Work

Virtual Exhibition

Year: 2020

Into the concept

The concept for this exhibition is named “OOTD - Out Of The Door”. As our movement is limited during the current pandemic, this exhibition looks to bring everyone out of the walls of our homes and re-engage with exploration with this exhibition. The open-door concept, ideologically, brings back the sense of exploration to the visitors even though most of us are locked in our home.

The name also signifies our classmate uniting under this exhibition even though we are unable to meet in the classroom. When everyone of us open up to work together with our different strengths, we can make a difference to this exhibition.

Therefore, each of the archives will be summarised and placed into individual doors. With the title of the archive displaying when the cursor hovers over the door, the visitors can choose which door to enter for the details of the archive.

Reason for the concept

This concept allows the visitors to explore the archive in the order that they prefer, redefining the “walk through” limitation of a physical exhibition. It also expands the delimitation of time and geography in an online exhibition to total freedom in choosing and exploring the archives.

The decision making process of choosing an archive also, psychologically, forms a responsibility to the visitors and helps to build the personal connection between the visitors and the exhibition. The decision making can also help with delivering the take-away message to the visitors.

Because of the overwhelming information on the internet nowadays and possible distractions while exploring the exhibition, this concept offers the freedom of exploration while removing the need to finish the entire exhibition. Easily distracted in the online space and often lacking time, this method of exhibition allows the visitors to focus on some of the archives and understand the archives in depth rather than being forced to walk through the entire exhibition. And visitors can come back and pick up where they have left off anytime.

Possible shortcomings and solutions

However, due to this loose structure, the main message of the exhibition must be well defined with an extreme focus of the artefacts, stories and experiences to deliver a unified and coherent message to the visitors. The development of the main message should be one of the first and most important tasks for the exhibition concept development team.

A guiding principle should also be considered and developed to take visitors from one archive to another. Suggesting archives to read next can be added for the visitors to move from one archive to another.

Detail of executions and key precedents

A typical exhibition is already distant to the visitors without the ability to feel and touch the work. However, a virtual exhibition is even more distant through viewing in monitors. Therefore, innovative technology, such as AR, can help the viewers to better realise the clothing and reduce perceptual distance to the exhibition.

One of the key precedents in using AR in exhibitions is the KAWS, COMPANION (EXPANDED). The public exhibition uses the Acute Art’s app and its AR technology to bring virtual versions of the “Companion” figure to 11 cities around the world.

Taking inspiration from this exhibition, users can place clothing from the archive onto themselves with the use of AR. And they can share the images to their social media accounts.

Upon entering the doors, an audio guide will begin to play to explain the collections while the visitors scroll through the page. This idea was inspired by an exhibition named Fashioning Identity: Madeline Green, Gwen John and Claude Cahun to discover the in-depth history of fashion through listening and reading the article.

Extending from the audio guide concept, a podcast is also included by inviting some of the artists to discuss the process of creation. This idea echoes the Australia Centre for Contemporary Art uses of podcasts that feature artist and curator talks. The podcasts for OOTD help visitors to discover the stories behind each archive, but also encourage discussion to build a community around the exhibition.

One of the selected archives is the FDC as the archive links to the Robert Pearce archive, the Bruce Slorach/Sarah thorn archive and more. However, the insignia exhibition and the “Chances With Cathay’s Wardrobe” are also considered with their close relationship to the AR concept.