I went to video tape at the museum yesterday — it was the most awkward experience... I did not anticipate this, which is dumb because of course it would be awkward... I first had issues with the tripod — apparently you need special permission to bring in a tripod so I left it behind and went in with just the video camera.
I felt like the biggest creep just videotaping innocent museum goers. It was even worse because it’s so obvious that I’m videotaping because I wasn’t videotaping myself walking through the museum or the artwork but rather just standing there trying to be as still as possible like a tripod. I wanted to apologize and be like, “I go to art school” or something as if that excuses any odd behavior.
I also had to capture the museum guards — I asked them if I could video tape them. The first person was a woman and she said no, she wasn’t comfortable. I felt uncomfortable asking to videotape people. The next person was a man. He said hmm that’s hard. Ask that guy over there (probably the security manager?) and the manager was all !!!! no. He said first, I needed permission to videotape in the museum at all. Next, videotaping the guards was a security hazard. He then said this explanation to me in 5 different ways.
The process of making this project/videotaping was very uncomfortable and I felt like it spoke to my project in a different way. — the act of surveilling, the act of being not only the viewer but also the recorder, heightens all of the feelings that I felt as a viewer — self conscious of myself and hyper aware of those around me. What are they thinking? Will they confront me? I know that they are uncomfortable and so am I.
The camera has some sort of authority. People fear the camera.
This would be interesting to explore sometime...
Self monitoring (like nick felton) journals, how you curate social media, diet apps, exercise plans, schedules
monitoring system
watch
fitbit
GPS
pedometer
signage: direction giving within a space so people know where to go and what to do, instructions in general — when you open new furniture or tech, to what extent do people want guidance?
visual map
way finding in a space
street signs
billboards
NY times square
Fliers (people have a choice to actively ignore things like that. how effective is the inteded purpose of things intended to catch attention. Visual spam)
Forcing people to acknowledge the others around them rather than try to ignore them
Literally cannot get the museum/look at the art without the audience
Will it heighten the anxiety or loosen it up?
Make museum a social event. Weird that public space is not supposed to be social (like theater but more awkward)
Tattoo Version
watch yourself watch the art
experience becomes about yourself
self awareness, self reflection. How do you look looking at the art?
with multiple cameras all around museum not just thinking about yourself anymore but more about the museum
hyper awareness of the museum
museum becomes an entity, a being that is always watching you. You are not watching the museum.
You are watching the museum watch you.
Who is watching who?
Becomes not only about watching others and becoming hyper aware of others but about how others are watching you. Infinite cycle. You watch them watch you watch them watch you.
idea of appropriation in museum
maybe things that are american culture
commodifying normal things in america
but also a critique on capitalism… It already is a commodity no need to museumify it
— the art is just the guards
the entire museum is just guards standing along the wall
if you take a photo they come up to you and say you can’t take photos of the art.
if you get too close they say “please step behind that tape mark”
— translate the experience of the museum to the web.
Not just looking at the art through the web as most museums do it. Museum is not just about the art + description but most museums will try to show the museum through the web with just these slideshows.
This website will be more like a live stream of the people at the museum and the guards
When you go onto the website, the web cam turns on automatically and you will also be displayed on the website.
When you scroll down you can see everyone that’s on the website.
— about context. Steal famous works of art and put them in the most unlikely of places
Grammy-winning violinist
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
people come and there’s nothing there.
the people coming alone are the reason for people to gather.
no art, no food, no music, not a party.
david bowie
fake art gallery for fake artist, Nat Tate.
he killed himself and destroyed 99% of his work and this gallery shows what’s left.
art critics and people all pretrended like they knew him, he’s such a great guy, great artist, blah blah.
— each person that enters the gallery is giving a script to follow.
— each person who comes to the gallery is given a costume to wear.
How will people react/act differently based on something they wear? Maybe not a full costume but one things
Tourism — kind of like the country is the museum, everything in that country is the art including the people.
Instagram of tourists — kind of like art. The way that it is filtered through the iphone camera/social media is that the place becomes a commodity. Ordinary place for others
In a way, social media is also a curation of the world into a new context of commodification like a museum taking art artifacts is a curation into the context of the art world.
interactive.
just for fun.
You click on stuff and things happen. (when you click on the art, the guard comes to yell at you. When you click on a person, they look at you judgingly.
there is a camera button that you can click. You can either take a selfie with the art or take a photo of the art. When you take a photo every time, someone will come in the way.
—gallery space where the only thing that’s there is the sounds of a gallery.
— who decides what is or isn’t art? what is or isn’t worthy of being in a museum?
titsay
snowghoul
germansingergirl
origamiaround
gummygunk
theartofmadeline
janainaart
