Gallery Layout & Making New Pieces

After making the maquette for the Pie Factory Gallery I had a play around with layouts using little pink post-it notes cut to size. After several experiments I think I've arrived at a layout that is close to how I envisaged. By exploring the maquette I made a mental note of odd-shaped areas to check when I re-visited the space. There was also the question of the mysterious fourth room. I wasn't sure I'd be using this room and needed to have another look.

When I arrived at the gallery space I was rather surprised that the online plan did not exactly match reality. A door to the toilets was not shown and this impacted on the available wall space in room two. Room four appeared larger than I remember it and I'm wondering if some changes have been made to improve the gallery space that have not been updated on the plan. There was an exhibition in progress and looking at the size of the pictures I was able to gauge the hanging space a lot better. It was a bit of shock to realise that my A1 size photographs were going to look too small! I need to go bigger! And make more work to fill the four rooms available!


Having an overnight think I decided that I need to introduce some of the props from the woodland shoots into the exhibition. I have already been encouraged to do this by the Level 3 student hangout group this week, so the decision is timely. By using the props I will better improve the visual flow through the space and not leave empty corners and short pieces of wall. The updated layout will look clean and minimalist rather than 'empty'.

I also need to make three new pieces. I will use some of the folded triangles from the woodland shoot to make two large wall hanging sculptures. The third piece will be completely new. With that in mind I began exploring with materials for making frames for the three pieces out of simple materials that will create some texture. I now have a number of new tasks to add to my project plan!

Making a Maquette

After a futile struggle with free layout software I decided that the best way to plan my gallery layout was to make a maquette. I'd thought that the quickest and simplest way was to put something together online but hadn't taken into account the steep learning curve involved with computer design programmes. After a morning of frustration and not particularly liking the results I discussed my options with the Level 3 Student Hangout group. The consensus was "You are a model maker. Why are you not making a maquette?" Well, okay... I had considered that obviously, but thought I could save some time investigating a digital option. I needed that jolt back to reality from the group.

With help from my partner in scaling a model of the Pie Factory gallery, I managed to put together a model very quickly; in the same amount of time as failing to get to grips with the software package; and the physical output is so much more satisfying.

I now need to place my images into the maquette and work out image sizes in relation to the gallery walls and sequencing. I have also discussed the option with a number of people regarding using my props in the gallery space. I was unsure about this at first as I do not want them to distract from the images. There is also an element of interaction with the viewer which is a good thing but with such a serious subject as the Target Practice work I do not want to cross the line between interaction and entertainment. Again the consensus seems to be that I really should use the props in the show. This means taking account of their positioning in the overall layout and if they need to be modified in any way to make them suitable for the space. Lots more to think about and do!

Exhibition Flyer

This is version three of the flyer I designed for the Target Practice exhibition. The previous versions had larger fonts in the info section and the consensus from the L3 Hangout group was it looked a bit clunky. I also made some minor changes to the way the address was laid out, timings so the opening times and the private view didn't run into each other, all thanks to feedback from the L3 group. This flyer along with my other preparations will form part of assignment three and will be critiqued by my tutor before it is utilized in my online marketing campaign.

p.s. the dark background of this image is so that the white of the flyer does not bleed into the screen background. It is for blog purposes only.

Spray Mounting Test

This week I spray mounted one of my images onto foamboard. This method is my preferred choice for hanging the Target Practice work. It was surprisingly easy to use the aerosol which provided good coverage on the back of the image and it was really easy to handle and place. I was worried it might warp the paper or react in some way but it was ok. I also tested some D rings that were recommended by the gallery for connecting up to the hanging system. I glued them to the back of the foamboard and taped over them. Once it was all secure I hung the image in a spare room to see if it would stay smooth over time with no bubbles developing on the surface.

So far it has been a week and the image is looking pretty good.

Self Promotion

I'm trying to spend some time each day on social media promoting my work and taking an interest in the work of other artists. I'm using Facebook for my personal promotion to friends and family; Instagram and Twitter is for posts to a wider audience. On these platforms I've been using hashtags to connect with like-minded individuals and surprisingly this is working out quite well in terms of fostering an online social media presence.

Now that my Pie Factory exhibition is not too far away I need to ramp up my promotion and post about some of my preparations for the exhibition to keep the interest up.

 Facebook

 Instagram

Twitter

Spraymount on Foamboard

The gallery at the Pie Factory has a hanging system installed. There are rails on the ceiling so that pictures can be hung on nylon line and attached to the ceiling rails. They have a no nails policy, so no items are permitted to be physically fixed to the gallery walls. It sounds a bit complex but I'm sure I can manage it.

My images will be A1 and I don't particularly want to have them framed. My initial idea was to tape them to the walls Wolfgang Tillman's style, but the no nails policy and not damaging the paint surface has meant I am reconsidering. I could spray mount the images to foamboard and use bulldog clips attached to the nylon line. The other option is small D rings glued to the back of the image. I need to research further...

Today as a test I have taken one of my images and spray mounted it to the foamboard. It was surprisingly easy and after an hour there are no visible signs of the paper surface bubbling. I also used some white tape to go around all four sides of the foamboard to get rid of that uneven sandwich effect that is common with this product.

Now on to Amazon or the local art supplies to find some D rings and some means of fixing them. A hanging test will be next to ensure that there will be no unforeseen problems.

Time: An Open Art Collective Exhibition

I've been really bad at updating this blog lately as I've been ill for a number of weeks. During this time the Open Art Collective group exhibition went really well. Fellow OCA students and Thames Valley group members, Catherine Banks and Dawn Langley organised the hang and logistics of showing at the Lightbox Gallery Woking for the rest of the group. There were eleven of us showing in total. We all organised the framing of our own work and drove down to the gallery on the day of the hang. As part of the gallery costs a gallery assistant was on hand to help Catherine and Dawn realise their layout.

 

They did a really professional job and everyone was very impressed with the finished installation.

My 'Crustal Deformation' images hanging at the Lightbox.

Gerry's 'Never a Sunday Roast' drawings.

We also had an artist's evening a few days after the opening. This was open to friends and family of the artist's and late night visitors to the gallery and cafe space. This went really well and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. It was a really good feeling to be part of the group collective and share the experience.

Here is a short video of the layout of the exhibition:


Time: An Open Art Collective Exhibition from ammoniteM on Vimeo.



I think everyone did really well and this was a great learning experience for the participants. Also two of the artist's actually sold work which was amazing! Kate Aston sold both her pieces and I sold three of my five pieces. Amazing to see those little red dots!