WEEK 2
The Week 2 Planning Meeting marked an important transition from articulating broad curatorial interests to developing more concrete ways of working, both individually and collectively. The session focused on translating ideas into formats, references, and curatorial methods that could begin to shape our speculative projects.
We began by reporting back on curatorial activities we had engaged with since the previous class. Rather than simply describing experiences, this exercise encouraged us to analyse exhibitions, platforms, and projects through a curatorial lens—considering their themes, formats, target publics, and approaches to engagement. This process highlighted how curatorial decisions actively shape access, interpretation, and participation, and reinforced the importance of reflective analysis as part of curatorial practice.
The discussion then moved towards initial thoughts on curatorial project formats. Drawing on the range of contemporary models introduced in Week 1, we reflected on formats such as exhibitions, publications, public programmes, and socially engaged projects. At this stage, the emphasis was not on making fixed decisions, but on understanding how different formats might support particular curatorial intentions, especially in relation to education, accessibility, and responsiveness to social contexts.
A significant part of the meeting was dedicated to thinking about what it means to work as a collective. By breaking down examples of existing curatorial collectives, we considered collaboration not only as a practical structure, but as a curatorial methodology in itself. This raised questions around shared authorship, decision-making, responsibility, and the potential of decentralised approaches to challenge hierarchical models of curating.
The meeting concluded with a review of the Blog Toolkit with the tutor. This clarified expectations around the Blog as a curatorial portfolio, emphasising the importance of selection, critical reflection, and connection to course materials rather than comprehensive documentation. Overall, the Week 2 Planning Meeting helped position both the Blog and the collective as active tools for developing curatorial thinking and practice over the duration of the course.
