Visitors’ book

I’ve been looking through the visitors’ book I had out at my exhibition and all the interesting things people said. All of them are complimentary, but I think that’s the nature of this kind of book, those who don’t rate an exhibition generally don’t bother to write their thoughts in a book they just leave quickly and quietly! Most of the comments focus on the many layers of meaning in the work and its evocative nature as well as how well it fitted the Crypt Gallery. The consensus seemed to be that the work was thought provoking, which is a great result – every artists wants their work to make people stop and think. As well as all the positive comments, the book also means I have a record of visitors’ names and email addresses so I can add them to my mailing list. I’m very glad I put it out and will make sure I add comments to other people’s books when I visit exhibitions in the future.

Exhibition in the Crypt

I’ve been unpacking and putting things away over the last couple of days following my exhibition at the Crypt Gallery last week. I was pleased by the number of visitors – several who’d heard about it via Facebook or Twitter showing that social media is a great way of reaching people. I recorded visitor numbers by asking people to add a pin to a curtain, in the tally pattern for counting I use in some of my work, which worked well and was also a way of engaging people in conversation (see pic above taken on Friday). I’d spent so long working out where everything should be hung and in the end I was pleased with the result, in fact many people asked if the work was site specific because it fitted the space so well. All the work had been made over the last 6 years but wasn’t created with the Crypt in mind so it was very encouraging that visitors felt it worked so well in the space. I’ll post more about the exhibition later in the week – there’s more unpacking to be done now!

Walking through the Crypt

 

I’ve been walking through The Crypt Gallery in my mind all week trying to organise my exhibition ‘The domestic veil’. It is such a brilliant place for an exhibition – full of nooks and crannies and interesting passageways that there is a danger of the place taking over from the work, so I’m trying to use the site to show my work to best advantage. I also want to make sure the pieces tell a story, so I’m trying to hang them in such a way that one leads on from the other and builds up the narrative. This, of course, is not quite as easy as it sounds because, for example, some pieces need more lighting than others, and another incorporates a DVD, so I have to display those in an area with access to electricity, which limits where they can go. Also I have no control over the way people walk round the exhibition, so I’ve produced a flyer with a map of the site and a numbered guide to the pieces in the hope that the audience will follow them numerically. I hope the exhibition can be enjoyed whatever path the visitors take, but following my route reveals the story most effectively. I must say I’m looking forward to walking through the real gallery and exhibition next week when it’s all in place, rather than all this flitting about in my mind! The exhibition is on from 8 to 12 September, 11am to 4pm, at The Crypt Gallery, St Pancras, London NW1 2BA if you'd like to come and visit.