Manchester Trip

Transient Space:

Themed around the idea of ‘disruption’ this projected ambient design project displayed the work of a collection of different artists and designers. Each of them created a 17 second long piece, based on the median amount of time people spend looking at a piece in a gallery. This concept and brief is very intriguing and is rooted in a fact, with a clear message to impart. There were some really visually refined and eye catching clips with bold type and dynamic graphics.

To be improved, it could be displayed in a more accessible and impactful way; firstly because of the glass roof, there was a lot of light shining through which made the projections a bit dimmer. Secondly, although the scale of the projections were large and eye catching when looking at them, being so high up , they’re less accessible, which doesn’t communicate the idea to its full potential. Ideas of alternative places they could be displayed could be digital billboards out and about in Manchester or maybe projected somewhere like a train station where there is often a high volume of people. Both of these ideas would have a lot of people walking past day in day out and perhaps not paying attention, however this would almost heighten the concept, showing that people just walk by this big eye catching projection without a second thought. If this work does indeed intend to make people more aware of whats around them, having it displayed somewhere where they would ordinarily not give much attention could make them second guess how aware they are and what they’re missing. 

Whitworth Gallery:

There were some interesting works of art being displayed at the Whitworth Gallery. A collection of work from South African artist William Kentridge was on show which amassed to a collection of large collage looking tapestries, a lot of hand drawn type and ink drawings, commonly on newspaper and some projected videos, often combined with other static pieces and sculpture, making for a more experimental, experience based piece of art. It’s interesting to draw comparisons between Kentridge’s projected video pieces and the transient space projected pieces; they were displayed in opposing scenarios, one being transient and intended to have less attention played to it, and one in a specific room in a gallery with the intention of being fully concentrated on. Kentridge’s “The Refusal of Time” was particularly impactful; with 5 projected videos, a wooden moving sculpture in the middle and a soundtrack with speakers around the room making for a surround sound immersive experience. This immersive experience was different depending on when you entered the room during the pieces 30 minute duration, with the sound and video combination either being really quite ominous, or on the other end of the spectrum quite uplifting. Ultimately it demonstrates the impact and power that live video/sound pieces of art can have. 

There were a lot of other great pieces in the gallery which appealed on an aesthetic level, these included “Bullies by Virgil Marti” and “Vues de L’Inde by Dufour et Cie”