or distract attention to and away from it? Could anything in that environment be used to heighten awareness of your work or emphasise the reading of it?

This is where the sometimes intimidating ‘white cube’ space has its advantages.  With its purpose set, the viewer often has no choice but to view the work on show.  For multi-participant shows the crowding in of work can detract from the individual pieces meanings. This last point is particularly present at the ‘degree show’ season with the likes of Free Range packing in as many institutions and as many students work as possible.  The irony of the term here, “Free Range”, not lost as the hard works of the nations graduands is herded in like battery farmed chickens.  One cannot help but be overwhelmed and oversaturated by body of work after body of work.
Awareness could be heightened through sensory deprivation and focussing in on the intended message.  Immersion into the works on show.  If appropriate, an element of interaction lured the viewer in converting them from voyeur to participant.  This would, of course, depend on that approaches relevance to the works message.

• Who will your viewers be and what does your work expect of them? Does it expect them to be literate about photography or internet literate? Does your work expect too much / too little of your audience?

At this stage I am not yet sure who the viewers would be for my work.  I hope that, as my practice progresses, I expect the viewer to more deeply engage with what is on show and not just move past once it has received some “speed appreciation”.
I feel that to require a certain level of technical competence from your viewer, whether photographic or IT, is a sure-fired way to exclude masses of potential viewers.  I am still a huge believer in physical shows and physical presentations of works.  It broadens the access a viewer can have of your work.  When considering how much i expect from a viewer it’s got to me about balance.  Too much and they’ll lose interest.  Too little and they’ll not remember what they’ve seen.

• How long will you allow people to view your work? Is there a particular sequence in which you want the work to be experienced, or will you ’empower’ the viewer by allowing them to wonder freely around the space?

I feel it’s important not to necessarily control a viewer but also to lure them to consider your work from many different perspectives and angles.  Although I’d like my work to take a physical form, I am not averse to projection display if that accesses a larger audience. Almost like moths to a flame.  Viewer empowerment is important but I’m also open to consider a greater level of control by myself.

• How much can your viewer engage with the work directly? Can they contribute to it, or interact with it?

Presently I do not have any plans to create viewer engagement or contribution but it’s worth consideration.  A recent show at The Photographers Gallery in London saw visitors able to arrange objects on a lit table and photograph them with their phones.  These could them be put on Instagram using a hashtag which would them be visible when people searched for it.
The participation was tactile and they themselves, or at least their photographs, became part of an exhibition of their own.  Could a similar approach be possible with my work?

• Do you value the thoughts and opinions of the viewer? If so, how would you go about collecting those?

I feel this is very valuable but also feel that the way those thoughts and opinions are collected is crucial. Many people are adverse to having a clipboard thrust in their face. An iPad to gather responses could be a consideration with a survey. A further way of capturing could be with a good old fashioned twitter / instagram hashtag.