^ Photo (Owen, 2014)
As preparation for last week’s lesson we were asked to think of something that we or others we know collect, bring in an item connected to that collection and think of what sphere that collection belonged to. My item (a mug) fitted on to both the domestic sphere – as it is an item that is displayed in the home for decorative purposes – as well as the idea of “marking time/place/ownership”. Following this categorisation of objects in to spheres, we watched a brief interview with Martin Creed concerning his performance piece “work no. 850”. On a personal level, one of the things that most stood out to me that Creed said was that “artists do not create art. They create objects.” (Creed, 2008)
This statement therefore poses the questions of what is art and who decides what can be classified as “art”. The term “art” itself is almost an umbrella term, encompassing a wide variety of forms such as paintings, sculptures and drawings, the expressive arts; dance, drama, and music as well as architectural design and so on. Art is therefore as diverse as the objects that have been created, although we tend to associate it with the classic art forms.
As for who decides “what is art?” in terms of the site we will be using for our performance, it is the curator Ashley, and his team. The “art” is carefully selected, arranged and displayed in a series of “collections” which together create “The Collection”. This process and indeed the end result ultimately means that each collection expresses its own performance within the museum and usher gallery. Therefore the performances that we create within this space will be nothing revolutionary but merely “objects” that are performed by “artists” rather than simply created and displayed.
Finally, something which I believe is an important factor to keep in mind during the process of creating this performance is detailed by Mike Pearson, who quotes Sue Palmer “it’s not just about the place but the people who normally inhabit it. For it wouldn’t exist without them” (2010).