Finished Press Release!

Press Release The AVK Gallery

Poulton-le-Fylde

Lancashire

TRANSFORMING DIMENSIONS

A Group Show

THE AVK GALLERY

May 5^th – 28^th

An exciting exhibition opens this May at The AVK Gallery, where visitors can escape from the mundane and revel in the vivid, fascinating works occupying the gallery space.

The exhibition comprises of six contemporary artists from around the world, working fundamentally with sculpture and installation.

Transforming Dimensions explores the variety of ways the white walls of the gallery can be transformed into a dramatic, colourful, and sometimes puzzling space. It does not focus on optical illusion, instead the exhibition reveals the unique ways the chosen artists transform the space. The journey around this exhibition is one of a purely visual experience, one where the art works impose themselves on you and involve you in their work.

There are a range of works, none of which conform to the conventional idea of hung canvas paintings on a white wall. They challenge the all too common way of walking absentmindedly through an exhibition by not allowing the audience to ignore their works; it is impossible, their presence is too strong.

Sonja Vordermaier’s dramatic sculptural installations open the exhibition, their powerful presence capturing the audience, which leads on to the more subtle smoke tapestry by Pae White, the ephemeral quality and size of it transforms the long walls into whirling patterns of light and smoke. Upstairs the audience is greeted by more of White’s work, where the gentlest of movements could move the mobile, allowing the coloured discs to dance in the light. Moving on there are works from Eliasson, showing how light, colour, and the audience can transform his pieces and the space around them. Zimmermann’s brightly coloured drips automatically make the audience look up and question how they were made, as does the vivid glossy floor in the next room. In contrast to the colourful works seen on the first floor, the second floor features Donovan’s subtle installations which make the walls appear to be undulating, and the ceiling to be growing with clean white organic structures. The work of Saraceno finishes the show, creating web like installations, with magnificent structures that allow the audience to get up close and within the works.

Of course, although this has attempted to describe the magnificent nature, and understated wonder of these art works; the only way to truly appreciate these works is to experience them yourself.

Artists:

Sonja Vordermaier

Pae White

Olafur Eliasson

Peter Zimmermann

Tara Donovan

Tomas Saraceno

Curated by Amy Kirkham

Photos of the finished model!

Ground Floor

First Floor

Second Floor

I decided to create simple little models of the sculptures/installations, just so they refer back to the works. I've included an art works sheet and the plan with the model so it can be understood better! Also I didn't want to over-complicate the model (the lifts are little boxes/the stairs are plaited wire-simple) also, I wanted more of a focus on the layout and how the works would occupy the space, I wasn't too concerned with how the gallery looked outside, for me the virtual exhibition is about what's inside the gallery, and I've got nothing important to show outside.

Also I wanted to add that, there are lights/spotlights that are used within the works, they are shown in the images of the works (which sometimes also show how the audience affect the work).

It was quite fiddly, so I think it's successful in how I wanted it to be-to simply show how the works would be laid out.

Updates

Because of the nature of the art works I'm exhibiting, and the fact that I've created quite a large fantasy gallery I've created a simple maquette that is effective in showing how the works will be placed, although it has been difficult to show the works which would be either on the ceiling or hung from it...I'm still trying to conquer that aspect....why did I choose to exhibit sculptures and installations?!

I've also been thinking about what the most important information to show is, I don't think the aesthetic of the outer building of my fictional gallery as I only created it as an inside space to display the work. Architecturally, perhaps windows are important but I won't have many in this gallery as there all the works will use lights on their work, either from the ceiling or from spotlights.

There are now several attempts at poster...none are successful. Sigh.

Another update, press release and maquette nearly done, I've also decided to use only White's Overneath in that space to give room for people to move around it.

Transforming Dimensions

I really like the way this title sounds, it gives some indication as to what the exhibition is about but still leaves a bit of mystery, as it's not a completely descriptive title. I think it makes sense and is snappier than other titles I was thinking about; I was trying to be too literal.

I've decided. Transforming Dimensions. The title of my show.

Press Release Ideas

Looking back at how we wrote our Press Release for the group show I've been thinking of ideas, and sentences that could go in my press release...

An exciting exhibition opens this May at The AVK Gallery, where visitors can escape from the mundane...(?) The exhibition comprises of six contemporary artists, working fundamentally with sculpture and installation.

Transforming Dimensions explores the variety of ways the white walls of the gallery can be transformed into a dramatic, colourful, and sometimes puzzling space.

The journey around this exhibition is one of a purely visual experience, one where the art works impose themselves on you and involve you in their work.

Sonja Vordermaier dramatic sculptural installations open the exhibition, their powerful presence capturing the audience, which leads on to the more subtle smoke tapestries by Pae White, the ephemeral quality and size of them transforms the long walls into whirling patterns of light and smoke. Upstairs the audience is greeted by more of White’s work, where the gentlest of movements could move the mobiles, allowing the coloured discs to dance in the light. Moving on there are works from Eliasson, showing how light, colour, and the audience can transform his pieces and the space around them. Zimmermann’s brightly coloured drips automatically make the audience look up and question how they were made, as does the vivid glossy floor in the next room. In contrast to the colourful works seen on the first floor, the second floor features Donovan’s subtle installations which make the walls appear to be undulating, and the ceiling to be growing with clean white structures. The work of Saraceno finishes the show, creating web like installations, with magnificent structures that allow the audience to get up close and within the works.

Of course, it is difficult to describe the magnificent nature, and understated wonder of these art works; the only way to truly appreciate these works is to experience them yourself.

Second Floor

TD's installations are made specifically for the space, so they can fit in whatever size room.

TS's works also work with the space, so I think they are adaptable to the size of the room.

First Floor

The two PZ pieces, the dimensions for FLOOR 4 (above) are: and I think GRAVITY will fit in the space, it seems a flexible piece in relation to size.



OE's pieces are perhaps easier to think about size wise as many use light and the dimensions for the one below are:
PW's pieces are in a certain structure, but I think I can gauge their size in relation to the gallery space.

Ground Floor

PW. I really want to use this piece but can't find the measurements of it anywhere! I'm guessing it is larger than Smoke Knows, so hopefully I can establish its size from that.

Smoke Knows, 2009. PW
These are the two SV pieces I'll be using, I may not display them exactly the same and again I'm unsure of the dimensions, however SV's pieces look as if they are installed and fitted into the specific space.

Layout

I've called my gallery The AVK Gallery, I thought seen as it was from my head why not call it after myself! Also I've enough trouble trying to think of a name for the exhibition. So here is the layout I've been doing....

I can't seem to get it any bigger! Very irritating as I've spent ages doing this and it's really helpful in showing how I want my gallery to be and where the chosen pieces are going!

I worked it out! The images at the top are bigger and hopefully more comprehensible!

I've been thinking about the sizes of the work in relation to the space, and I've been searching for the sizes of some of the pieces but I just can't find any! It's very frustrating as although some of the installations can work around the space, some like White's tapestry have a definite size.

Artists I'm using and further ideas...

Eliasson

Zimmermann

White

Donovan

Saraceno

Vordermaier

Arendt

I've found 2 works for each artist apart from Arendt, and I've been looking at her work and don't feel it works with my current plans for how the exhibition is going.

I was going to just not show any of Arendt's work, but I like a challenge so I've looked at my plans and I think I'm going to show Arendt opposite Vordermaier (even though that means I'll be showing 3 works of Vordermaier!) I think it's appropriate as there is a contast between the powerful piece by a window, and Arendt's softer piece, also shown by a window. However there is a relationship between two of their works that I will put in a darker room together, the more organic pieces.

Those are the only two artists I have put work together in the same room, this is partly because of coherence (so viewers can see the same artists work in succession) but also because of space and how many of the pieces need to stand alone in order to be successful.

Just looked at both Vordermaier's and Arendt's pieces again, I don't think they'll be successful in the space I'm creating. The space is too clean for Vordermaier's sculpture that wraps itself round the pipes, and using only one piece of Arendt's seems a bit pointless....I'll have to rethink the exhibition structure again.