Week 3: Mary Curtis

Mary Curtis' way of collecting objects and presenting them in her work was very impressive, the way she would use household or industrial objects to enhance a piece of jewellery, making it her own unique design. Her concepts are also very clever, like her ring made from light panel screws, for example: from a first glance, they looked like jewels comprised from a kind of stone. The part that stood out to me the most was her love for museums and the way they display their exhibits, as well as how she was able to incorporate that into her own work. I admire the fact that she went through the difficult task of collecting vitrines from all over New Zealand for her exhibition and how she displayed one piece of her jewellery in each one, so the viewer could walk around and examine the piece from every angle.
At one stage during her career, she collected small round objects with holes in them, a project that was actually kick-started and influenced by her colleague, Frances Hansen. This would eventually become a part of a show at Fingers Gallery called "Stuff." The objects were displayed in a strategic manner, where the public were able to witness a moment in the life of a determined collector, but at the same time they are given the opportunity to observe each piece individually, so they could see why she would be attracted to such objects. As one of her biggest influences, Herman Junger said, "You have to observe something to see the beauty in it." Her collections and the way she displayed her works weren't just inspiring, they also mirrored my own habits of collecting during my childhood and brought back many fond memories.

As for my own personal experiences, displays that stood out for me the most were at the New Plymouth museum in the late 1990's (now called Puke Ariki) When I was about 6 years old, our school used to go on field trips to the museum on a regular basis, I remember 3 displays from that time:
As you walked into the entrance there were about 2 or 3 flights of stairs you would have to walk up to get to the main display area of the museum - opposite to each stair case there were mannequins dressed up as miners descending down the walls. They were displayed in vitrines and there was also mining equipment surrounding them, either suspended from hooks or on glass shelves, complete with flickering light bulbs to give that whole underground effect. The entire display was so convincing. But also from a child's perspective, the mannequins were so big, it was quite intimidating walking up the steps and seeing these giant miners leering down at you.
 Around this time, there was also a big display room with Maori artifacts, including kahu huruhuru, (feather cloaks) tools and weapons used for hunting, gathering and preparing food.There was also a miniature version of a marae (meeting house) right at the end of the room, a pātaka (storehouse for food) close to the entrance of the room, and a waka, that was actually blocking the entrance, but there was still enough space for us to fit through to the other side. I remember thinking that this method must've been used as a way to show that this was a sacred area, I also remember feeling scared when told by the teachers that we were allowed to go through but we had to be quiet and extremely careful. They had the entire area surrounded by bush and ferns with different coloured lighting contrasting against the various shades of green. All in all though, out of all the Maori displays I've seen in museums and art galleries during my lifetime, this one moved me the most, it definitely had to do with the way it was displayed and the energy it gave off – it felt as though we were actually there, reliving that moment in time.
There was also an old wooden table with drawers built into them. When you pulled the drawers out, they were covered with a glass top, to protect the different breed of butterflies that were preserved inside. I remember being amazed by these butterflies, of course I was 6 years old at the time, so I thought they were still alive and that at any moment their wings would start to flutter, they were perfectly mounted into the drawer, wings fully splayed out . Even now, I still think the way butterflies are preserved and the method used to display them is very clever.
Burning Man is an event that occurs once a year in America, thousands of participants gather in the Las Vegas Black Rock Desert and they create their own community called Black Rock City. They all stay there for a week, the whole point of the event is to make new connections through art and music. Something they are most well known for are their large art installations, which they display in the desert, for everybody to enjoy.

Balloon Chain, by Robert Bose, NYC

Duel Nature, by Kate Radenbush

Big Rig Jig, by Mike Ross

 I like they way they just leave it out in the open. It also has a surrealistic vibe, the installations teamed with the surroundings reminds me of Salvador Dali's paintings where he had combined odd subjects with a desert landscape.Hopefully I will be able to participate in Burning Man one day, I've seen many photos over the past few years of the people, the activities and the art and I'm just amazed at what some of these talented artists come out with.  

http://www.burningman.com/installations/11_art_honor.html

http://www.magazine13.com/the-coolest-art-installations-in-the-history-of-burning-man/

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2007/08/big-rig-jig/

You can see more photos from past events on Brad Templeton's website.
http://www.templetons.com/brad/burn/