I recently visited the Media Lounge at the New Museum of Contemporary Art,
New York, and personally, I felt it worked reasonably well. Whilst it does
feel slightly like an adjunct or extra to the main exhibition space, its
ambience is different and the the less imposing dimensions lead to a
certain user-friendliness. It's semi-dark, and there's a seating area (with
unusual 'sausage' shaped benches which are quite comfortable) plus a more
flexible modest exhibition space. The lounge is accessed through the museum
bookshop, which is ideal, as the visitor is already in 'inquiry' or
'browse' mode. Whether this positioning was intentional or not is rather
beside the point - it seems to function well. The lounge is also free
admission, unlike the main museum exhibition space.
Whilst it can be argued that such spaces ghettoise media art, at least they
make the work accessible in a more informal setting. Some (though not all)
computer-mediated art is made to be viewed in a domestic environment, and
'lounge' spaces attempt to bridge the gap between institutional space and
domestic space. It is interesting that many of the end results resemble (at
least superficially) night clubs, also home to a particular (group
participatory) variety of digital culture.
Chris
>As an artist, I personally find the idea of exhibiting my work in a "spacy"
>"soft" "comfy" "funky" space quite intimidating. Every artist wants their work
>exhibited in a way that the presentation serves the work and not the other way
>around. Funky, cool "lounges" or "bars" might be very compelling and inviting
>to sit and hang out in, but tend to overshadow the works. It is difficult to
>give an artwork the proper semi neutral environment in a dominating place
>over-designed in order to achieve a certain "effect".
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Chris Byrne [log in to unmask]
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New Media Scotland Tel. +44 141 564 3010
P.O. Box 25065, Glasgow G1 5YP Fax. +44 141 564 3011
Scotland, UK http://www.mediascot.org
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