Non-hierarchical forms

Órfhlaith Whelan

---

#Data_curation | #User_experience | #Transparency | #Personalisation | #Identity

The artist Tuomo Rainio (2018) explores the idea of an exhibition as an interface. He questions whether transparency can be restored through the current inquiries into the unique relationship between the spatial elements of an exhibition and the two dimensionality of an image. If the exhibition is the interface then, Rainio (2018) notes that the viewer is conceptualised as a user. Images give a sense of visibility through a non hierarchical form, leaving the viewer to interpret what is in front of them.

Fig 1. Devlin, E (2019) Poem Portraits in AI: More than Human. Across the Centre.

Rainio (2018) notes that exhibiting work in a way that challenges the traditional structures of the ways of seeing creates an interruption which helps to reveal and explore the depths of the exhibition. He notes while the visual interface makes the depth’s functionality accessible, the algorithms that are behind these interfaces are hidden from the view under functionality. It becomes difficult to grasp how the viewer, as a user, should interact with the exhibition as an interface.

The artist and should be able to embed the meaning of the work within the images in order to make this relationship of surface and depth fairer.

Rainio (2018) notes that the artist should be familiar with this relationship between the interface and the user. Furthermore, the artist and should be able to embed the meaning of the work within the images in order to make this relationship of surface and depth fairer. This includes access to attributes associated with the image files, which can enrich the users understanding of the content by providing metadata descriptors of files. Rainio (2018) references Ryoji Ikenda and how he implements this in his exhibition Supersymmetry by using an immersive technological system which creates multi sensory experience.

Fig 2. Fewings, T (2019) Supersymmetry, 2065. Barbican, London.

An example of a good user experience (UX) design is when an exhibition is laid out in a way that allows the user to clearly access the underlying features of the exhibition, even without prior experience. By providing a clear user interface (UI) design which does not take into account the prior knowledge of a user, you can provide the user with a sense of control and familiarity. Powers ( 2018) begins by defining This. as an online resource that seeks to manage content which limits itself to only share a single link a day. Curation, as a tool, has the potential to combat the oversaturated choice online by applying personalisation. This vision may have set in order to eventually create an online space that is entirely curated where the abundance no longer existed entirely.

Fig 3. UI and UX explained. N/A, Sun Graphics, N.D.

Fig 4. Maggi, S.(2020) Content Curation: How does it build value? Digital Marketing Institute.

The use of the period, or full stop punctuation mark, as part of the name This. was a symbol to pause and pay attention. Unfortunately in 2016, This. ceased operations as they were unable to raise enough long term capital to sustain the business. Reflecting on this, Powers (2018) warns that This. should be an example of what can happen when you try to control and direct the way that information is shared. He notes especially that the limited aspect of This. was misrepresented as the app users themselves having a selective role in the content and a consequent influence on the editors.

Privilege around content sharing that plays into the promotional inclination to dictate how, where, when and what we share and see.

Schmidt (2012) refers to user login approaches which enhance platforms, such as Google and Facebook. He argues that this approach would promote integrity and prevent the over saturation of anonymous identities. Although This. was not following the filtering methods of algorithms that many large social sites such as Instagram were using. But it was still relying on their platform users to create a refining process. This raises the question of what the nature of the relationship is between curation and promotion.

When advertising revenue becomes a driving financial influence in the future of curated social sites, this reintroduces important questions about the reality of control that is behind the personalised choices we are given. Powers (2018) notes that creating apps like This. creates privilege around content sharing that plays into the promotional inclination to dictate how, where, when and what we share and see.

Citation

Whelan, Ó. (2020) 'Being human-centred' in Curating Photography: Poolside. TU Dublin: BA Photography [Online]. Available at www.curating.photography/post/orflaith-whelan

References

Hookin, S. (2015) ‘The Internet of Me: Creating a Personalized Web Experience’ Wired [Online] Viewed: 28th April 2020. <https://www.wired.com/insights/2014/11/the-internet-of-me/>

Keyes, J. (2016) ‘How Much Transparency is the Right Amount? A Museum Visitor Response Case Study’ Medium. [Online] Viewed: 28th April 2020.

<https://medium.com/viewfinder-reflecting-on-museum-education/how-much-transparency-is-the-right-amount-a-museum-visitor-response-case-study-b8edbba1ced5 >

Powers, D. (2018). ‘This. Reader: trending topics and the curation of information’ in Jeremy Morris, W. and Murray, S. (eds), Appified: culture in the age of apps. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Rainio, T. (2018). ‘Interfaces for artistic thinking: redefining visual and spatial metaphors in apost-digital condition’ in Rastenberger, A.K. and Sikking, I. (eds.) Why Exhibit? Positions on exhibiting photographies. Amsterdam: Fw Books.

Schiffer, Z. (2019) ‘‘Filter Bubble’ author Eli Pariser on why we need publicly owned social networks’ The Verge. [Online] Viewed: 28th April 2020. <https://www.theverge.com/interface/2019/11/12/20959479/eli-pariser-civic-signals-filter-bubble-q-a >

Schmidt, E. (2012) ‘Eric Schmidt’ interviewed by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. 92Y Talks. Viewed: 15th April 2020. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uvQ5J45nXM >

Images

Fig 1. Devlin, E. (2019). Poem Portraits in AI: More than Human. Across the Centre. Viewed: 27th April 2020 <https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/ai-more-than-human>

Fig 2. Fewings, T. (2019) Supersymmetry, 2065. Barbican [Online] Viewed: 27th April 2020

<https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/ai-more-than-human>

Figure 3: N/A (n.d.) UI and UX explained. Sun Graphics [Online] Viewed: 27th April 2020.

<https://sungraphicsmedia.com/post/what-is-ui-and-ux-anyway>

Fig 4. Maggi, S. (n.d) Content Curation: How does it build value?. Digital Marketing Institute [Online] Viewed: 27th April 2020.

<https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/en-ie/blog/why-content-curation-rules-social>

The small print

Sarah McKernan

---

#Feminism | #Digital_curation | #Self_portrayal | #Original | #Non_creative_photography

Anna-Kaisa Rastenberger (2018) explores how the various forms and methods of exhibiting photography today effects our understanding of the photographic image and how it operates when exhibited; particularly when displayed online amongst the plethora of online images and the effect that the image has on its audience within the context of the digital exhibition of photographic images, when interacted with in this context.

Rastenberger believes in the importance of the awareness of the interaction between ‘'local and global' (2018, p.109) when working with and in understanding photographic images, referring to the alliance between selfie culture and feminism as an example of such an interaction. According to our author, despite the original sense of freedom provided by the Internet with regards to idealism and identity work, we are still trapped by the restrictions of corporeal representation.

Fig. 1: Two Statues of Gugulethu Seven Memorial in Gugulethu, Cape Town.

Rastenberger believes that photographically representing the self is ‘’no trivial category of image-making’’ (2018), as it ties representation to human beings, for example selfie cultures relationship to feminism. Based on the selfie’s election of the attractive white woman as the representative of the ideal version of all women in white consumer culture, Rastenberger believes that perhaps the selfie creates a set of ideals that restricts those who do not fit into this category from expressing themselves at all, doing quite the opposite of what was initially expected.

Rastenbergers conclusion that the control that the artist who is exhibiting their work has over the context of the work on displayed and in turn how their audience perceives the work as a result of the various elements involved is similar to Boris Groys' suggestion that the audiences gaze is determined by how the work is presented and the context of the work more than the work itself, in his discussion of the technology of presenting in his text Curating in the Post-Internet Age (2018). To display such images leads to questions of the purpose of the image, who or what is it representing, what it means within the context that is displayed. According to Rastenberg each of these questions are key in the tracking of the context of images when displayed online and the social role of these images.

Fig. 2: A reduxed version of the Two Statues of Gugulethu Seven Memorial in Gugulethu, Cape Town. Done to illustrate the importance of Freedom of Panorama in South Africa.

In his text our author provides us with guide to copyright, specifically in relation to photography. Our author opens with a quote from Alphonse de Lamartine who believed that creativity was not required in the practise of photography. This idea according to Schrijver is outdated. He believes that creativity is expected from both the photographer and their subject, and as a result of this, the creator of the work has ownership over the final product, making it original. This ownership is recognised as copyright that serves to protect the artist from others who may wish to copy their original idea as their own.

The use of copyrighted material within a photographic image must be obviously secondary to the intended subject - Schrijver, 2018.

Our author articulates that almost all photographs are eligible for protection under copyright law. However, as becomes apparent in copyright law, there are exceptions. Schrijver uses hypothetical examples to provide us with a clear breakdown of the layers of copyright law and its exceptions, which become significantly more complicated as our author proceeds into cases involving creative input from more than one artist which opens up a web of fine print and restrictions that make it considerably difficult to take photographs without infringing copyright law. In order to avoid such dilemmas, it must be established whether or not the use of copyright is incidental or deliberate; ‘’ ’the use of copyrighted material within a photographic image must be obviously secondary to the intended subject’’ (2018), and must be perceived as an accessory to the main subject.

Fig. 3: Screen grab of fashion shoot from Vogua Italia.

Schrijver concludes his text with the example of a similar scenario that could cause likewise problems, such as photography in public spaces, where the inclusion of buildings that are copyrighted to architects is potentially problematic. A solution to such situations was designed, and is known as ‘’freedom of panorama’’ (Schrijver, 2018) which specifically allows for the inclusion of buildings and permanent fixtures in photographs without violating or infringing on copyright law.

Citation

McKernan, S. (2020) 'Being human-centred' in Curating Photography: Poolside. TU Dublin: BA Photography [Online]. Available at www.curating.photography/post/sarah-mckernan

References

Rastenberger, A-K. (2018). ‘Why exhibit? Affective spectatorship and the gaze from somewhere’, in Rastenberger, A.K. and Sikking, I. (eds.) Why Exhibit? Positions on exhibiting photographies. Amsterdam: Fw Books.

Schrijver, E. (2019). ‘A copy of reality: photographs’ in in Copy this book: an artist's guide to copyright. Eindhoven: Onomatopee. Schrijver, E. (2019). ‘A copy of reality: photographs’ in in Copy this book: an artist's guide to copyright. Eindhoven: Onomatopee.

Images

Fig. 1: Two Statues of Gugulethu Seven Memorial in Gugulethu, Cape Town.

Fig. 2: A reduxed version of the Two Statues of Gugulethu Seven Memorial in Gugulethu, Cape Town.

Fig. 3: Screen grab of fashion shoot from Vogua Italia.

Dynamic spaces

Valdis Alijevs

---

#Documentary | #Visuality | #Curatorial_practices | #Contemporary_art | #FIne_art_photography.

Our timeframes need to be broad when analysing how institutions of photography have created modes of exhibition-making and methods of curatorial practice. The period from 1920 to 1940 is described as the era that brought about the institutionalisation of photography (Sheikh, 2013). The historical background is important to adequately understand why curatorial practices have come to be described as performances and events (Schorch, 2017). Wolfgang Tillmans' influence on young photographers is partly due to his exhibition techniques (Fig 3). The success of the dynamic spaces he produces is attributed to how he devises exhibitions both with and for images (Östlind, 2018 and Davies, 2017).

Fig 1 Kaski, H. (2015). Tranquility. Exhibition Views. Finish Museum of Photography, Helsinki.

Another photographer pushing developments in curatorial practice is Heikki Kaski (Fig 1). His exhibition ‘'Vibrate on Silent' (2017) includes transitions evident in the techniques associated with Tillsmanian techniques, in terms of the spatial layout of images in books. It is difficult to understand why there is sometimes such a difference between what is meant by the terms fine-art and contemporary photography. Angie Kordic argues that fine art photography is 'created in accordance with the photographer’s vision, and it manifests an emotion, a personal impression and a unique vision of a subject the artist has a passion for' (Kordic, 2015). About contemporary photography, Östlind argues that it cannot be easily defined because it is so impacted by ongoing developments in the field of the photography. Nonetheless, Geoffrey Koslov does offer a definition of contemporary photography as ‘a rolling and evolving view of photography from a contemporaneous moment in time' (Koslov, 2015). I agree with Östlind’s view that contemporary photography still remains difficult to define because of how the technologies of circulation and distribution that shape a particular time also affects how photographs are made and seen.

Fig 1 Jensen, J. (1973). Boy on the Wall. MoMa, NYC.

In 1973, Jens Jensen made an exhibition at the Fotografiska Museet resembling enlarged pages of a photobook, images were attached to large white paper and laminated to help with moving the exhibition to its next venue. This clearly shows the influence of the book, also evident in Kaski and Tillmans’ work. I think this provided limitations to the portrayal of photographs, since you always had to keep in mind the need to be mobile. Aaron Knochel describes visuality as ‘a central construct of critical thinking in visual culture, assembles social constructions of images that are often invisible to understand the performativity of visual culture in constructing our social worlds’ (Knochel, 2013, p. 13). This is not very different to Glenn Rugga's (2010) description of documentary photography as a tool employed by practitioners to inform people about events they cannot see for themselves. In my view, visuality has is significantly impacted by the circulation of photographs.

As regards the circulation of the viewer, consider the standard adopted by exhibitions to hang photographs in straight horizontal rows on walls painted white or more likely in a specialist photography space a mid-grey (Langford, 2005). Now consider wheelchair users. in such a scenario. The representative overview of the ADA guidelines for wheelchair users provides important data for curating photography because ease of access is necessary (Smitshuijzen, 2007). If considering our culture which values visuality so highly, it means that you are excluded from mainstream experience if you do not see the way others do. The standard is considered 152 to 156 centimeters from the floor to create an eyeline for the exhibited images, which doesn’t allow access to some people, implying a negative view of the wheelchair user. The first figure appears to show the importance of the positioning of elevator buttons. The second figure is showing the appropriate eyeline level for wheelchair users, to make sure the whole audience can see the work. IMMA is well known for having full wheelchair accessibility.

Fig 3 Tillmans, W. (2013). Folding, Refraction, Touch. Busch-Reisinger Museum.

Interestingly, Tillman’s photographs are often deliberately placed too high for wheelchair users to view, showing the Tillsmanian tantalising method of portrayal (Fig 3). The Smithsonian Guidelines state that accessible design is necessary because ‘people with disabilities are a part of the museum’s diverse audience’ (Majewski, 2010, p. 2). I think guidelines that promote equality and diversity are a necessity. The third and fourth figures of the ADA Guidelines show the length and width of the wheelchair because it's important that it can fit in everywhere and have enough space. The last 3 figures show how far the wheelchair user’s arms can reach. When exhibiting work, it’s important to me to know all the guidelines and follow them because then you will have a larger audience and promote equality (Smitshuijzen, 2007).

Citation

Alijevs, V. (2020) 'Dynamic spaces' in Curating Photography: Poolside. TU Dublin: BA Photography [Online]. Available at www.curating.photography/post/valdis-alijevs

References

Davies, C. (2017). The Ultimate Guide to Wolfgang Tillmans. Sleek Magazine. Available at:https://www.sleek-mag.com/article/wolfgang-tillmans/

Knochel, A. (2013). Assembling Visuality: Social Media, Everyday Imaging, and Critical Thinking in Digital Visual Culture. Visual Arts Research, 39(2), Pp. 13-27. DOI:10.5406/visuartsrese.39.2.0013

Kordic, A. (2015). Fine Art Photography – As Valuable as Other Types of Art. Widewalls. Available at: https://www.widewalls.ch/fine-art-photography/

Koslov, G. (2015). What is Contemporary Photography? FotoRelevance. Available at: https://fotorelevance.com/what-is-contemporary-photography/

Langford, M. (2005). Langford's Starting Photography: The guide to great images with digital or film. Massachusetts: Focal Press.

Majewski, J. (2010). Smithsonian Guidelines for Accessible Exhibition Design. Smithsonian Accessibility Program. Available at:https://www.sifacilities.si.edu/ae_center/pdf/Accessible-Exhibition-Design.pdf

Mirzoeff, N. (2006). On Visuality. Journal of Visual Culture, 5(1), pp. 53–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470412906062285

O’Day, C. (2015). Mimi Ducreux: Curator at Large. Blogsport. Available at: https://iorart.blogspot.com/2015/11/mimi-ducreux-curator-at-large.html

Östlind, N. (2018) ‘’Framed or Unframed? How the Question of Photography as Art Has Shaped Exhibition Practice in Contemporary Photography’’ In Rastenberger, A.K and Sikking, I (eds). Why Exhibit? : Positions on Exhibiting Photographies. Amsterdam: Fw Books. pp. 147-160.

Phillipp Schorch. (2017). ‘’Assembling Communities: Curatorial Practices, Material Cultures and Meanings’’ In Onciul, B., Stefano. L., Hawke, S (eds). Engaging Heritage, Engaging Communities. Suffolk: Boydell Press. Pp. 31-46. Available at: https://books.google.ie/books/about/Engaging_Heritage_Engaging_Communities.html?id=N7Q4DwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Rodriguez, J. (2019). Rick Hansen's new mission: Improving accessibility across Canada. CTVNews. Available at:https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/rick-hansen-s-new-mission-improving-accessibility-across-canada-1.4433561?cache=%3FclipId%3D89530

Rugga, G. (2010). Documentary Photography: The impact that photographs can have is illuminated in a look back at iconic images. NiemanReports. Available at: https://niemanreports.org/articles/documentary-photography/

Sheikh, R. (2013). Photography in the Grey Years (1920-1940). History of Photography. Pp. 117-125. DOI:10.1080/03087298.2012.738550

Smitshuijzen, E. (2007). ‘’Appendix II ADA Sight Requirements'’ In Signage design manual. Baden: Lars Muller Publishers.

Tiffentale, A. (2018). The Family of Man: The Photography Exhibition that Everybody Loves to Hate. FK Magazine. Available at:https://fkmagazine.lv/2018/07/02/the-family-of-man-the-photography-exhibition-that-everybody-loves-to-hate/

Images

Fig 1. Kaski, H. (2015). Tranquility. Exhibition Views. Finish Museum of Photography. Viewed 28 March 2020. <http://heikkikaski.com/Exhibition-Views>

Fig 2. Jensen, J. (1973). Boy on the Wall. MoMa. Viewed 28 March 2020. <https://www.hasselbladfoundation.org/wp/portfolio_page/jens-s-jensen-hammarkullen-40-years-later/>

Fig 3 Tillmans, W. (2013). Folding, Refraction, Touch Busch-Reisinger Museum. Viewed 14 April 2020. <https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/article/a-conversation-with-wolfgang-tillmans>