Jim Lambie at The Modern Institute

This was the mezzaine level to the exhibition and what i really liked was the natural light pouring in through the sky lights, i felt like this room was really strong, even though the lower level was flooded with light the simple space, and light from above worked really, really well.

I think with this exhibition what needs to be appreciated is that this was not just an exhibition with peices on the wall but moreover an experience in itself. I think one of the main features i adored about this exhibition, as i really did adore it, was the flooring. The floor was made up of lots of different types of metal; and so hence as a result this reflected the light and i felt this was a well considered and effective.

Lighting!

SO!
I think that it is pretty obvious throughout my blog that i have really been considering the finish of my piece, and moreover, the lighting of the piece.
I realised that when my exhibition is being viewed not only will it be viewed in the evening (which is the main private viweing) but in the daytime
PHEW
So today when i submitted my final request with regards to the exhibition i requested a wall near the window as i REALLY want my piece to be viewed in a natural light.
Looking at the pieces in Glasgow only helped me to realise that natural light does not have to be artfical and my pieces will be viewed in daylight. Yessssssss!

Dan Miller

Dan Miller was the second of the exhibitions which featured in the archways, and for me this offered another oppurtunity to look in a different gallery space, and how this can affect the work exhibited. For me personally, if this work was in another space it would be viewed in a completely different way; the work in itself is rather modern and minimalist, however when in this situation i feel i feel that it enhances the work.
Again i looked, when at the exhibition, at the finish overall, and my favourite subject, the lighting!
This exhibition was a great deal more 'polished' than Sandy Smith's, and this is appropriate for the subject and i feel that had it more in a more unfinished environment then this would not have been appopriate for the piece.
The lighting, once again, for this exhibition is natural. However i do feel the need to question at this point how this exhibition would be viewed at night?! Having said that i feel that given the fact that these apparently depend on natural this is not a necessary question.
This exhibition, in reflection, proved to be valuable as always! I have once again fuelled my love for natural light, and deemed that i need to look into different gallery spaces and finishes!

Sandy Smith- Abandon the Universe

Sandy Smith was a hidden gem!
We were on our way to the The Modern Institute when we spotted what looked like an exhibitions in the archways of what i presumed to be a railway or something (to be honest i was too excited to get into the exhibition).
Upon entering i was struck by how atmosheric the space felt; the ceilings were of a great height, and the walls had not been overly altered; just some white paint applied. I think the fact that the space was so raw and original was a great stage for the work and i feel that it really helped to add to it.
The pieces themselves which i highly think were made from Plaster were strong and i feel it is this early point in the trip where i really began to feel inspired and motivated with art oncemore. Ienjoyed the organic nature of the pieces which were juxtaposed against the extremely atrifical lighting within them.
Oncemore within this exhibition i wanted to look at the finish and how pieces had been installed. When i was looking i found that the large plastic pieces had been mounted with wood, MDF, and normally i would feel that this did not support the piece, but somehow this did not detract from the piece and i felt like it was applicable.
Another aspect which i have been particularly interested at looking at when blogging is lighting and how atmorphere can be created when naturally occuring, or when artifical. With this exhibition as the door were open it was solely lit by natural light, taking into consideration also that most of the pieces contained lighting and so this choice for me was perfect.
Overall this exhibition really initiated my thinking towards what sort of exhibition space i want, and although it is not an option for this exhibition it has definately given me food for thought in the future.

Transmission

Transmission was the first gallery which we visited and although i was not overly impressed by the artwork/exhibition itself it proved to be an extremely helpful experience.
First i will discuss the exhibition itself. When i was walking round the gallery my main concern over the artwork (after intial viewing i found it very hard to digest and did not feel that the concept was conveyed very well) was the gallery space itself and how the work had been installed/curated.
Given that the space itself was rather dark there was a small amount of light; both coming from lighting around the room and a small amount of direct daylight which was sourced from the large glass doors at the bottom of the stairs. Although normally this would detract from an exhibtion i felt that this added to it. I also took note of how the pieces were hung/ how projectors were used etc. I noted that through the exhibition projectors used weren't properly hidden ie the wiring was exposed and i felt like the overall finish of the exhibition was weakened by this.
My thoughts on the exhibtion were that i found it very hard to understand as i felt that the concept was not clearly conveyed, and that the exhibition itself was not coherent.

However all was not lost...
Whilst there we had a chat with a girl who was a commitee member of Transmission, and she recommended some exhibitions for us to visit. Amoungst these were The Glue Factory and Tramway which proved to be my favourite exhibitions, so Transmission wasn't too bad afterall!

So Glasgow begins!

This week was the trip to Glasgow from Tuesday until Thursday, and what an inspirational and valuable trip it proved to be. We attended so many exhibitions that not only inspired my practice, but enabled me to consider the spaces in which they were situated and how atmosphere and connection were gained within pieces/spaces.

So I'm going to blog all the exhibitions that i attended with my thoughts towards the work, but also the spaces and how the works were hung and lit etc.

Litmus o'clock

So with less than a month until the exhibitioni really need to start to look at smaller studies and how they are dsplayed in gallery spaces.
This is due to the fact that my studio practice has taken a natural progression to an EVEN SMALLER scale!
I'm now working on tiny litmus paper pieces taken from different orifices of the body. The colours, marks, and textures produced are really interesting and so i would like to have them presented so that they could be viewed from every angle, but without the viewer needing to touch them due to their delicate nature! Also am in Nottingham at the moment and hoping to pop to a new art gallery tomorrow with Belle Skinner called Ccan
Any artists who could help with my dilema would be much appreciated!