This 13-week blog collection shows a coherent and gradual in-depth thinking track, including SICP and JIJU Collective practices. SICP started from the exploration of self-portrait and timeliness and slowly turned to the exploration of visibility and finally decided to take “some kind of absence” as the theme. However, although both SICP and JIJU Collective have developed well, the relationship between them still lacks sufficient connection.
One of the great advantages of this collection is that theory and practice confirm each other, and there is no empty talk about theory, but it really uses theory to make curatorial decisions. From Ana Bilbao’s “micro-curation” to Hito Steyerl’s “delayed visibility”, Sara Ahmed’s phenomenology and Nicolas Bourriaud’s relational aesthetics were combined, which showed the researcher-led curatorial method. This is particularly obvious in the ninth week about Leith Makers’ site selection and the intervention of Summerhall’s relationship in the tenth week, which shows that you have traces of thought.
However, there are still shortcomings in translating these complex theories into operational methods. Although the strategy of “delay”, “blur” and “fragmentation” is solid in concept, the specific operation in the exhibition space has not been fully developed, and sometimes it is regarded as simply creating an atmosphere to make the space look artistic and emotional, but the audience still looks at the works as usual and has not really changed the way of watching.
My suggestion is that in the spatial layout described in week 13, the portfolio needs more accurate technical analysis: how does the specific light level, hanging height, or physical position of Ron Walker’s works force the audience’s line of sight to be “interrupted” by physics?
In the eighth week, the group name “Hermit Crab” metaphor about the JIJU Collective provided valuable insights for cooperative ethics and “curatorial conditions”, but they were still mainly descriptive. In order to enhance the rigour of the portfolio, the relationship between these collective experiences and individual projects needs to be more clearly expressed, and the extent to which these collective experiences specifically affect the curatorial decisions in individual projects has not been fully reflected. For example, when emphasising the temporality and dependence on the environment in the hermit crab metaphor, can this make you think about the “visibility condition” in your exhibition “A Certain Absence”?
In order to further strengthen the project, it is necessary to transform theoretical concepts into spatial and material strategies more clearly. For example, in the ninth week, it should be clear how the “visibility conditions” specifically affect the selection of works, lighting design and audience movement, especially the implementation under the restrictions of Leith Makers venue. At the same time, cases such as Maura Reilly’s ‘Curatorial Activism’ can be introduced to strengthen the transformation from theory to curatorial methodology.
link: https://u.osu.edu/kletchka.1/2017/11/19/curatorial-activism/
More crucially, the project needs to further reflect on its core concept: is “delayed visibility” a critical mechanism that can reconstruct the way of viewing, or does it mainly stay at the level of perception or atmosphere? How is this “delay” materialised through space design, not just in conceptual description? The response to these questions will significantly enhance the coherence and critical depth of the project. Case studies such as curatorial studies by Paul O’Neill and Mick Wilson can be used to further clarify how the “delayed” viewing process can be used as a teaching tool for non-professional audiences.
link: https://www.artbook.com/9780949004031.html
Bibliography
Reilly, Maura. Curatorial Activism: Towards an Ethics of Curating. London: Thames & Hudson, 2018.
O’Neill, Paul, and Mick Wilson, eds. Curating Research. London and Amsterdam: Open Editions and de Appel, 2015.
Ahmed, Sara. The Cultural Politics of Emotion. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014.
Bourriaud, Nicolas. Relational Aesthetics. Dijon: Les Presses du réel, 1998.
Steyerl, Hito. “In Defense of the Poor Image.” e-flux journal, no. 10 (2009).
