DECODE Art Exhibiton

http://www.vam.ac.uk/microsites/decode/exhibition

To help us understand how exhibits display there work, we were asked to visit a museum and see it first hand. Originally I had planned to go with the group to the TATE modern, but we were all unable to go at the same time. I was then going to go with a friend and we started looking at different exhibitions and museums that would be appropriate to the module.





















We then stumbled upon a very new, very modern exhibition that is only on display in London for a short period of time. Called "DECODE", at the Victoria and Albert. The idea of the exhibition about mixing technology with art work seemed allot more interesting concept that just having artwork on a wall. To find you can play with the art made the whole experience sound generally more appealing.

What art is in the Exhibition?




























As soon as you walk into the exhibition you are confronted with a loads of lights sticking out into the path, which you have to walk past. As you do the lights follow you with the sound sof crickets and then start to flash, I have not been to many exhibitions but already knew this was something quite different. Giving you a real sense of being involved with the art you were looking at.

The artwork inside!!

The art is mainly displayed on screens, allowing the artwork to move (unlike usual artwork) in the way that the artist had designed. Most of the artwork is very bright and colorful that was very striking to look at, all designed on computer programs that we as students have used such as adobe flash.

The artwork itself is interactive to the user, many of the pieces use information to change the piece in one way or another. Mainly from a physical response from the user, but there were some that responded to sensors outside the museum and information from online.






















These disks were mounted on the floor and contained leaves and parts of flowers and were growing. The area around the exhibit was in total darkness with the disks having powerful back lights, you were really drawn to the work as it light up the area.










































The above examples were displayed on small screens that were mounted inside the wall, and were different types of artwork that had allot of movement and life. Being able to walk up and see it change in front of your eyes.
















































As you walk further into the exhibition the artwork becomes bigger and more user interactive, the above image and video shows loads of bound sheets that are motorized to move enabling them to change color , as you stand on the white mark on the floor your movement is captured and is then transmitted to turn the correct pieces and make up your body shape.



Ever fancied painting with your body, well this artwork allows you to use your whole body to make paint splats appear on the projection in front of you. Depending on how much you move depends on the color and shapes, it was really enjoyable to have a go!!






















Many big screens were used to display the bigger pieces of work, not just projectors. The image above shows the piece "Make Out" that shows thousands of moving images of people kissing that then changes as people walk past, making shock waves.





















I also noticed that there was a piece that was not just digital, but plays into the lighting genre. There was a table of black sand with a strong white back light underneath, as you moved the sand it allowed you to draw and create shapes that really stood out.

How is the Exhibition set up?






















The exhibition itself was very dark, there was very little lights besides the light coming from the artworks. You can see from the image above the only light source is spotlights being directed at the information boards and the light comming from the screens. You will also notice that the screens are inside the walls, this enables the area around them to be totally in darkness. This is very clever as it stops screen glare and it makes the art really stand out from its surrounding.














































Even the way the information boards have been designed to match the rest of the exhibit. The text that displays the number, is in a blocky digital computer font. Which is also used on the log design for the exhibition. As mentioned the area is light up with a spotlight so that it is easy to read, a clear font has been used and also you will notice lights. (These have been aligned in a plug format design, and depending on the different lights meant what type of artwork you were looking at.)



























You can see that white boards are used to display the projections for the different pieces. But the surrounding area is rather dark and you can see this by how the camera has stuggled to get a crisp shot. (with the low lighting conditions.) You will also notice that there is allot of room to move around, due to this low lighting there is large areas to walk around and nothing is draping on the floor. All the art is either projected on a wall, located inside the wall or in some cases on a Plymouth. (This is a key feature when they designed the space thinking about how humans would react and what would be safe to use.)

Comparison to the rest of the Museum...
As I was already at the museum, I had a look around at some of the other artwork they had on display as some more ideas on how work can be displayed.




























As you can see from the image above, where the roman statues are displayed the lighting is allot brighter. The whole room is not in darkness but brightly lit, you still can see that spotlights have been placed above each statue to help it stand out.






















































As you can see this lighting aspect is kept around the rest of the museum, there is nothing like the DECODE exhibit. All the artwork is basically hanging on the wall or is a statue in the middle of the room, which works due to the fact of the artwork being displayed and to the target audience of the artwork. (mainly being the older generation.)

Conclusion
I am really glad that I have visited the museum today, as it gave me an insight into how new style exhibitions can display there work. It was probably the best type to go and see, as it relates very close to the work that will be being displayed. They have used lighting in a fantastic way, making the digital artwork really stand out from the walls, yet the area is very clean but very very interesting. I realised when using such little light you must be careful due to safety and artwork must be then changed to enable this safety.

Also another major point I took away was that even the information boards need to be designed to match the surrounding. It brings all the work together and shows the viewer you are really devoted to your work and are a professional.