My curatorial idea is PLAY-TIME-HUMAN. It is based on the inspiration I received from Jake’s Contemporary Art Theme Course last semester. I thoroughly enjoyed Jake’s course and was passionate about the theme of “PLAY”. As a result, I applied it to my curation and added some of my own idea. I aimed to create an exhibition that would explore the role of play in human development at different life stages.
However, as I delved deeper into my concept, I realized that my idea was problematic in several ways.
Firstly, my interpretation of Aristotle’s “Three Stages of Educational Development” was overly simplistic, as it fails to account for individual differences in cognitive and emotional development.
Secondly, my choice of games for each life stage was arbitrary and not supported by research on human development.
♥Adding:As human understanding of themselves and the world deepens, we begin to realize the crucial importance of play and games for our growth and development. Various studies have shown that play and games not only help cultivate creativity and imagination, but also promote physical and mental health, improve social skills, and enhance emotional intelligence. According to Douglas Glover and Oliver Carvalho (2019), their research suggests that play and games can facilitate learning and development. They believe that through play and games, people can more easily explore and understand new concepts, as well as develop more problem-solving strategies.
Furthermore, the inclusion of an hourglass device for the 60+ age group was not well thought out. Although it was intended to symbolize the passage of time and the pursuit of self-realization, the connection to the overall theme of play was unclear.Thus, I found another artworks to replace it.
In hindsight, I realize that my curatorial idea lacked a clear and cohesive theme. The keywords of play, time, and human were too broad and needed to be more precisely defined. Additionally, my initial idea failed to consider the audience and how they would engage with the exhibition.
Through this experience, I have learned the importance of conducting thorough research and critically analyzing ideas before proposing a curatorial project. A good curatorial project requires a well-defined theme, a deep understanding of the target audience, and a thoughtful consideration of the exhibition’s goals, values, and visions.
Reference
1.Glover, D., & Carvalho, O. (2019). Play and learning: A review of the evidence and future directions. The LEGO Foundation.
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