Museums and Representation.

This week we are looking at the topic resolving around Museums and the way artifacts are presented in a museum.


Tessa explained the main idea of looking at the way of showing art and history nowadays and the artists impression on this issue.


In the slide show Tessa showed us, the work by Fred Wilson - Friendly Natives, 1991, really struck a strong impression for me. It is a mock up of display of human remains along with labels that reads 'someone's sister/mother/father ...ect. This work really shows an ethnographic and archaeological exhibits statement.



















Wilson use the remixing of the museum as an art, and use the explicitly quality of his work to infrom the audience his political views.




“from bringing together objects that are in the world, manipulating them, working with spatial arrangements, and having things presented in the way I want to see them.” - Fred Wilson
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/wilson/index.html

This work reminded of a thought i had before Tessa's lesson. As I personally feel rather depressed at the fact that some of the contents that is being showcased in museums will never have a name behind it. We may never know whose remain is being displayed and what they were like, or the artist who made the artifacts and how did they end up in the museum. I was really pulled back into that though when i saw the way Wilson refering to the remains in a very personal way.


Another art that dealed with the idea of 'Representation' was Mother and Child, Divided by Damien Hirst. Who's artwork base around the idea of life and death. Mother and Child, Divided is a piece of work that shows a cow was cut in half along with it's calf, both perserved and displayed in seperate glass containers. The way the artist chose to present the objects immediately change the way people will view the displayed objects. Normally people would not take much notice of a living cow in the field, however When the artist perserves the cow and displays it as a form of artwork, the audience will react differently to it. Same content but different treatment. This relates to the way people look at the artifacts in a museum, people might have not given the same respect to the item during the time it was made, however as time past and the object ends up in the museum, and is being shown behind glass in a classic manner, people change the way they react to it, as it is now all we will get to see that piece of history.
















After the slides, we watched a short part of Artist Unkown directed by David Lan. Who came across an african musk he was really interested in, and was determined to know more beyond the object. This again relates to my idea on the unknown names behind the historical objects as well as how the museums perserve history.



Tessa gave us 3 key questions to think about for our visit to Auckand War Memorial Museum that consists of looking at cultural, natural and themed exhibition room that tell a story through the displayed objects.

The cultural objects that interested me was the Tokotokos - Maori traditional straight European style walking sticks. They were placed in a glass case that holds the individual sticks vertically up.



They are wooden walking sticks that have been beautifully decorated with carvings that show great attention to details. With further research i found out that these walking sticks are not only tools to help the elderly mobility, they holds extreme cultural/spirial importance to the Maori culture. The Tokotoko is a ceremonial carved walking stick. It shows authority and the family history of the speaker, as a sign for others of their importance in the society. Through this further reading, i come to realise why the walking sticks are so carefully carved, as they are a symbol of status.

http://www.temata.co.nz/index.php?CID=100078


Another display that i found in relation to the Tokotoko collection was the European Swords collection. Most swords bear decorative carvings on the blade as well as highly detail sculped hilts, very elegant in style. The display of the swords were very much alike the Tokotoko collection too. The one i particularly liked was the Court Sword - England, late 18th Century. I have knowledge of the use of Court Swords. A Court Sword is a functional sword, but it is more of a symbol, it is to be worn to important ceremonies, like King's business. Very much like the use of Tokotokos. The Court Sword in display was said to likely have been used as a mourning sword.



Having the discussion in class, i raised an insight on how we really look at the objects displayed in Museums. When viewing the historical items, viewers can only imagine the glory they once hold. Very much like what Tessa discussed in class, most of the time, very little or none is known about the artifact's original owners, and the little we do know was through estimation. On the other hand, another way to look at this issue is that we seem worship these items because they are from a different era and is displayed behind glass, though they are the ancient equivalent to our everyday living objects. Which personally i think is interesting, as this is a form of human satire that we all share and we dont realise we have until being looked hard at.

Gaze 2 - Postcolonialism

Today's discussed topic was again about 'the gaze' but in cultrual terms of who is being looked at and who is looking.

Tessa explained colonialism is a country extending it's nation's territory beyond it's geographic boarders into the lands that dwelled by another culture, making the lands their own and the indigenous populations are ruled over, removed or exterminated.

Post colonialism is the reaction towards colonialism.

Tessa talked about the idea in art that explores the racial statements of postcolonialism, presenting artists's point of view on self-spiritual/ cultural identity.

The work that stood out to me in the slides was slide No.9, Jame Luna's The Shame man, and the Wet dream Catcher. Before Tessa explained the idea behind the work, it pulled my interest through humor, however after knowing the artist's real intention, the work presents a very serious issue. This relates to the idea of 'Gaze', in my case, the gaze of a person outside of the artist's culture. While these two works spark humor to the viewers, at the same time it's talking about a culture statement. It presents the idea that now cultural objects that holds important meanings are so commonly being sold as a type of souvenir, while the buyers may have no understanding of the real spiritual value of the object, showing the imposing qualities of the society towards culture nowadays.

Infact this have raised a self awareness in me, and i have experience of buying cultural object just for the sake of ornament, and have absolutely no knowledge of it's actual cultural/spiritual value.

Luna uses humor in his art, as a way to communite his statement to the audience.

"My appeal for humor in my work comes from Indian culture where humor can be a form of knowledge, critical thought and perhaps used to just ease the pain. I think we Indians live in worlds filled with irony and I want to relate that in my works," - James Luna.

http://www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archivefiles/2002/09/call_me_in_93_a.php

Another work that really pulled my interest is by Yinka Shonibare, Diary of a Victorian Dandy: 03.00 hours. It is a setting of a very victorian styled painting of rich white royalties. It also resembles alot like the Rococo period style way of dandy living.

However in this work, the masters are negro while the servants are caucasian. Tessa explained as a way of changing the history, and a way of wish fillfulment. This reminded me alot of the book i have studied a few years back - Noughts and crosses by Malorie Blackman

The book is a flip overed version of the black slavery history. In the story, the white people are being turned into slaves by the black.

We went to visit the Fresh Gallery, where the arts of Tongan Style is on show.

This show is very strongly cultrual themed, it showcases Tongan crafts of embroidery and church outfits. I was amazed at the detailed craftmanship. It was said that all the works are all done by women of the family. It's a way to identify family wealth, and it is used for almost every ceremony. The motif of flowers and birds are used in all the works, which shows the deep connection with the land and nature. Before this talk i have seen artworks from Pacific Islands, however i had no idea how important this means to their culture. This shows the important cultural art from Tonga. Which reinforces the topic we have discussed in class about the Gaze on art which gives indigenous statement.

Today's lecture was eyeopening for me. Especially with the idea based on how people see others outside of their own culture. While all cultures changes and intergrades within time, we however seem to get a fixed view of a culture based on what we know of it's history. Artists now from different cultures creates art that is influenced by this matter. It is interesting because everyone can relate to this topic in a way or another.