interchange/imparting

The other day I was thinking about communication vs.conversation. Not only the conversations between folks in a room, but how conversation works in the visual arts and social media.

 

This train of thought has sparked an intense interest in museums and curating. I’m thinking about the relationship between the viewer and the observed. I guess this started with the Paper People. When I look back at the first couple pieces I can see that I was exploring this relationship. I wanted to turn the secret room perspective on its head. It was more about interchange than imparting.

The other day one of my pieces was featured on a blog I enjoy. I was able to read about the viewer’s reaction to the piece. I’m always curious to hear the stories that the Paper People bring up. More than anything I’ve created before, I’m hesitant to tell people “what they mean”.

At my artist’s talk last summer one of the artists in residence said that she found the collection “generous”. I’ve thought about that a lot since then.  

At this time much of the art we’re exposed to is through the Internet and social media. This introduces yet another element. I’m thinking about that. What are the advantages? What are the disadvantages?

You can see the blog post here.