Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I wonder how many real people consider the museum like this. Some asking will definitely be needed.
Not entirely 'with' the solution though. There should be something of a balance between didactic and absent. It seems a little naive to ask all museums to properly guide people in morality, ethics and psychology. Too much disagreement (as opposed to some conspiracy forming here.)
Many of the comments seem to disagree, anyway but that doesn't mean anything. Hardly a representative sample of the world.
The whole idea of a museum as a church of culture seems a little aggrandised, I know few people who actually care that much and/or just see Art as something 'there' in the background (areas of particular interest to such individuals notwithstanding) alongside philosophy, politics, religion and the like. Maybe not too far off then.
Nicely written though. Clear. Not arty/Arty.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Curating Your Holiday
While decorating the tree I made drawings of the individual types of baubles that went on. This was done in the spirit of those botanical illustrations, especially those made by the well-to-do ladies of the countryside manors. My intention would be to draw, colour (most likely with watercolours) and annotate the items, and present them in a book. Being unable to suitably make a book myself due to both a lack of technical proficiency and time restraints I have forgone this part as a purely theoretical (as yet) development. The drawings were done in a day, partly as an exercise in discipline and partly as a practical measure.
Drawings of this nature are consistently fascinating to me as an art form that seems both antique and timeless; as retaining their highly artistic appeal while carrying a very scientific quality too. Similarly to me, despite the modern commercialism surrounding the holiday, there is a certain appeal in a Christmas bauble. The best ones tend to be in themselves fairly simple decorations but, I find, somehow very elegant and there is a strange kind nature to adding decoration to plants. Thus this would ideally be presented in a gallery that also had a reputation as a museum or other historical sight, presented itself in a case with others available as interactive to the audience. I would hope to gain some air of juxtaposition between the feel of a botanical illustration and the somewhat justified Christmas cynicism, as well as a different or closer look at the baubles themselves as (sometimes) rather attractive things, rather than just tacky bits of plastic.






