Strategy of Archive Collection

Our list of archives that make up the exhibition’s display.

Much of our display material consists of collections and archives from the Centre for Research Collections and the University’s Art collection, and in the face of a vast library of images, we have meticulously selected those for display based on their relevance and representativeness to our narrative threads: the Edinburgh Seven, Edmonstone, the Old College building, Specimens, and the Natural History Museum. However, archive collection management and development strategies are highly context dependent. An arts education perspective attuned to social justice is indispensable here, confronting the enduring questions of what to preserve, what to exclude, and the implications of these choices on historical access and narrative. These queries revolve around what materials to preserve, who should undertake the collection, where these materials belong, who is represented, and in what manner.[1] This approach, where institutions introspectively research their archive collections, promotes a sustainable and deeply impactful engagement with the gallery’s past for our exhibition program..

Depth and Breadth

Large national institutions have adopted more educational and societal recording responsibilities, developing archival departments to ensure the preservation, organization, and description of archival materials. These departments create secure environments, fostering the longevity and utility of archives.[2]

The National Galleries of Scotland emphasize the depth of time in preserving collections. For instance, Kirsten Dunne, the Senior Projects Conservator, employs microfading and advanced conservation technology to safeguard archives for an ambitious span of 500 years. In contrast, the National Library of Scotland prioritizes the breadth of its collections. It actively gathers records of cultural events from minor communities, including a diverse range of materials from posters to digital archives like Minecraft and Archive of Our Own. The exhibition Blood, sweat and tears: Scotland’s HIV story (2023) is an exemplary display that honors activists, healthcare workers, and those affected by HIV and AIDS through a collection of arts and crafts, health and fundraising leaflets, and newspapers reflecting societal attitudes.[3] This community collecting effort aligns with their new “Reaching People” strategy and includes partnerships with research institutions and community organizations.[4]

Independence

The J. Paul Getty Trust’s Institutional Archives stands as a model of independent collection strategy, documenting its extensive activities as an international cultural and philanthropic organization in the visual arts. The Trust’s archival collection includes records from past and present administrations and programs, covering the Museum, the Conservation Institute, the Education Institute, the Information Institute, the Leadership Institute, the Research Institute, and the Getty Foundation.[5] Accessible to the public are administrative records, documents detailing external collaborations, public programming documentation, construction records for the Getty Center and the Getty Villa, media coverage, as well as J. Paul Getty’s personal papers and oral histories from artists, historians, and Getty staff.[6]

The strategy of Contemporary Gallery Institutional to Archive Gaps

How do we respond to the lack of contemporary gallery institutional archives? To this day, cultural institutions face vacancies in archives. The Fruitmarket Gallery illustrates an active effort to encompass every facet by constructing its archival network. Following its redevelopment in 2021, The Fruitmarket Gallery inaugurated a dedicated room for holding physical archival materials onsite, providing a space for in-depth study.[7] These materials, while not a complete chronicle of exhibition history, have withstood challenges of dampness, fire, and bouts of institutional neglect. Although the Fruitmarket was established in 1974, the materials retained date back to the commencement of Mark Francis’s directorship in 1984.[8]

This collection encompasses curatorial notes, press releases, clippings, leaflets, posters, slides, photographs, and the like.[9] According to the conversation we had with Ruth Bretherick, Research and Public Engagement Curator Fruit Market Gallery during an Archive visit, The Fruitmarket Gallery keeping an ongoing cataloguing process, constantly discovering things and buying back their early-stage publication. Moreover, she has offered an alternative for those seeking archives by directing them to established public institutions like the National Library of Scotland. This strategy not only leverages the comprehensive scope and depth of national institutions but also allows the gallery itself to allocate more budget and space for developing an independent institutional archive—a curatorial library in its own right.

The Talbot Rice Gallery’s space history as the Natural History Museum, its’ collections built up by the Museum’s chairman, Professor Jameson, using his network of contacts to the extent that it could not be properly collected, has had to survive in a damp environment and transferred to the National Museum of Scotland at 1975.[10] Until now, the Talbot Rice Gallery has been a gallery without an archive or collections department, and we needed the National Library of Scotland to find most of the material from previous exhibitions, which is an interesting shift. Our exhibitions can be meaningful documents of the space’s past and present. Emulating the Fruitmarket’s archival network, our display citations serve as a navigational tool for visitors, particularly artists and researchers, to explore the extensive holdings within the Centre for Research Collections, the National Museum of Scotland and the University Art Collection. This approach and our exhibition programming archive workshop also enhances the visibility of the internal university institutions such as the Centre for Research Collections, broadening awareness of the collection and encouraging future scholarly engagement.

Our project aims that provide resources for further Talbot Rice Gallery’s residency artists to do their creation, showing it can be a foundation of the practice of another individual archival strategy- artists as archivists. This role extends beyond the traditional image of the artist-as-curator, with artists now engaging directly with the curation of collections. Yet, their focus shifts away from critiquing representational completeness or institutional integrity to a more personal and direct involvement with the archival process. [11]

[1] Ann Holt, ‘An In(Ex)Clusive World: Towards “Participatory” Archives Practices in Art Education’, in Bridging Communities through Socially Engaged Art (Routledge, 2019).

[2] Gregory S. Hunter, Developing and Maintaining Practical Archives : A How-to-Do-It Manual (New York : Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2003), http://archive.org/details/developingmainta0000hunt.

[3] ‘Blood Sweat and Tears’, National Library of Scotland, accessed 29 April 2024, https://www.nls.uk/exhibitions/blood-sweat-and-tears/.

[4] ‘General Collections Direction of Travel 2021-25 Extract for Community Seminar’ (National Library of Scotland, 2024).

[5] ‘Institutional Archives (Getty Research Institute)’, 5 December 2023, https://www.getty.edu/research/special_collections/institutional_archives/.

[6] Ibid.

[7] ‘Archive Archive’, Fruitmarket, accessed 29 April 2024, https://www.fruitmarket.co.uk/archive/.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Andrew G. Fraser, The Building of Old College: Adam, Playfair & the University of Edinburgh / Andrew G. Fraser. (Edinburgh: University Press, 1989), 196.

[11] Hal Foster, ‘An Archival Impulse’, October 110 (2004): 3–22, https://doi.org/10.1162/0162287042379847.

Designing a display without access to the actual space was my first lesson in adaptability and abstract problem-solving. The gallery’s tight quarters and fire safety regulations further restricted us—we couldn’t obstruct the escape route with large installations.

Our Miro board.

Our design started on Miro, a shared platform where we moulded our initial ideas. The need to adhere to fire codes led us to modify our original concept of a hanging display that made use of vertical space. Instead, we adapted our ‘mapping’ idea to highlight the people and stories of Old College without losing focus on the building’s historical narrative. In this ‘organized chaos,’ I learned how to simplify the complex. We narrowed down a dozen narratives to four central themes, using post-it notes on a boardroom wall as our physical storyboard.

Initial attempts at simulation using SketchUp.

The evolution of our project underscored the importance of suitable workflow tools. SketchUp helped visualize our design in 3D, yet its complexity proved challenging for team collaboration. This realization prompted us to switch to physical mock-ups in the classroom, allowing us to finalize our designs more collaboratively and tangibly.

First day of installation.

After installation, the vinyl displays began peeling from the walls, posing yet another hurdle. With the Talbot Rice Gallery team’s assistance, we managed to reattach them without incurring extra costs. Leveraging my hands-on abilities, I crafted a makeshift tool from vinyl packaging materials and acid-free paper, enabling us to smoothly and efficiently secure the vinyl.

This experience transcended the exhibition setup, it became a journey of personal growth, pushing me to innovate within constraints and to overcome unexpected challenges.

As an international student, my knowledge of Western history had not covered the Enlightenment’s influence until I investigated the story of the puma. Research into this period, how animals and commodities like sugar and rum were transferred as part of the slave trade reveals the colonial discourse of the era to me.

In tracing the journey of platypus’s connection, it was sent by a navy Sir Thomas Brisbane, then governor of New South Wales, I discovered parallel stories.[1] The puma arrived in Edinburgh in 1827 by William John Napier, a British naval officer associated with the Royal Society of Edinburgh.[2] Both Brisbane and Napier, alongside figures like Jameson, played roles in shaping the city’s intellectual narrative.[3][4]

It is quite surprising that this historical pattern also intersected with my Chinese background. William John Napier, who served as the Chief Super Intendent of Trade at Canton (Guangzhou, China), was central to the Napier Affair.[5]  His unsuccessful bid to negotiate unsanctioned trade in China in 1834, which halted trade and heightened Anglo-Chinese tensions, unwittingly laid the groundwork for the First Opium War.[6]

Different sized figures in our final display.

Within Old College, we sought to give voice to the underrepresented stories through our exhibition, enlarging images of animals and women impacted by colonization while diminishing those figures who benefited from it. This visual approach not only rectified historical imbalances, but also prompted a critical reassessment of how the Natural History Museum was like a monster and swallowed everything it could reach.[7]

Today, institutions like the Hunterian Museum use their spaces to dissect the evolution of knowledge and the complex web of relations between local and global contexts.[8] This historical contemplation has broadened my perspective of Old College, transforming it from an isolated architectural piece into a nexus of global connections. It encourages me to extend my research beyond my cultural identity, unearthing the complex layers that comprise its narrative.

[1] Bill Jenkins, ‘The Platypus in Edinburgh: Robert Jameson, Robert Knox and the Place of the Ornithorhynchus in Nature, 1821–24’, Annals of Science 73, no. 4 (1 October 2016): 432, https://doi.org/10.1080/00033790.2016.1230783.

[2] ‘William Napier, 9th Lord Napier’, in Wikipedia, 9 March 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Napier,_9th_Lord_Napier&oldid=1212756424.

[3] ‘Thomas Brisbane’, in Wikipedia, 1 April 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_Brisbane&oldid=1216747653.

[4] ‘William Napier, 9th Lord Napier’.

[5] ibid.

[6] ‘China & Trade with the West: The Napier Affair (1834)’, 28 September 2007, https://www.schaab-hanke.de/lehrveranstaltungen/SS2003/texte/ob35.html.

[7] W. J. T. (William John Thomas) Mitchell, ‘Museums and Other Monsters’ (conference of Municipal Museums, Florence, Italy, 2019).

[8] ‘The Hunterian’, accessed 28 April 2024, https://www.gla.ac.uk/hunterian/visit/ourvenues/hunterianmuseum/.

James Wilson, Illustrations of Zoology, pl.1, 1846, JY 953, Centre for Research Collections

When we first learned of a live puma once part of the Natural History Museum’s collection and roamed within Old College at night, sparked our curiosity with numerous questions:

How it was taken cared for? Where did it come from? What did it look like? Who brought it here? Where did it goes…

Although our investigations shed light on some mysteries, others were swallowed by the shadows of time. Yet, it was clear we were not only chasing factual answers, but also trying to perceive the world through the puma’s eyes: an animal uprooted from São Paulo, thrust into Edinburgh and the alien environment of the Old College, a place far from a natural habitat.[1]

Confronted with a large amount of histories in our brief, our challenge was creatively presenting them within the limited scope of our exhibition. Drawing inspiration from the “Foucault Effect” in Museum Studies, we took the notion of  “effective history,” which acknowledges the fragmented and non-linear nature of historical account.[2] This approach revealed the narratives of animals or people that history often neglects.

Yoko Ono: Odyssey of a Cockroach, 2003 18 Wooster Street, Deitch Projects (online)

This switch of perspective can serve as a window of the ‘othering’ that happened inside this building, which can mirror YOKO ONO’s exhibition Odyssey Of A Cockroach at Deitch Project in 2003. This exhibition dramatically presented the urban existence from the view of cockroaches, through exaggerating trash, shoes, metal wire nets and so on,  reflecting on the fact that there are more than human beings who live in architecture for their survival, thereby critiquing human arrogance and a challenge to anthropocentric narratives.[3]

Reflecting on the architectural history of the Old College, where a puma from another continent once inhabited the building as a collection; where natural history scholars have studied attempting to include the platypus in existing catalogues when it might just be a brand new species; where there were female scholars like the Edinburgh Seven attempting to gain medical accreditation, and where the university building serves the Boys’ Club. By employing counter-narrative, stories from those who have been historically marginalised are presented. we can resist the dominant discourse and inspire a more critical look at our environment.

By advocating for such perspectives, we hope to create a more inclusive and decentralised interpretation of what the Talbot Rice Art Museum looks like today, acknowledging its evolutionary tendencies that have not always been positive and its diverse history.

[1] James Wilson, Illustrations of Zoology: Being Representations of New, Rare, or Remarkable Subjects of the Animal Kingdom, Drawn and Coloured after Nature, with Historical and Descriptive Details. (Edinburgh: W. Blackwood, T. Cadell, 1831), 66.

[2] Michel Foucault, Archaeology of Knowledge, 2nd ed. (London: Routledge, 2002), 5–6, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203604168.

[3] ‘Yoko Ono: Odyssey of a Cockroach’, accessed 28 April 2024, https://www.deitch.com/archive/deitch-projects/exhibitions/odyssey-of-a-cockroach.

People involving in our archive event.

In light of the inaccuracies that appeared in our exhibition text, as highlighted in the previous blog (1.5.5), we considered mentioning this in the introduction at the forthcoming event. While I’m supportive of open discussions, I’m ambivalent about such transparency in a public setting. My hesitation stems from a concern that this openness could potentially diminish the trust our audience and collaborators have in our exhibition.

My previous studies in mass media have instilled a keen sense of ‘gatekeeping’ — a reminder of the unpredictable nature of public reactions. There’s a part of me that holds on to the ideal of delivering a ‘perfect’ outcome to our audience. Although perfection may be an unattainable goal, it’s still a worthwhile pursuit. However, team members see value in being honest about our process, including the importance of fact-checking and the necessity of revising and correcting our work. I understand the value of such perspectives, and going forward, I will balance these perspectives to better manage outcomes in a variety of situations.

Reflecting on our promotional strategies, our campaign outreach was organic, yet with hindsight, a more targeted approach might have been more effective. Considering who our audiences are and the platforms where we can reach them could greatly increase participation and foster diverse interactions. For instance, in addition to social media, promoting our event through TV screenings at the Edinburgh College of Art could engage the student community, while street posters could attract a more varied demographic, thereby narrowing the information divide. For future events, I aim to move away from relying solely on the established audience of the exhibition space/institution and develop strategies to connect with audiences beyond our existing scope, expanding our reach and impact.

Our first group pitch, where we shared the initial findings and it is an important learning opportunity. We categorized our discoveries thematically, but I still made the mistake of incorrectly describing the Puma in Old College from South ‘Africa’ rather than South America.  James, the curator of Talbot Rice Gallery, promptly corrected this oversight, highlighting the essential role of fact-checking. They emphasised the wide range of audience groups for which the exhibition is presented, stressing that our content must be accessible to people from all walks of life. Given that the Talbot Rice Gallery is part of the university, some visitors may be deeply versed in the topics we explore, so the accuracy of our text was critical.

Most of our group, including myself, came from contemporary art backgrounds and found archival research to be very different from our usual approach. I admit that attention to minutiae is not my strong suit, especially when I am researching in a second language. At James’ request, we created a shared file for collective fact-checking. I also had my peers double-check sources, but the spectre of historical reliability often hovered over our heads.

W. H. Lizars, College Museum Edinburgh, Gen.129/121, Centre for Research Collections

Our dedication notwithstanding, we encountered a challenge with what we initially believed to be evidence of the puma’s existence – a letterhead designed by William Home Lizars.[1] It served as a starting point for my research, illustrating the extensive global connections underpinning the museum’s collection, a testament to a larger narrative of dislocation. This letterhead, commissioned by Robert Jameson for his personal use, was assumed to depict the storied puma.[2]

The reference to a tame puma in the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal led us to draw this connection:

“The Dufresne collection of stuffed birds can be seen in the wall cabinets. Note the tame puma crouching below one of Trotter’s tables cases”.[3]

Nonetheless, a closer examination revealed a chronological mismatch; the image was created in 1822, while the puma only arrived in Edinburgh in 1827.[4][5] Additionally, the presence of three live animals in the depiction suggested that it could be an imaginative representation of the Natural History Museum as envisioned by Professor Jameson.

Though this detail was not included in our exhibition text, it served as a potent reminder to cautiously navigate through historical information and meticulously check our facts against the timeline. After opening our exhibition, a guest speaker pointed out several inaccuracies. We took these insights seriously, temporarily closing the exhibition to amend the errors. This experience taught us the invaluable role external expertise can play. Our internal checks were necessary but not sufficient. For future projects, engaging with knowledgeable individuals in the respective fields will be crucial, and we will strive for transparency and inclusivity in our communication with all involved parties, especially guest speakers. It reinforced a clear lesson: fact-checking is an ongoing, indispensable process.

[1] Fraser, The Building of Old College, 209.

[2] Ibid.

[3] ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] James Wilson, Illustrations of Zoology: Being Representations of New, Rare, or Remarkable Subjects of the Animal Kingdom, Drawn and Coloured after Nature, with Historical and Descriptive Details. (Edinburgh: W. Blackwood, T. Cadell, 1831), 66.

Closet for the Curious: Display Promotional Image.

As we delve deeper into our investigation, we are confronted with intricate themes: the Problems of ‘Natural History’ and ‘Humanism,’ the entanglements of Colonialism, the pathways of Gendered access to education, and the curious stories that bring these themes to life. Our exploration traces the evolution of Talbot Rice’s gallery space – a narrative that also echoes the development of museum practice. From the sixteenth-century “cabinets of curiosity” marked by rarities and novelties, to the taxonomic collections of the seventeenth century, to the late eighteenth and nineteenth-century use of public museums by nations to civilise and educate their populations, our display wants to stimulate critical thinking about the history of architectural space.[1]

Developing a title that summarised the breadth of our historical exploration was a major challenge for our group. We thought it would be prudent to devise a title that would resonate with our final arrangement of displays. The concept of a ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’, a collection built and constructed according to the collector’s own intentions, aptly reflects our situation. [2] Much like how Robert Jameson assembled glamorous collections for the Natural History Museum as material symbols of its intellect and status, our exhibition seeks to provide a counter-narrative to the building’s conventional story.

I suggested that the title of the exhibition should reflect the notion of unveiling hidden histories. It reminds me of the phrase ‘Skeleton in the Closet,’ suggestive of secrets unearthed. Combining this phrase with the underlying concept of the ‘Cabinet of Curiosities,’ we get the beginning of the title, ‘Cabinet of Curiosities.’

To further emphasize our critical stance, we incorporated the idea of the Old College’s ‘Uneven Evolution.’ It conveys our centralised intention to question the building’s accessibility and the diverse communities it has served or failed to serve over time. The building’s past exclusion of women, such as the Edinburgh Seven, contrasts with the honourable legacy of Charles Darwin and eclipses figures such as John Edmonstone. Currently, the building is divided into different sections with varying degrees of openness, reflecting the current challenges faced.

In summation, “Closet for the Curious: Old College’s Uneven Evolution” resonated with us as a title that encapsulated the depth of our enquiry, inviting the audience to think about the multi-faceted history of the gallery.

[1] Rhiannon Mason, ‘Cultural Theory and Museum Studies’, in A Companion to Museum Studies (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2006), 23–24, https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470996836.ch2.

[2] ‘Cabinets of Curiosities and The Origin of Collecting’, Sotheby’s Institute of Art (blog), accessed 26 April 2024, https://www.sothebysinstitute.com/cabinets-of-curiosities-and-the-origin-of-collecting.

Denaturalized History Display:

How do art spaces mediate the history of itself to the audience？

Exploring identity in the gallery space invites a thoughtful examination of the historical events that contributed to its character. Considering a building as an ‘architectural text’ allows one to recognise the complexity of the task.[1] Thus, in contemplating the role of contemporary art spaces within the context of their historical legacies, it is interesting to consider how these institutions serve as bridges between their storied past and their vibrant present. The transformative journey of various art spaces, for example: König Galerie once the St. Agnes Church, Fruitmarket Gallery, a bustling market adjacent to a train station, the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art formerly a flour mill, and even skating rinks (La Patinoire Royale – Galerie Valérie Bach). These evolutions highlight the adaptive nature of these spaces, each bearing the imprints of its former identities.

The Talbot Rice Gallery (TRG) also has undergone several transformations over the years. From the dates of illustrations in Andrew Fraser’s book The Building of Old College: Adam, Playfair & the University of Edinburgh. From being known as Play-Fairs’ Upper Museum in 1816 to becoming the Natural History Museum of the University and later a Reading Room in 1949. Today, it is known as Talbot Rice Gallery, as it appeared in 1974.[2] The task presented to our group within the Guided Research Placement Brief probes the essence of these transformations: “How can a contemporary art gallery create productive and critical relationships to the history of its spaces which also engage audiences?” In the case of the TRG, a part of the essence of the building was faded into history, and can only be found via photographic reconstructions, stories and memories. The presence of the collections, for example, which were displayed in the display cases, can no longer be perceived.

College of Edinburgh, Ornament frieze of Great Entablature: Upper Museum, No.84 © the University of Edinburgh

To further discuss this question, we need to challenge the existing perspective of viewing the Talbot Rice Gallery’s history and present it in a way that informs the audience. Therefore, I divided the remaining trace of its history into two strata: the tangible, like the architectural integrity, and the intangible, such as the cultural imprint of its former roles. In examining the remnants that echo within the walls of the Talbot Rice Gallery, one’s gaze is naturally drawn to the neoclassical flourishes, like the honeysuckle flower frieze adorning the columns — a hallmark of William Playfair’s design dating back to 1818. This detail not only exemplifies the architectural heritage of the space but also serves as a bridge to its layered history. Similarly, Dumfries House stands as a paragon of Neoclassical architecture, where Robert Adam’s enduring legacy is preserved both in original form within the Pewter Corridor and through sympathetic restorations that breathe new life into the space. This harmonious blend of the old and the new provides a tangible, evolving story of space and purpose, a narrative thread that the Talbot Rice Gallery could weave into its fabric of identity.

The Pewter Corridor © Dumfries House

To deepen the engagement with this historical dialogue, we decided to curate a suite of interpretive programs that offer a rich exploration of the gallery’s historical layers. Envision a series of self-guided tours, perhaps using transparent paper to print the archival images from the Centre for Research Collections, allowing visitors to overlay the past onto the present. These resources, available through thoughtfully produced pamphlets, would not only highlight the architectural nuances of the gallery but also serve as a narrative map, guiding visitors through the various stories of the Old College. Through representations or physical displays of old photographs and plans, the narrative of the space unfolds, providing context and depth to the visitor’s experience. This approach promises a multi-sensory engagement with the space, where visitors are not merely observers but participants in a historical journey. Through these layers of interpretive storytelling, the exhibition experience becomes a tapestry of temporal threads, each visitor’s path stitching together the historical fabric of the building with the evolving tapestry of contemporary culture housed within its walls.

Site-specific historical art commissions, such as Michal Barr’s Creative Creatures in Old College, bring back the history of the Natural History Museum, a duration when the building collected different specimens, and serve to anchor the gallery’s presence in its historical roots. Which’s picture will be put in our exhibition to elaborate on the connection between history and residency practice. Such art pieces, akin to the installations by Anicka Yi in the Turbine Hall, can be conceived to directly interact with the historical and architectural essence of the space, thereby crafting a dialogue between the bygone and the current. For example, Yi’s “In Love With The World” at the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, where her ‘aerobes’ diffuse scents that chronicle the site’s history from the ancient past to the industrial age, is emblematic of how contemporary art can embody the temporal layers of a site, making the past tangible in the present through scent and movement. The intangible heritage of a gallery space, especially in its capacity to convene and engage, persists through the very atmosphere and ethos it fosters.

Our buildings-The architecture of the RA: Timeline © Royal Academy of Arts

Following the precedent-setting RA250 architectural project at the Royal Academy of Arts,2018 added 6 Burlington Gardens, once housing the Museum of Mankind, to the programme. Now transformed into an art space, a dynamic timeline on the Royal College of Art’s official website presents important events that have taken place in the space at different points in time. It also connects buildings from different periods and styles to form an integrated cultural campus that not only showcases contemporary architectural interventions, but also integrates historical narratives into the experience.[3] fusion of past and present is not only a curatorial decision but a strategic engagement with the gallery’s heritage.

[1] Raffaella Maddaluno, “FROM THE PLACE OF “PRODUCTION MACHINES” TO THE PLACE OF “DREAM MACHINES” The factory space as a praise for emptiness,” Icon 25, no. 1 (2020),https://www.jstor.org/stable/26983774.

[2] Andrew G. Fraser, The building of Old College : Adam, Playfair & the University of Edinburgh / Andrew G. Fraser (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1989).

[3] “The architecture of the RA,” Our buildings, Royal Academy of Arts, accessed 23.2, 2024, https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/buildings.

(1) Identify your key responsibilities and list the main areas of work you have been involved in. Briefly highlight the skills and competencies that are relevant to this project/work area.

In my research work for the project, I have focused on revealing little known stories about the history of the Old College. My work included a detailed study of the honeysuckle frieze, John Playfair’s iconic neo-classical motif that is still visible today. This work required meticulous historical research and interpretation of the architectural design based on a non-digital university catalogue.

In addition, my role involved exploring the history of the collections within the context of the building. I conducted extended searches along existing footnotes to obtain information on the puma and browsed the archive system of the Centre for Research Collections to obtain relevant image material. This often required identifying and understanding handwritten letters, as well as dealing with old and sometimes inaccessible reference materials. These challenges honed my ability to critically process archival documents and extract and integrate relevant information albeit from materials that are old and in poor condition.

In terms of visualisation, my background in photography and production made me particularly sensitive to the visual aspects of the project. I was involved in the entire process of developing the exhibition programme, using SketchUp’s 3D modelling skills to envision the exhibition space, constantly coming up with options and determining the feasibility of the vision. I consciously documented our progress with photographs, which helped to effectively communicate our progress through the final presentation slides.

For project management, I completed a comprehensive budget checklist that accurately recorded our expenses and in-kind contributions. This ensured the sustainability of the project and acknowledged the support provided by the University and the Talbot Rice Gallery. To enhance team coordination, I promoted the use of shared documents for research compilations and developed a detailed post-session to-do list with timelines and actionable steps to achieve goals to ensure the project’s methodical march.

(2) Looking ahead, list your key objectives for the GRP. 3-7 SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timed) objectives should be noted with realistic timescales and focused outcomes. The objectives should cover the project itself and your own role. See here for a definition of SMART Objectives.

• Finalising the Exhibition Text: we are now in the process of fact-checking the material and information that we have gathered from each other, which is expected to be completed before the start of the second semester. In January after the start of term, on this basis, we will try to put together a thread to link the different stories together to form a central theme.
• Visualise Display: over the holidays gather inspiration for visualising the display settings in the gallery, exploring how to make more interesting use of the space while ensuring that the historical information from our research outputs is delivered to the audience. This needs to be confirmed and communicated to the technical team as soon as possible in January after the start of the academic year for implementation and budget control.
• Individual objectives: to collate and confirm the authenticity of material collected by themselves during the holidays; to collect available image material related to the architectural history of Puma via the CRC online database, and to output a printout once confirmed at the start of the academic year; to find and accumulate visual inspiration and possible ways of presenting the exhibition on documentation.

(3) Discursive self-reflection

Use this section to, 1) reflect upon the progress of the project to date (both as a whole and with regards to your own specific area/role). 2) Critically reflect upon your experience working with the group. Here you may consider your contribution so far, the value of your specific strengths and expertise, the effectiveness of group communications and your performance in group meetings. How might the group [have] enhance[d] its performance?

This exhibition was a breakthrough for me, moving away from the typical artist-centred presentation to a narrative presentation based on the archival legacy of the Talbot Rice Gallery. Our shared goal was to create an exhibition that not only presented the results of our research, but also charted the gallery’s rich and unique history for future artists-in-residence to draw inspiration from.

The CRC’s digital collection played a key role in our research process. Online searches were initially sufficient to identify potential display materials, but direct interaction with the collection was beneficial in deepening our understanding, such as discovering the double-layered, interactive nature of the archive College of Edinburgh, Plan of the First Floor, No.18, Coll-13, an architectural overhead views. This lesson reinforced the importance of having direct access to research materials whenever possible.

Our group worked conscientiously on our individual research tasks, but we found that our work might have been more cohesive when integrated. Identifying overlaps and intersections in the historical narrative early on would have resulted in a more focused and accurate exhibition theme. We now understand that the narrative of the exhibition could have been more effectively communicated by synthesising our individual findings.

The constraints of the space posed a great challenge and demanded innovative solutions in terms of material presentation. Our late entry into the actual exhibition space taught us a lesson in the need to anticipate practical constraints and adjust our planning process accordingly.

My contribution came from my photographic background and installation experience, mainly in visual conceptualisation. I was involved in the selection of images and provided input for the visual marketing assets despite my laptop malfunctioning. The diversity of language and cultural backgrounds in our group posed a communication challenge, which I proposed addressing by creating shared documents to clarify and validate our discussions after meetings.

In retrospect, I realise that there was room for improvement in my active participation in the group, which could have led to clearer communication. For group projects, it is vital to utilise individual strengths, and whilst scheduling conflicts made regular meetings challenging, the workflow that had been put in place at and by the Centre of Research Collection and Talbot Rice Gallery ensured that we progressed without feeling overwhelmed.

Acknowledging and adapting to our limitations while striving to remain flexible was a central theme of our project. This exemplifies the spirit of collaboration, where even in the face of limitations, a team can still accomplish meaningful and impactful work.

Reimagining Gallery Space – A Space of Memory

In recent decades, museums have transformed from mere preservers of historical narratives to dynamic ‘spaces of memory’, a place where complex histories are actively engaged and reinterpreted.[1] These spaces serve as arenas where social and political identities are negotiated and reconfigured against a backdrop of the past they represent.^[2] Our Guided Research Placement aims to impart vitality to the history of the Talbot Rice Gallery while upholding critical assessment and captivating the audience. Our objective is to unravel the gallery’s previous life as the Natural History Museum, focusing on the layers of history surrounding the old college building. Through this endeavour, we wanted to achieve the goal of critically reviewing the gallery’s past by creating a narrative that would resonate with visitors.

We drew inspiration from the idea of the gallery as a space of memory, and used this idea as a methodological attempt to connect the present as a contemporary art gallery with the architectural history of the Natural History Museum. Night Walk for Edinburgh (2019) is a work by Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller who returned to Edinburgh to collaborate again with the Fruitmarket Gallery following The House of Books Has No Windows (2008).producing a ‘walking ‘ video work. It can serve as a good reference for this approach, not least because, both galleries are based in Edinburgh and share the same context of the city’s historical content.

Night Walk for Edinburgh: Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, Image: Chris Scott, 2019

Throughout the audio and video walk, following the sounds and footsteps of Cardiff, you will travel through the back streets of the Old Town, unravelling a fragmented story of history, invention and memory. Walking naturally draws our attention to the details of buildings or their surroundings. The artist also shares personal observations and reflections, which together form a non-linear and often disturbing narrative. Night Walk for Edinburgh is an immersive experience that blends memories and observations, blurring the lines between reality and history. As you listen to the artist’s narrative and watch the accompanying video, you are confronted with your unchanging surroundings and contemplate what events these buildings have witnessed.

‘Walking is like the flow of history. One footstep after another, one event after another. Every time we choose an action or direction we change everything that might have been.’[4] –Night Walk for Edinburgh

In this work Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller use walking as the basis for a collage of impressions and experiences, memories and histories using objects, images and, above all, sound, mixing references to high culture and popular culture in works that exist in their own time and rhythms. The works are time-based – that is, they have a specific duration – yet they are open and ambiguous, leaving space for the viewer to occupy and interact with them in their imagination and practice.[3] The artist’s work links fact and fiction, but there is less freedom to do so in the exhibition. There are also two sides to how we critically and creatively approach this ancient building. One side is the visible history, such as the building and some of its decorative details, and the other side is the invisible history. How do we articulate, activate and create space for the visible memory? Equally importantly, the history of the Talbot Rice Gallery is rooted in the Old College of the University of Edinburgh, and a walking tour of the building is highly conducive to engaging the viewer in an active and reflective exploration of Talbot Rice Gallery’s historical and cultural context.

We therefore planned to include walking tours as an element of the exhibition, but this programme faced a number of shortcomings, such as the varying accessibility of the various parts of the Old College building, how to ensure that we always had sufficient pamphlets providing information for visitors to pick up, and the limited opportunities for re-enactments. However, Night Walk for Edinburgh could inform our exhibition. The work is constantly updated and will be reproduced regularly on a webpage constructed by the Fruit Market. and offers a solution to our problem: the artwork is presented via a mobile phone app, which allows it to be re-performed without the need for additional staff, and all instructions are clearly stated on the app that provides the video. This not only reduces maintenance costs, but also makes the experience accessible to a wider audience. Participants simply sign up online and arrive at the start location at the scheduled time, put on their headphones, click on the audio of the piece, and the experience begins. However, during my experience, some of you may be ahead of schedule, and if you’re not in a group, the route won’t be shown once the experience starts and you may get lost around the next corner. We didn’t have to worry too much about this because the only place our audience had access to was TRG, but we also gave them an overhead map pointing to each attraction. In response to these considerations, we included walking maps and QR codes in the exhibition booklet to ensure that participants could easily carry instructions and information with them.

Vincent Enrique Hernandez, Valley Research Map, 2019–. AAA map, map pins, found images, thumbtacks, corkboard. 40 × 60 in. (101.6 × 152.4 cm). Courtesy the artist

Looking ahead, given more space or time, we could consider an approach similar to Vincent Enrique Hernandez’s San Fernando Valley Tours, which uses material culture to construct memories within the gallery space. Hernandez’s work creates an interactive environment reminiscent of a souvenir shop, complete with road signs, postcards, and a curated photo album that invites attention to the places and people around us, rethinking what constitutes a history worth remembering and digging deeper into where we are and what we remember.[5] The idea of mapping also be adapted into our display design. Such an exhibition design can enrich the thematic experience for those unable to participate directly in the walk, offering an alternative yet meaningful way to engage with the gallery’s narrative.

[1] Daniele Salerno, ‘Stories That Shape Spatialities: Lieu and Milieu de Mémoire through the Lens of Narrativity’, in Reading Memory Sites through Signs: Hiding into Landscape, ed. Cristina Demaria and Patrizia Violi, Heritage and Memory Studies (Amsterdam University Press, 2023), 31–54, https://doi.org/10.1017/9789048544301.002.

[2] Cristina Demaria et al., ‘Spaces of Memory’, Heritage, Memory and Conflict 2 (12 January 2022): 1–5, https://doi.org/10.3897/ijhmc.2.e78980.

[3] Janet Cardiff, Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller: The House of Books Has No Windows. (Edinburgh: The Fruitmarket Gallery, 2008), 12.

[4] ‘The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh: Janet Cardiff And George Bures Miller, Night Walk For Edinburgh | Artmag | All The Arts In Scotland’, 8 August 2019, https://artmag.co.uk/the-fruitmarket-gallery-edinburgh-janet-cardiff-and-george-bures-miller-night-walk-for-edinburgh/.

[5] ‘Vincent Enrique Hernandez | Hammer Museum’, accessed 29 April 2024, https://hammer.ucla.edu/made-la-2023-acts-living/vincent-enrique-hernandez.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Collier, Morrison-Bell, Ross, Collier, Mike, Morrison-Bell, Cynthia, Ross, Janet, and PM Gallery House, Host Institution. Walk on: From Richard Long to Janet Cardiff: 40 Years of Art Walking. 2013.

Mathur, Saloni, Caroline Jones, Patrick Flores, Emilia Terracciano, Brook Andrew, Michelle Wun Ting Wong, Karin Zitzewitz, et al. ‘Why Exhibition Histories?’ British Art Studies, no. 13 (30 September 2019). https://doi.org/10.17658/issn.2058-5462/issue-13/conversation.