Firstsite Visit

Next unit we will have an opportunity to exhibit work at the Firstsite gallery in Colchester. We will have to submit proposals which will then be reviewed and as many as they can fit will be selected.

Previous students have used the spaces to exhibit a piece of their own artwork, might be a response to the space. Response to the architecture, or the work in the space. Site-specific. Can co-curate or work on your own. Try something different, push your practice, really explore your work as an artist. What could your work be in this space. Unique space, nowhere else like it in the world so make the most of that.

Previous work: sculptures hung from the ceiling, segments of the building - audience interacted with, made a mosaic out of the pieces. Totally up to the artist how you do it.

For a pop up show can't put holes in the wall so have to consider how we'll hang it. Safety checks, electrical equipment have to be PAC tested. Where will the cables go, no trip hazards. Whole process.

Opportunity to collaborate with other students or as a whole group.

Can also react to the social-political culture as well as the building. Relevant to Colchester. Our artwork might not be relevant the architecture or Colchester, just an idea, that would work well.

Kyle: makes minimalistic drawings - could respond to the space. Could do it as a performance in one of the social spaces. What does it look like in a white gallery space, or hung from the ceiling or in a meeting room? What about if you start drawing then people come and add to it? Lots of opportunities.

Kieran: How do you choose your gallery proposals? Someone from the university will read them and someone from Firstsite will read them, fantastically inspirational piece of artwork. Thought process. How it develops your work. How it's pushing your work. Thought provoking. Thought through, feasible. Its a pop up so have to consider that. Up in the morning, down in the afternoon. Should put in our proposal where we imagine our work to be.
Does it really matter about the subject matter? Controversial etc? It's a public gallery with lots of different people so have to be sensitive to the sort of people in the community. Children etc. Depends what the work is and where you want it sited. Don't want visitors to be offended. Could have it in one of the separate rooms and have a warning sign as they go in if it is a sensitive subject.

Kieran: Are we restricted to the type of medium we can use? No, as long as you can get it here. Our responsibility to get the artwork to and from Norwich.

Kyle: Already existing artwork? This is within the second unit so a good idea for it to be new artwork for the next unit.

Elle: given the space and layout of the building, what sort of work do you look for? No preferences.

Experiment, not everyday you will get to put work up in an exhibition, especially a building of this uniqueness.

Don't have to respond to the space in your work but it's an opportunity to try something new. Could do a proposal of something that you would've done anyway but see it in a different context.

This is about your professional development as an artist. Once your out of education, going to have to do things for yourself, fit to deadlines, fit to briefs. Might be told you have to make work site specific, so good practice to try something new.

Could apply for other elements for the professional practice, internships in schools, other exhibitions elsewhere.

Kieran: How many applications do you except? Depends what it is, whether we can fit it. If everyone wants the same space eg. projection, need to consider how many we can really fit. Usually about 15 people. If there are 20 amazing proposals, might find a way to fit them all in. Really depends on space and quality of proposals.

We have an advantage over other people as we have seen the space and been taken around the space, whereas others haven't.

The building is really unusual. It was an architectural competition. 108 architects applied. Originally supposed to be behind the minories, however Rafael Vinoly put in this proposal as it was about the building fitting into the landscape. Artist responded to that. Building curved shaped. Responds to lawn. D shape.  18th century landscape that this building fits around. Original 18th century trees. Linking up with the minories as well. Contemporary curved shape of the building contrasts the roman wall and crescent of the war memorial. Part of the cultural experience. Can consider in our response. Cultural vision, fitting in the landscape. All on one level. Built on top of English Heritage land so hasn't been excavated, at any time English Heritage could say they want to dig underneath the building. The building has no foundations - can't destroy and possible roman artefacts - so can just pick it up, dig, and put it back down again. Raised up by recycled rubble, so like a boat. If an earthquake would be in the safest building.

The building at the front is very high, big and open. Lots of writing about how it is important when visitors walk into a museum, how they feel when they come in. How did we feel as we came in? Big, spacious, daunting, embracing, vast.

Cafe was supposed to be at the back, however kitchen was too far away so moved cafe to the front. Became a big social space. People can engage in cultural activity.

Outside of the building - gold metal. Hand clamped together to create this pattern. If even a millimetre out it has to come off. Herringbone pattern throughout. Different ways to look at the architecture. Laid out as all one sheet, would reach all the way to Ipswich. Gold covers huge metal girders. Whalebone effect. Light is really interesting in this building.