100 OBJECTS
FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE MILAN TRIENNALE:
at the BANGALORE EXHIBITION CENTRE, Tumkur Rd.
DEPARTURE FROM COLLEGE AT 10.A.M
TIME ALLOCATED FOR VIEWING: 2 HOURS
G.
Have you checked your final grades, below?
Friday 7 December 2007
Thursday 6 December 2007
MUSEOGRAPHIES: BANGALORE...
Soon after launching the Museographies project, at Srishti, I took a trip to City Market, on the first Sunday, and bought four used bicycle seats made of colorful plastic; which I selected from a group:
I bought them with a specific use in mind; a use which would transform the seats into something else — the 'X' factor — whilst retaining their value as ethnographic objects and cultural artefacts.
Here is the result, which I tested with the curator of the Pitt Rivers Museum,Oxford; some collectors and two other curators in the UK; with a few colleagues here, as well as with some people I met in Bangalore (an artist at CKP; a businessman at GPO...); and now with you...
A new addition to my 'MUSEOGRAPHIES' series, which I plan to 'smuggle' in the Pitt Rivers in Oxford (alongside 'Four Masks'), as an example of an on-going POETIC VISUAL ANTHROPOLOGY.
Wishing you a HAPPY CONTINUATION with your Art and Design Explorations...
I bought them with a specific use in mind; a use which would transform the seats into something else — the 'X' factor — whilst retaining their value as ethnographic objects and cultural artefacts.Here is the result, which I tested with the curator of the Pitt Rivers Museum,Oxford; some collectors and two other curators in the UK; with a few colleagues here, as well as with some people I met in Bangalore (an artist at CKP; a businessman at GPO...); and now with you...
A new addition to my 'MUSEOGRAPHIES' series, which I plan to 'smuggle' in the Pitt Rivers in Oxford (alongside 'Four Masks'), as an example of an on-going POETIC VISUAL ANTHROPOLOGY.
Wishing you a HAPPY CONTINUATION with your Art and Design Explorations...
DAY 21: FED BACK + SELF-ASSESSMENT
For this final session, you will review and discuss your respective achievements; on the basis of the printed proofs exhibited in the studio, and what you have seen yesterday on screen.
You will also self-evaluate your performance on the project, with reference to the criteria highlighted on the assessment form: a way of experiencing ACTION RESEARCH as an essential part of Design Practice.
This will, no doubt, offer a sound basis for fine-tuning your blog and your designs.
Final marks:
Neeti Gokhalay: A-
Rutika Seth: B+
Vinay Ghodgeri: B+
Radha Mohini Prasad: B+
Aajwanthi Baradwaj: B+
Mrunmayee Gokhale: B
Nimisha Singhal: B
Priyanka Chaurasia: B
Divya Gaitonde: B
Saakshita Prabhakar:B
Uditi Shah: B
Akshita Jain: B-
Nilisha Khana: B-
Sargam Gupta: C
You will also self-evaluate your performance on the project, with reference to the criteria highlighted on the assessment form: a way of experiencing ACTION RESEARCH as an essential part of Design Practice.
This will, no doubt, offer a sound basis for fine-tuning your blog and your designs.
Final marks:
Neeti Gokhalay: A-
Rutika Seth: B+
Vinay Ghodgeri: B+
Radha Mohini Prasad: B+
Aajwanthi Baradwaj: B+
Mrunmayee Gokhale: B
Nimisha Singhal: B
Priyanka Chaurasia: B
Divya Gaitonde: B
Saakshita Prabhakar:B
Uditi Shah: B
Akshita Jain: B-
Nilisha Khana: B-
Sargam Gupta: C
Wednesday 5 December 2007
DAYS 18 & 19: GRAPHIC IMPLEMENTATION
Monday to Wednesday will be spent implementing your graphic ideas in the computer lab, with tutorial support, on request.
Please check the Notice Board, for details of assessment, and ask for a self-assessment form, to be filled and handed-in on Thursday after the Final Critique.
Please check the Notice Board, for details of assessment, and ask for a self-assessment form, to be filled and handed-in on Thursday after the Final Critique.
DAY 17: MONDAY
First, we examine with concrete examples drawn from my own design intervention how your CONCEPT may be FORMULATED in your final presentation to the client (as a BLOG publication: short and to the point).
EXAMPLE:
1. DISPLAY:
Design Concept:
Unlike in Museums, where artefacts are presented and interpreted within specific but 'closed' closed categories: geographic location, art historical period, style, etc., this exhibition concept aims to present OBJECTS IN DIALOGUE, across cultural differences, in order to promote understanding across and between cultures.
Thus, in the proposed display of MASKS — TRIBAL, HINDU and CHRISTIAN — masks are juxtapposed in sequences which invite visitors not just to admire the OBJECTS as Art Objects/Artefacts (for their formal properties alone), but in such a way as to invite visitors to consider their significance as CULTURAL ARTEFACTS or as ANTHROPOLOGICAL OBJECTS, and to explore the relationship between the different CULTURES and VALUES which produced them.
Remarks:
This approach is informed by the visual strategy I developed in my 'Museographies' series, which converges with some changing trends within contemporary Anthropology; in particular the papers presented at the CULTURE & CULTURES conference, organized by the Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève (Geneva, MEG, 2007)
www.ville-ge.ch/meg
2. POSTER
Design Concept:
With a great economy of means, the poster illustrates how the display stages OBJECTS IN DIALOGUE with each other; replacing static showcasing with dynamic performances.
An alternative concept or title for the Display (on the poster) could be 'OBJECTS IN PERFORMANCE'.
EXAMPLE:
1. DISPLAY:
Design Concept:
Unlike in Museums, where artefacts are presented and interpreted within specific but 'closed' closed categories: geographic location, art historical period, style, etc., this exhibition concept aims to present OBJECTS IN DIALOGUE, across cultural differences, in order to promote understanding across and between cultures.
Thus, in the proposed display of MASKS — TRIBAL, HINDU and CHRISTIAN — masks are juxtapposed in sequences which invite visitors not just to admire the OBJECTS as Art Objects/Artefacts (for their formal properties alone), but in such a way as to invite visitors to consider their significance as CULTURAL ARTEFACTS or as ANTHROPOLOGICAL OBJECTS, and to explore the relationship between the different CULTURES and VALUES which produced them.
Remarks:
This approach is informed by the visual strategy I developed in my 'Museographies' series, which converges with some changing trends within contemporary Anthropology; in particular the papers presented at the CULTURE & CULTURES conference, organized by the Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève (Geneva, MEG, 2007)
www.ville-ge.ch/meg
2. POSTER
Design Concept:
With a great economy of means, the poster illustrates how the display stages OBJECTS IN DIALOGUE with each other; replacing static showcasing with dynamic performances.
An alternative concept or title for the Display (on the poster) could be 'OBJECTS IN PERFORMANCE'.
Sunday 2 December 2007
DAY 16: SATURDAY A.M.
Individual tutorials preceded by a thorough discussion of what remains to be done; with reference to specific issues.
AGENDA for the last phase of the project outlined:
MONDAY 3: FINALIZE DESIGNS FOR DISPLAY, POSTER AND CATALOG. Individual tutorials in studio.
TUESDAY 4: PRINT AND SET UP EXHIBITION AND PUBLISH INDIVIDUAL BLOGS, FOCUSING ON THE DESIGN PROPOSALS FOR DISPLAY, POSTER & CATALOG.
WEDNESDAY 5: COLLECTIVE ASSESSMENT.
THURSDAY 6: PRESENTATION TO OTHER GROUPS.
Project ends/Celebration.
Radha Sullur, tribal artist, exponent of Chittaara painting.
Anil Chaitya Vangad, Adiwasi Warli artist.
AGENDA for the last phase of the project outlined:
MONDAY 3: FINALIZE DESIGNS FOR DISPLAY, POSTER AND CATALOG. Individual tutorials in studio.
TUESDAY 4: PRINT AND SET UP EXHIBITION AND PUBLISH INDIVIDUAL BLOGS, FOCUSING ON THE DESIGN PROPOSALS FOR DISPLAY, POSTER & CATALOG.
WEDNESDAY 5: COLLECTIVE ASSESSMENT.
THURSDAY 6: PRESENTATION TO OTHER GROUPS.
Project ends/Celebration.
Radha Sullur, tribal artist, exponent of Chittaara painting.
Anil Chaitya Vangad, Adiwasi Warli artist.
DAY 15: Friday
VISIT TO MELA at CKP, where we get the chance to view crafts and musical performances.
In the course of conversation we remarks that most of the crafts product on display are 'very commercial'. Some of you, quoting a product designer who visited Srishti a while back, believe that this is inevitable.
I suggest that one can retain one's integrity and find an economic support base by targeting the right audience: audience who have made the effort to learn to appreciate the crafts and have enough respect to pay higher prices for authentic pieces.
As part of the 'New Art from South Asia' exhibition I am curating in the UK, I commission a new piece of work from Durga Bai,an artist from the Gond tribe (Bhopal), about the Bhopal chemical factory disaster which had immense repercussions on the people of Bhopal [See film: 'The Bhopal Express']; the victims are still fighting for compensation.
This commission will give the artist the opportunity to deal extensively with an important contemporary issue which is dear to her, but which she has not tackled so far on a large scale (3'by 5').
Day 13-14: CRITS.
A combination of individual crits in the studio and theoretical discussions offering feed-back on the work in progress; advice on issues to be tackled and on problems to be resolved.
Wednesday 28 November 2007
DAY 12: TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER
Reiterating the degrees of complexity that can be achieved in the DESIGN SOLUTIONS you will select: from
1. the straight-forward SHOWCASING of an OBJECT as a precious/special (ART) OBJECT — in the sublime isolation of its formal properties [as is often done in museums around the world], to
2. more unconventional and imaginative CURATORIAL STRATEGIES.
Neeti's proposal presents the advantage of showing both PROCESS and OBJECT; integrating documentation in a dynamic way.
When floated around supper, last night, the project attracted interest from a potential sponsor...
CRITICAL REVIEW and DISCUSSION of DRAFT PROPOSALS.
1. the straight-forward SHOWCASING of an OBJECT as a precious/special (ART) OBJECT — in the sublime isolation of its formal properties [as is often done in museums around the world], to
2. more unconventional and imaginative CURATORIAL STRATEGIES.
Neeti's proposal presents the advantage of showing both PROCESS and OBJECT; integrating documentation in a dynamic way.
When floated around supper, last night, the project attracted interest from a potential sponsor...
CRITICAL REVIEW and DISCUSSION of DRAFT PROPOSALS.
Monday 26 November 2007
THE PATAN MUSEUM
The PATAN MUSEUM (Katmandhu) offers a modern example of contemporary MUSEUM DESIGN within the context of a historic monument: a palace.
The challenge, here, was to harmonize contemporary display techniques with the historic fabric of the palace at a high international standard.
The displays are varied and tend to blend unobtrusively in the interior.
On the example below, minimalist showcases design focus visitors'attention on one object at a time; inducing a contemplative mode; unhindered by information; fusing the aesthetic with the spiritual:
Elsewhere, in the palace, some of the showcases embedded in the walls incorporate architectural elements (arches) which attempt to present the objects in a less neutral space, but detract somewhat in their emphatic visibility. The standing showcases represent an in-between position; which presents the objects as precious objects and works of art offered to our delectation.
The challenge, here, was to harmonize contemporary display techniques with the historic fabric of the palace at a high international standard.
The displays are varied and tend to blend unobtrusively in the interior.
On the example below, minimalist showcases design focus visitors'attention on one object at a time; inducing a contemplative mode; unhindered by information; fusing the aesthetic with the spiritual:
Elsewhere, in the palace, some of the showcases embedded in the walls incorporate architectural elements (arches) which attempt to present the objects in a less neutral space, but detract somewhat in their emphatic visibility. The standing showcases represent an in-between position; which presents the objects as precious objects and works of art offered to our delectation.
Saturday 24 November 2007
DAY 11 (Monday)
REVIEW OF PRELIMINARY DESIGNS FOR THE DISPLAY OF OBJECTS
+ DISCUSSION OF CRITERIA UPON WHICH THE PROJECT WILL BE ASSESSED.
+ FURTHER GUIDELINES FOR POSTER AND DISPLAY.
Case Study: Regarding the bamboo fishing basket, a diagram showing how the bamboo was shaped into a cage is essential to illustrate the 'cultural'/artistic/design TRANSFORMATION of the raw material into a FUNCTIONAL ARTEFACT.
Should the diagram be placed next to the object?
What additional REPRESENTATION would be relevant: a photo of the object ready to use or in action; a film illustrating/documenting its use?
Anything else?
In terms of the SCENOGRAPHY of the museum display, we will need to consider the effect of all alternatives, and decide on the most APPROPRIATE: i.e. the most effective in enhancing our perception and appreciation of the OBJECT as a cultural artefact.
Another consideration is whether other objects (not just made of bamboo, but of other material) displaying similar properties of simplicity and ingenuity — qualifying them for a place in the 'Perfect Acts of Design' category — should be associated with the fishing basket, and HOW...
One disadvantage of dealing with Objects (as opposed to representation such as MultiMedia) in display situation is that the arrangement is static. It is important, therefore, to ensure that the display is sufficiently dynamic to go beyond merely illustrating itself, and open up other dimensions for thinking and interpretation.
LET'S CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES: The poster can show
1. a high profile artefact or 'MASTERPIECE') (a rather obvious, one-dimensional/static approach)
2. a combination of objects to show the range of objects exhibited, and get a sense of the museum collection.
But this is limited in so far as it focuses on WHAT is in the Museum, but not on the HOW it is presented.
3. For my poster I would like to give an indication of the WHAT and the HOW, without being too explicit whilst retaining a sense of mystery/ambiguity; to induce viewers of the poster to want to go to the museum.
A more sophisticated artistic strategy (that I have been developing in my 'Histoires...' series [see:] is what will enable me to go beyond the obvious and achieve my aims.
I had been working on the name separately, in conjunction with its VISUALISATION as part of a visual IDENTITY program.
In the context of the POSTER, however, it seems that the more CONTEMPORARY version of the NAME — 'TRADITIONAL ARTS, KERALA' — inspired by the recent change of name from MOMA (Museum of Modern Art') to 'Modern Art, Oxford', may not be explicit enough.
On the stark minimalism of the poster, the word 'Museum' remove all ambiguity; considerably reducing the risk of interprepreting the posetr as advertising a temporary exhibition or 'Mattancherry', the touristic location, where antique, gift and spice shops, alongside the Synagogue, are key tourist attractions
For the masks, after reading the essays from the Geneva team and other museologists, I feel more confident to apply my own free approach in 'Museo-graphies' to the display of the masks; blending tribal, Christian, Hindu, etc. in a collective 'jamming session', orchestrated according to different principles. The idea is not to treat the objects as mere pretexts for documentation, nor to focus on their quality alone (as 'art objects' for aesthetic delectation in the home), but as all this and MORE, to enable us to see them as part of a collective human cultural legacy.
+ DISCUSSION OF CRITERIA UPON WHICH THE PROJECT WILL BE ASSESSED.
+ FURTHER GUIDELINES FOR POSTER AND DISPLAY.
Case Study: Regarding the bamboo fishing basket, a diagram showing how the bamboo was shaped into a cage is essential to illustrate the 'cultural'/artistic/design TRANSFORMATION of the raw material into a FUNCTIONAL ARTEFACT.
Should the diagram be placed next to the object?
What additional REPRESENTATION would be relevant: a photo of the object ready to use or in action; a film illustrating/documenting its use?
Anything else?
In terms of the SCENOGRAPHY of the museum display, we will need to consider the effect of all alternatives, and decide on the most APPROPRIATE: i.e. the most effective in enhancing our perception and appreciation of the OBJECT as a cultural artefact.
Another consideration is whether other objects (not just made of bamboo, but of other material) displaying similar properties of simplicity and ingenuity — qualifying them for a place in the 'Perfect Acts of Design' category — should be associated with the fishing basket, and HOW...
One disadvantage of dealing with Objects (as opposed to representation such as MultiMedia) in display situation is that the arrangement is static. It is important, therefore, to ensure that the display is sufficiently dynamic to go beyond merely illustrating itself, and open up other dimensions for thinking and interpretation.
LET'S CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES: The poster can show
1. a high profile artefact or 'MASTERPIECE') (a rather obvious, one-dimensional/static approach)
2. a combination of objects to show the range of objects exhibited, and get a sense of the museum collection.
But this is limited in so far as it focuses on WHAT is in the Museum, but not on the HOW it is presented.
3. For my poster I would like to give an indication of the WHAT and the HOW, without being too explicit whilst retaining a sense of mystery/ambiguity; to induce viewers of the poster to want to go to the museum.
A more sophisticated artistic strategy (that I have been developing in my 'Histoires...' series [see:
I had been working on the name separately, in conjunction with its VISUALISATION as part of a visual IDENTITY program.
In the context of the POSTER, however, it seems that the more CONTEMPORARY version of the NAME — 'TRADITIONAL ARTS, KERALA' — inspired by the recent change of name from MOMA (Museum of Modern Art') to 'Modern Art, Oxford', may not be explicit enough.
On the stark minimalism of the poster, the word 'Museum' remove all ambiguity; considerably reducing the risk of interprepreting the posetr as advertising a temporary exhibition or 'Mattancherry', the touristic location, where antique, gift and spice shops, alongside the Synagogue, are key tourist attractions
For the masks, after reading the essays from the Geneva team and other museologists, I feel more confident to apply my own free approach in 'Museo-graphies' to the display of the masks; blending tribal, Christian, Hindu, etc. in a collective 'jamming session', orchestrated according to different principles. The idea is not to treat the objects as mere pretexts for documentation, nor to focus on their quality alone (as 'art objects' for aesthetic delectation in the home), but as all this and MORE, to enable us to see them as part of a collective human cultural legacy.
DAY 9 (FRIDAY)
TUTORIALS
+
CLASS:
LEARNING TO POSE PROBLEMS IN FUNCTIONAL TERMS; CONSIDERING ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS/PERMUTATIONS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE EFFECTS AS A WAY TO DEVISE MORE EFFECTIVE DESIGN SOLUTIONS (MORE EFFECTIVE THAN 'DREAMING UP' A SOLUTION INTUITIVELY).
Case Study: BAMBOO FISHING BASKET
The discussion, here, considers what (and how many) elements should be combined in the museum DISPLAY and according to which functional hierarchy they should be presented and apprehended.
Instead of assuming that the physical object (bamboo) would necessarily be the focus of the exhibit, I consider the implications of focusing on the printed text of the song about the ubiquitous bamboo, which we encounter at all stages of our lives. This would involve an appropriate typographic treatment. IT would also enable me to connect with and interpret other objects made of the same material.
A recording of the performance would usefully complement the text; bringing it to (sonic) life [printing has the effect of carrying the meaning of words, but not their sonic materiality and what it relays].
We also consider whether more object made of bamboo should form part of the display (whether as objects or as images).
+
CLASS:
LEARNING TO POSE PROBLEMS IN FUNCTIONAL TERMS; CONSIDERING ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS/PERMUTATIONS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE EFFECTS AS A WAY TO DEVISE MORE EFFECTIVE DESIGN SOLUTIONS (MORE EFFECTIVE THAN 'DREAMING UP' A SOLUTION INTUITIVELY).
Case Study: BAMBOO FISHING BASKET
The discussion, here, considers what (and how many) elements should be combined in the museum DISPLAY and according to which functional hierarchy they should be presented and apprehended.
Instead of assuming that the physical object (bamboo) would necessarily be the focus of the exhibit, I consider the implications of focusing on the printed text of the song about the ubiquitous bamboo, which we encounter at all stages of our lives. This would involve an appropriate typographic treatment. IT would also enable me to connect with and interpret other objects made of the same material.
A recording of the performance would usefully complement the text; bringing it to (sonic) life [printing has the effect of carrying the meaning of words, but not their sonic materiality and what it relays].
We also consider whether more object made of bamboo should form part of the display (whether as objects or as images).
PROJECT ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
The project assessment will be based on the following criteria:
1. RESOURCEFULNESS:
Your capacity to source and acquire information which is not immediately available/accessible, and of the right level of pertinence/relevance (beyond tourist clichés and stereotypes); i.e. which require specific research methodology.
2. CREATIVE THINKING:
A) Your capacity to FORMULATE PROBLEMS in sufficiently complex terms which correspond to (and do justice) to the complexity of the realities on the ground , and
B) Your capacity to develop DESIGN SOLUTIONS which deal with the problems at hand, according to criteria of appropriateness.
3. SYNTHESIS: The capacity to relate your different design solutions to the overall project objectives and its respective requirements: from DISPLAY/Scenography, to DOCUMENTATION and PUBLICATION (Captions, Poster, Catalogue, flyers, etc.)
4. CRITICAL EVALUATION:
Your capacity to critically review your work on an on-going basis (accepting and incorporating tutor criticism), with reference to specific criteria pertaining to the problems at hands, and make appropriate re-adjustments in your design solutions which take you closer to fulfill the Museum objectives.
1. RESOURCEFULNESS:
Your capacity to source and acquire information which is not immediately available/accessible, and of the right level of pertinence/relevance (beyond tourist clichés and stereotypes); i.e. which require specific research methodology.
2. CREATIVE THINKING:
A) Your capacity to FORMULATE PROBLEMS in sufficiently complex terms which correspond to (and do justice) to the complexity of the realities on the ground , and
B) Your capacity to develop DESIGN SOLUTIONS which deal with the problems at hand, according to criteria of appropriateness.
3. SYNTHESIS: The capacity to relate your different design solutions to the overall project objectives and its respective requirements: from DISPLAY/Scenography, to DOCUMENTATION and PUBLICATION (Captions, Poster, Catalogue, flyers, etc.)
4. CRITICAL EVALUATION:
Your capacity to critically review your work on an on-going basis (accepting and incorporating tutor criticism), with reference to specific criteria pertaining to the problems at hands, and make appropriate re-adjustments in your design solutions which take you closer to fulfill the Museum objectives.
Wednesday 21 November 2007
DAY 7: @ Janapada Folk Museum
VISIT TO JANAPADA LOKA FOLK MUSEUM: to evaluate the ways collections of folk art are presented in a museum context; with a view to considering alternative methods, along the line of the Museum Project.
Treat this as an opportunity to develop a set of museographic PROPOSITIONS along the lines of the Museum project, and thus to assume the role of design consultant in the field of Museography.
An unexpected musical event enhances the experience; bringing it to life:
Relegated in a store room: an echo of the song about bamboo;
a serious contender for the 'Perfect Acts of Design' Museum...
Tuesday 20 November 2007
DAY 6
We continue the review of work in the form of individual tutorials throughout the day; to ensure that the exhibit you have chosen is sufficiently well documented and understood, to enable you to start designing its presentation on several levels.
Suggestion:
Consider how you may structure your material in the different formats, taking into account the specificity of these different forms of communication:
1. display
2. documentation
3. Poster/flyer
4. Catalogue
Suggestion:
Consider how you may structure your material in the different formats, taking into account the specificity of these different forms of communication:
1. display
2. documentation
3. Poster/flyer
4. Catalogue
DAY 5
Following a brief discussion and clarification of some concepts regarding METHODOLOGY, in particular the importance of remaining open to learning from accidents (the 'gift of chance'), we spend the rest of the day reviewing the material collected and the work achieved so far, in the form of individual tutorials.
Reference to the display of tribal objects in the gallery above the Art College enables us to illustrate how simplicity of means and the application of dynamic montage and sensitive attention to the interaction between objects (intervals, rythm, correlations, etc.) can enhance the display of artefacts.
Suggestion: experiment with museum layout in graphic form (juxtappositions, sequencing...).
I make arrangements to visit the JANAPADA LOKA FOLK MUSEUM, on Mysore Road (Ramnagaram?), where we will go with Mani, from Art History, on Thursday. Departure: 9.25am.
DAY 4: MONDAY
On Sunday at Blossom's, I come across a book entitled 'Performance Tradition in India' [National Book Trust, Dehli, 2001]about ritual dance performance in India, which deals with various aspects of: dance, puppetry, martial art and theatre in a concise but serious manner. This should provide a sound overview of the field we are investigating.
The difficulty in focusing on the puppet sequence in the film longer than a few minutes, by some of you, may be explained by the frustration of different expectations.
Unlike in conventional film narrative and popular form of TV coverage, these performances invite us to leave human time to enter the time of myth. This shift is mediated by the text which re-presents the myth for its re-enactment through the ritual of the performance.
In the afternoon we watch a longer film, 'GODS NEVER DIE' (2004), by the Geneva team. Rather than trying to explain what we are looking at the film enables us to WITNESS the events depicted: with no voice-over, but LONG TAKES in which sequences from different PERFORMANCES of TIRAYATTAM (the 'Dance of Splendour') are intercut with sequences from everyday life.
The film ends with a short paragraph of text which, most economically and most effectively, places the diverse elements in the film into context. Everything seems to fall into place; but without closure.
The difficulty in focusing on the puppet sequence in the film longer than a few minutes, by some of you, may be explained by the frustration of different expectations.
Unlike in conventional film narrative and popular form of TV coverage, these performances invite us to leave human time to enter the time of myth. This shift is mediated by the text which re-presents the myth for its re-enactment through the ritual of the performance.
In the afternoon we watch a longer film, 'GODS NEVER DIE' (2004), by the Geneva team. Rather than trying to explain what we are looking at the film enables us to WITNESS the events depicted: with no voice-over, but LONG TAKES in which sequences from different PERFORMANCES of TIRAYATTAM (the 'Dance of Splendour') are intercut with sequences from everyday life.
The film ends with a short paragraph of text which, most economically and most effectively, places the diverse elements in the film into context. Everything seems to fall into place; but without closure.
DAY THREE
We view new material collected by students; then adjust the BRIEF in consequence. Our objective is to go beyond the first layer of superficial information destined to TOURISTS.
This level of specialisation is scattered on various web sites, in books, articles; which require breaking through this layer of tourist clichés.
Our objective is to gather enough information to put the objects in context; secondly to put ourselves in a position to INTERPRET; and, then, to devise ways of displaying the objects (CURATION-SCENOGRAPHY).
Further discussion of concepts: TRADITION, GLOBALIZATION, COMODITY, CONSUMERISM, COLONIALISM...
to set the project in a global CONTEXT.
We look as some statements by curators and museum staff about museums of ethnography in India.
Dilip K. Ray:'A museum must be a place of immense delight and loveliness; where every thing is a joy to the eyes, and where instruction is imparted by the sheer beauty and intelligence of arrangement and display'(An Appraisal..., 2005:90).
Reminder: In its presentation of OBJECTS, the Museum will need to engage visitors at a level which enables these objects to function as CULTURAL ARTEFACTS; not just as AESTHETIC COMMODITIES, but as SIGNS of different WAYS OF LIFE; as a basis for our APPRECIATION, UNDERSTANDINGto and RESPECT.
This level of specialisation is scattered on various web sites, in books, articles; which require breaking through this layer of tourist clichés.
Our objective is to gather enough information to put the objects in context; secondly to put ourselves in a position to INTERPRET; and, then, to devise ways of displaying the objects (CURATION-SCENOGRAPHY).
Further discussion of concepts: TRADITION, GLOBALIZATION, COMODITY, CONSUMERISM, COLONIALISM...
to set the project in a global CONTEXT.
We look as some statements by curators and museum staff about museums of ethnography in India.
Dilip K. Ray:'A museum must be a place of immense delight and loveliness; where every thing is a joy to the eyes, and where instruction is imparted by the sheer beauty and intelligence of arrangement and display'(An Appraisal..., 2005:90).
Reminder: In its presentation of OBJECTS, the Museum will need to engage visitors at a level which enables these objects to function as CULTURAL ARTEFACTS; not just as AESTHETIC COMMODITIES, but as SIGNS of different WAYS OF LIFE; as a basis for our APPRECIATION, UNDERSTANDINGto and RESPECT.
DAY TWO
'The best way of collecting a cultural artefact for the museum is to collect both the specimen and its associated field data at the same time and from the same place'.
S.R. Sarkar, in: An Appraisal (2005).
The first TASK for us will be to collect sufficient, relevant information about the OBJECT to be displayed in the Museum.
The major OBSTACLE will be the fact that search engines will direct us to TOURIST web sites, which, alongside publications most commonly found in bookshops, will provide the easiest accessible INFORMATION; but SUPERFICIAL and 'CLICHÉ': both in its FORM and CONTENT.
A first film we see about Traditional Arts of Kerala uses an unsubtle hard-sell US voice-over and fast editing technique, which prevents the mind to focus on anything more than for a few seconds. An example of what to avoid at all costs!
By contrast, The Time of Puppets), a film about glove puppets made by/for the MUSEUM OF ETHNOGRAPHY in Geneva, enables us to WITNESS the ritual dance drama of PAVAKATHAKALI against the background of everyday VILLAGE life.
Reference
Sketches of Kerala, by Laurent Aubert, Ravi Gopalan Nair, Damian Plandolit, Patricia Plattner, Jonathan Watts,DVD, Light Night Productions (www.lightnight.ch).
S.R. Sarkar, in: An Appraisal (2005).
The first TASK for us will be to collect sufficient, relevant information about the OBJECT to be displayed in the Museum.
The major OBSTACLE will be the fact that search engines will direct us to TOURIST web sites, which, alongside publications most commonly found in bookshops, will provide the easiest accessible INFORMATION; but SUPERFICIAL and 'CLICHÉ': both in its FORM and CONTENT.
A first film we see about Traditional Arts of Kerala uses an unsubtle hard-sell US voice-over and fast editing technique, which prevents the mind to focus on anything more than for a few seconds. An example of what to avoid at all costs!
By contrast, The Time of Puppets), a film about glove puppets made by/for the MUSEUM OF ETHNOGRAPHY in Geneva, enables us to WITNESS the ritual dance drama of PAVAKATHAKALI against the background of everyday VILLAGE life.
Reference
Sketches of Kerala, by Laurent Aubert, Ravi Gopalan Nair, Damian Plandolit, Patricia Plattner, Jonathan Watts,DVD, Light Night Productions (www.lightnight.ch).
PROJECT STARTS
We start by redefining the concept of 'DESIGN' as an INTERVENTION in the realm of 'SIGNS'.
We rewrite the word typographically to emphasize this SEMIOLOGICAL dimension of Design.
DESIGN = DE_SIGN.
The concept of 'TOTAL DESIGN' places the DESIGNER in an all-powerful position of AUTHOR; i.e. as generator of MEANINGS AND CONTENT; not just as a packager of information for a client, along specified lines.
The project will focus on setting up a new museum of traditional arts for Kerala, and will involve working simultaneously on several levels:
DISPLAY of the OBJECTS (SCENOGRAPHY), SIGNAGE, INFORMATION PANNELS/CAPTIONS, MEDIA ANIMATION/INTERPRETATION, PUBLICITY (POSTERS, CARDS, ETC.), CATALOGUE...
We then outline the specific CONTEXT: a privately funded museum, by an Antique dealer proud of his native Kerala and keen to promote Kerala CULTURE to local, national and international AUDIENCES.
Readings
Lok Nath Soni (ed.), An Appraisal of Anthropological Perspective in Ethnographic Museums of India, Anthropological Survey of India, Ministry of Culture, Kolkata, 2005.
(Collection of essays, by Indian authors, about problems associated with setting up ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUMS in India).
We rewrite the word typographically to emphasize this SEMIOLOGICAL dimension of Design.
DESIGN = DE_SIGN.
The concept of 'TOTAL DESIGN' places the DESIGNER in an all-powerful position of AUTHOR; i.e. as generator of MEANINGS AND CONTENT; not just as a packager of information for a client, along specified lines.
The project will focus on setting up a new museum of traditional arts for Kerala, and will involve working simultaneously on several levels:
DISPLAY of the OBJECTS (SCENOGRAPHY), SIGNAGE, INFORMATION PANNELS/CAPTIONS, MEDIA ANIMATION/INTERPRETATION, PUBLICITY (POSTERS, CARDS, ETC.), CATALOGUE...
We then outline the specific CONTEXT: a privately funded museum, by an Antique dealer proud of his native Kerala and keen to promote Kerala CULTURE to local, national and international AUDIENCES.
Readings
Lok Nath Soni (ed.), An Appraisal of Anthropological Perspective in Ethnographic Museums of India, Anthropological Survey of India, Ministry of Culture, Kolkata, 2005.
(Collection of essays, by Indian authors, about problems associated with setting up ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUMS in India).
Monday 22 October 2007
SITE: An 18th CENTURY WAREHOUSE
Consisting of several large rooms which will be restored to accomodate the collections and rotating exhibitions, a restaurant and a shop...
There is also plan to acquire another warehouse, nearby, to create a larger museum complex.
REQUIREMENTS
Students wishing to register for this workshop, must be computer literate and be able to work with CS2 (In-Design, Photoshop, etc.) and Blogger [Blogger.com] as well as with software appropriate to any medium (sound, video, etc.) you would like to work during the project.
Work will be team-based; to ensure that each team is made up of individuals who have a variety of skills suitable to deal with the issues raised by the brief and with the tasks at hand.
You are also advised to do a preliminary survey of the ways museums are organized around the world and compile a dossier for future reference.
One key requirement for and learning outcome of this projects is RESOURCEFULNESS: the capacity to gather a maximum of relevant informations (via a variety of channels of communication) approrpiate to the tasks at hand...
Work will be team-based; to ensure that each team is made up of individuals who have a variety of skills suitable to deal with the issues raised by the brief and with the tasks at hand.
You are also advised to do a preliminary survey of the ways museums are organized around the world and compile a dossier for future reference.
One key requirement for and learning outcome of this projects is RESOURCEFULNESS: the capacity to gather a maximum of relevant informations (via a variety of channels of communication) approrpiate to the tasks at hand...
Sunday 21 October 2007
CONTEXT: A MUSEUM FOR KERALA
In April-May, during an artist residency at KASHI ART GALLERY, in Kochi, I developed a new series of photographic works.
The project involved taking photographs of antique objects and artefacts in some of the antique shops and antique warehouses of Jew Town, in Kochi; whose owners had granted me permission to photograph from their collections.
My initial intention was to produce works along the lines I had developed in my on-going 'HISTOIRES...' series
(see: histoires-museographies.blogspot.com).
Things worked out differently, however, as after producing a few 'Histoires...', I began to photograph individual objects—in particular MASKS:
which I presented as if floating in individual VIRTUAL SHOWCASES, against a white background:
[Click on image to enlarge]
This transition from STAGE to SHOWCASE marked the begining of a new series, titled 'MUSEO-GRAPHIES', in which museum objects are presented in such a way as to tell STORIES about HISTORY, rather than to present themselves as cultural artefacts or 'Art' objects.
Upon seeing this work, one of the dealers, who intends to open a MUSEUM in an Eighteenth Century warehouse, asked me whether I would be interested in curating the collections according to similar principles: a case of LIFE imitating ART...
The project involved taking photographs of antique objects and artefacts in some of the antique shops and antique warehouses of Jew Town, in Kochi; whose owners had granted me permission to photograph from their collections.
My initial intention was to produce works along the lines I had developed in my on-going 'HISTOIRES...' series
(see: histoires-museographies.blogspot.com).
Things worked out differently, however, as after producing a few 'Histoires...', I began to photograph individual objects—in particular MASKS:
which I presented as if floating in individual VIRTUAL SHOWCASES, against a white background:
[Click on image to enlarge]
This transition from STAGE to SHOWCASE marked the begining of a new series, titled 'MUSEO-GRAPHIES', in which museum objects are presented in such a way as to tell STORIES about HISTORY, rather than to present themselves as cultural artefacts or 'Art' objects.
Upon seeing this work, one of the dealers, who intends to open a MUSEUM in an Eighteenth Century warehouse, asked me whether I would be interested in curating the collections according to similar principles: a case of LIFE imitating ART...
'TOTAL DESIGN' PROJECT
WELCOME to the TOTAL DESIGN Project, which will be running at SRISHTI College, Bangalore, as part of the inter-semester programme: from 15th to 6th DECEMBER, 2007.
Led by artist-designer-curator Gérard Mermoz (France/UK), who ran a series of experimental workshops about Photography, Sound and Text, last year, on the same programme, the seminar will focus on and explore the concept of 'TOTAL DESIGN'.
Unlike the concept of 'Communication Design', which involves 'giving form' (In German and Dutch, the word 'design' is 'form-giving') to a pre-existing MESSAGE supplied by the CLIENT, 'TOTAL DESIGN' involves engaging and dealing with ALL aspects of communication: from the generation of IDEAS/CONTENT to their implementation, at ALL LEVELS of the COMMUNICATION process.
Led by artist-designer-curator Gérard Mermoz (France/UK), who ran a series of experimental workshops about Photography, Sound and Text, last year, on the same programme, the seminar will focus on and explore the concept of 'TOTAL DESIGN'.
Unlike the concept of 'Communication Design', which involves 'giving form' (In German and Dutch, the word 'design' is 'form-giving') to a pre-existing MESSAGE supplied by the CLIENT, 'TOTAL DESIGN' involves engaging and dealing with ALL aspects of communication: from the generation of IDEAS/CONTENT to their implementation, at ALL LEVELS of the COMMUNICATION process.
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