🟡 WEEK 9-11: Summerhall Curatorial Experiment Workshop

🔝Three-Week Focus

Over Weeks 9–11, we explored how publishing, public programmes, and self-archiving can each serve as critical curatorial tools. These lectures became the conceptual foundation of our Fear as Method workshop at Summerhall, where we applied their key ideas into embodied, collaborative formats.

In Week 9, Publishing as Curating prompted us to produce a zine for the workshop. We were especially inspired by case studies that foregrounded friendship as methodology, revealed curatorial mess behind the scenes, and challenged institutional ideas of professionalism. Publishing became not just documentation but a curatorial artwork—nonlinear, reflective, and durational.

In Week 10, we focused on Public Programmes and the shift from event-based add-ons to pedagogical, participatory practices. Theories around the educational turn and co-production encouraged us to treat the workshop not as a fixed event but as a shared learning space. The structure was co-created with the participants, making fear not only a topic but a collective method.

In Week 11, we examined Archives and Self-Archiving, shifting from official, institutional memory to non-hierarchical, emotional, and process-based forms of documentation. Our workshop was recorded through video-based self-archiving, capturing ambient sounds, gestures, and real-time reactions. This format allowed us to preserve the ephemeral dynamics of fear—its tensions, releases, and echoes—as a living archive beyond written description.

Together, these three weeks formed a curatorial method rooted in affect, care, and collaboration.

Workshop Collective Meeting

Our collective consisted of Yiran Gu, Hanyun Xue, Lingqiu Xiao, and Yufan Wang. The idea for the workshop was first brainstormed during an informal meeting in a café, where we explored “the senses” as a starting point. Two directions emerged:

A psychological-emotional route—exploring the source of fear through inner triggers such as the unknown, loss of control, or childhood memory.
A philosophical-aesthetic approach—challenging visual dominance by rethinking perception and reality, echoing Platonic ideas of illusion and truth.

Eventually, we agreed on the first direction and developed Fear as Method as an art-therapy-informed workshop that centers participation, shared experience, and co-creation. We emphasized not the resolution of fear, but a framework to enter, sense, and reinterpret it. Our process valued emotional outcomes: participants should leave with a sense of clarity, release, or insight. We asked: Can contemporary art serve not only as expression, but as a methodological tool to explore emotion?

In terms of curatorial strategy, we worked with constraints: limited budget, minimal materials, and shared time. Yet this challenge inspired us to focus on transforming a space into an emotionally responsive site—using light, fabric, scent, and sound to shift perception and tone. We defined our goal clearly: not to cure fear in two hours, but to create a structured emotional thinking ritual where participants might (1) identify perceptual misjudgments, (2) reframe their understanding of fear as a subjective construct, and (3) carry this redefinition as a transferable concept beyond the workshop.

Figure 1. Group photo of the four curators (Yiran Gu, Hanyun Xue, Lingqiu Xiao, and Yufan Wang) at the ECA café during an early informal brainstorming session. Photograph by Hanyun Xue, March 2025.

As part of our collaborative approach, we also used 16 personalities MBTI personality types to inform our task distribution.

As an ENTJ, I naturally took on the role of project coordinator—managing the timeline and ensuring steady progress. With a curatorial background and previous assistant experience, I also provided technical support, including measuring the site and planning the layout using Summerhall’s existing structure. I proposed low-impact solutions like using fishing lines and feathers for hanging, and Blu Tack to protect walls. I also undertook the visual design of the workshop and responsible for documenting the workshop. My media experience helped me capture dynamic, emotionally resonant moments. These photographs became a vital part of our self-archiving process, preserving not just the space but the shared atmosphere and participant engagement.
Hanyun Xue (ENFJ)brought interdisciplinary strength to our team with her dual background in fine art and business management, and her certification in psychological counseling. In the workshop, she acted as both facilitator and emotional guide—establishing a professional tone while fostering a secure, inclusive space. She applied therapeutic language and guided interaction methods to support participants under sensory restriction, helping them feel grounded and trust the process.Within the group, she helped mediate differing opinions and promoted open dialogue. Her integration of psychological theory into our curatorial thinking gave Fear as Method conceptual clarity and emotional depth, helping shape a participant-centered experience with greater sensitivity.
Lingqiu Xiao (ENFP)has a background in art theory and anthropology. Energetic and empathetic, she excels at communication and has a sharp eye for everyday details and practical solutions. In our team, she managed material procurement and on-site logistics. She skillfully sourced shared resources, compared prices, and adapted material choices on the fly—showcasing her flair for low-budget creativity and everyday problem-solving. During the event, she acted as floor manager, coordinating participant flow, managing waiting times, and offering calm support to maintain a smooth rhythm. Her sensitivity to practical needs and “life-smart” mindset made the workshop feel both grounded and well cared for.
Yufan Wang (INFP)with a background in media and communication studies, brought quiet strength and steady focus to our team. She was responsible for behind-the-scenes tasks, including handcrafting tools and managing the flow within the emotional mapping station. Her calm presence helped guide participants through the space without premature discussion, preserving the authenticity of individual experience. Yufan also led our new media promotion and video archiving, skillfully handling complex editing workflows to create a comprehensive self-archive. Her sensitivity and technical skills added both emotional depth and formal clarity to the workshop, ensuring that what was felt could also be remembered.

Figure 2. The team using a Miro share board to collaboratively plan the workshop workflow. Photograph by Yiran Gu, March 2025.

Figure 3. Everyone preparing handmade elements for the installation setup at Summerhall. Photograph by Lingqiu Xiao, March 2025.

Figure 4. Workshop test session at Summerhall: Lingqiu Xiao (left) as the participant, Hanyun Xue (center) guiding the experience, and Yiran Gu (right) as the hand model within the installation. Yufan Wang documented the scene. Photograph by Yufan Wang, March 2025.

Work in Progress

Figure 5. During the workshop1.Photographed by Yiran Gu on March 29, 2025.

Figure 6. During the workshop2.Photographed by Yiran Gu on March 29, 2025.

Figure 7. During the workshop3.Photographed by Yiran Gu on March 29, 2025.

Figure 8. Final group photo of workshop participants and curators in front of the curatorial statement and poster wall, holding their reflective Post-it messages.

Photographed by an anonymous attendee on March 29, 2025.