An experimental field for constructing a community space in synchrony
In a corner of Summerhall Arts, our “Collective Space” is not an ordinary classroom, but an incubator of collective consciousness. It carries the commitment of the Curating course to “co-construction” and “practical learning”, and is also a response – a response to the voices of those students who hope to have greater autonomy. in this space named “In vitro”, our team “11:11” wrote a period of time that was unique to us.
Why 11:11?
On digital clocks, 11:11 is a “symmetrical time” and is said to be the window for “wishes to come true”. We borrowed this symbolic point in time as the name of the group, aiming to emphasize “synchronicity” : at a certain moment, we jointly participate in this curatorial journey from different backgrounds and perspectives. This name extends to the 11 group declarations we drafted together, each responding to the three core curriculum values of “Care”, “Creativity” and “Criticality”, and also reflecting our deepening understanding of the “community”.
🎬 First Gathering: Watching is curating
Our first informal meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. on March 4th at West Court in ECA. As a kick-off meeting, it did not set serious topics but was a warm-up for the future. During the approximately 30-minute communication, we decided to start the first major activity with “watching a film” as the entry point.
Our first official meeting will be held at 2 p.m. on March 20th at Summer Hall. Each member will select a video/image work of about 10 minutes to represent their artistic or curatorial interests. This approach not only enables us to quickly understand each other’s thinking paths, but also lays the foundation for subsequent cooperation.
Highlights from the list:
1. Staff at Moderna Museet – Annika Eriksson (2000)
2. Left Side Right Side – Joan Jonas (1972)
3. Cycles – Zeinabu Irene Davis (1989) ← As I choose
4. The Neighbor’s Window – Marshall Curry (2019)
5. Why modern art is so expensive? -Business Insider (2019)
6. Singing in the Rain – Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen (1952)
7. Interior Scroller-the Cave – Carolee Schneemann (1975-95)
8. Love Sequences – Gobelin-Qanun (2019)
9. Inspirator – Abigail Lane (2000)
10. Lanvin, Alka-Seltzer, Veterano-Salvador Dali (1970s)
Each video segment is an entrance to a world, and the process of our watching films is like holding a miniature exhibition. This strategic viewing has stimulated our discussion on media art and narrative strategies.
A dialogue space in a multicultural context
Members of our group come from different countries and academic fields, which brings multiple perspectives to the discussion. For example, after watching “Cycles”, we had an exchange about the body writing of non-Western women, temporality and identity. When watching the works of Joan Jonas, it naturally transitions to the status and context of performance art in the art history of Europe and America.
These cross-cultural and interdisciplinary discussions are precisely the embodiment of “visiting texts/resources” and “Exploring other views, perspectives” emphasized in the PPT. In our coexistence, we constantly refined our understanding of countermeasures, space utilization, and audience interaction methods, gradually transforming the theories in the course into operational models in the real world.
From Film Screening to Curatorial Thinking: Re-understanding the Course
Combined with the goals proposed in the PPT, our Collective Space activity has also become an extension of the “Independent Research Time” :
• Feedback on Fieldwork: After each screening, we have a 15-20 minute group discussion to organize the viewing experience in a critical way and record it in our respective curatorial logs.
• Practice of the countermeasure exhibition method: We use this to train how to screen works, sequence narratives, and guide audiences within a limited time.
• Understanding of collective cooperation: We have realized what “Negotiating control through openness” is and understood that the true value of collective work lies in the dialogue and integration among differences.
The blueprint for co-creation in the future
In the following meeting, we will focus on:
The SICP deepening of individual projects of group members
• Concentrated discussion on curatorial concepts
• Curatorial space simulation and testing (such as exhibition preview, audience movement route design)
We plan to invite other group members to join the discussion and conduct cross-group communication by using the “Bookable slots” mentioned in the PPT.
Curating is not limited to exhibitions
11:11 is not merely a group; it is more like the prototype of a miniature curatorial institution. What we carry out in Collective Space is a practice of a “curatorial lifestyle” : Curation is neither a distant theory nor a solidified display wall. It is a tool to stimulate dialogue, establish connections and activate the space. And each of our members is also actively participating in it, integrating their academic enthusiasm and curatorial thinking into this community soil.
