“Pictures, by nature, suspend narrative. …I see the viewer as a writer: the viewer narrates. People are telling themselves stories, and the stories connect to them personally, which is why the work means something to them. We can relate to these things." - Jeff Wall
Through my research on artists, I came across a video on the photographer Jeff Wall. He refers to his photographs as ‘prose poems,’ and opens his work up to multiple interpretations, believing that each picture should be experienced rather than understood as an illustration of a specific narrative.
This made me want to delve further into what the viewer experiences when looking at a work of art. How could I draw out these stories, memories, and emotions when they encounter art?
Viewer's Relationship with Art
I started to think primarily of the viewer's relationship with the art during my trips to the V&A and National Gallery. How were they feeling? What memories were triggered? Was it one emotion they felt or did they go through a flow of varied emotions?
Layers of Memories and Emotions
The V&A has a feature on their website where viewers can scroll to see the different layers of the Raphael Cartoons. The Cartoons were scanned in color, 3D, and infrared and reveal the layers beneath the final painting.
I wondered if I could make something similar that would reveal the layers of memories and emotions that viewers would feel when viewing a painting. The question remained, how would I draw out these memories and emotions in a sensitive and organic manner?
Some Initial Probes at the V&A on October 21, 2022
I decided to bring some art supplies to the V&A and ask visitors to sketch their responses to the Cartoons.
After a visit to the White Cube Gallery, I came across a series of art books by Pilot Press (https://www.pilotpress.co.uk/catalogue) that are compilations of "responses" by artists, poets, and musicians to a work of art or music, such as
Responses to The Moon and The Echo by Harold Budd and Cocteau Twins
Responses to Untitled No 1 (1981) by Agnes Martin
Responses to Derek Jarman's Blue (1993)
Responses to Love's Work (1995) by Gillian Rose
Responses to Pale Blue Dot (1990) by Voyager 1
I wanted to try the same but this time with works of art in museums. I purposely asked for "responses" to make it as open-ended as possible and see what results I would get back. I avoided the terms "memories" and "emotions" because I thought this would be too specific and constraining and wanted the sketches to be as free-flowing as possible.
My sample size was 5 people. One was a musician, two were Economics majors, and another two were Master's students in Curatorial Studies at UAL.
A few participants who sketched their responses to the Raphael Cartoons at the V&A/ October 21, 2022
Sketches from Visitors I Approached
I was struck by the richness of the responses and how varied they were. The results were mostly qualitative and abstract. I knew I would need a more directed research technique going forward to have more concrete data.
However, these initial interviews provided a useful jumping board to see the wealth of creativity within visitors. Some were musicians, others worked in finance and believed they had no creative ability, and yet, they came up with creative drawings in the span of five minutes. Given the diverse artistic backgrounds of the visitors, it made me want to tap into their own creative experience of art even more.
Design Ideas from V&A Trip
Some ideas for potential designs were a lino printing or bookbinding workshop. With lino printing, I thought it might be possible to have a work of art as the base, and then the participants could add layers of their memories or interpretations on top of the work of art.
I also considered creating a reflection booth were visitors could flip through a book of sketches from other visitors, thus making it a more collective experience.
Although I liked the idea of the reflection booth, it was a little too literal for my liking and I wanted to create a more subtle design. It was time to start making some prototypes and see what new ideas would come from that.
References:
Comments