Collective 11:11’s second meeting at Summerhall was a workshop hosted by collective member Beichen Huang on how to digitally create three-dimensional mock-ups of our curatorial projects. To do this, he presented a projected step by step guide as to how to use the Art Steps software, a free online website that allows for the upload of images as well as digital mapping tools so that we can create a model to scale and using our actual artworks. Changing the room’s colours, measurements, door placement, furniture and lighting, the appeal of this website is for you to quickly and easily be able to visualise a potential curatorial decision, especially when you either don’t have access to the space or, as in our instance, the project is speculative. You can download additional objects for the room from Poly.Pizza, making the model an even better reflection of what your project will look like. By having imagery of your layout, any potential investors or external bodies can understand your exhibition, as described by curator James Clegg in Week 4.
Although Beichen was very thorough in his explanation of using the website and as a collective activity the intention was wonderful, I feel as if this method of visualising a project was not entirely helpful for my own curatorial project. I did follow along each step, learning how I could hypothetically use the software, but I don’t think it is suited to my project. Each week my location changes, I have no set artwork and my project is not an exhibition, making the functionality of my mock-up difficult to convey. I did however think it was useful to as a group think of how each of us were using our relative spaces. For example, Emily Geary’s exhibition has one centralised artwork in the space which changes the dynamic of a room in comparison to someone who has work on every wall and the purpose is to spend time rotating around the gallery space. This has encouraged me to this about how my space will be laid out, with different table placements, activity layouts and places for social interaction.
https://poly.pizza/m/96Vhd1riedz
https://www.artsteps.com/
