John James Marshall thesis.pdf - OpenAIR @ RGU - Robert Gordon ...

The inverse of the previous question was asked of the practitioners. The least
popular aspect of the exhibition for these practitioners was the condition of
CityLab as a non-traditional exhibition space. This was identified by 3 (50%)
respondents. 2 (33%) participants thought the fact the exhibition was in
Lancaster and not a major metropolitan centre was the exhibition’s most
negative aspect. 1 (17%) practitioner had nothing negative to say about the
overall exhibition.
18. Many visitors to the exhibition would have liked to have seen
more technical information – what do you think?
Practitioner 1 …maybe it could be something you could opt into if you
want it, but to have it in everyone’s face might spoil the
magic
Practitioner 2 No answer.
Practitioner 3 Stuff like what software programmes can be used – I think
that could be a real starting point for many visitors. The
tools that we use which are an important part of what the
work finally becomes.
Practitioner 4 I think that in some cases it would have been nice because
the processes are really interesting and perhaps more
interesting than what was finally on show.
Practitioner 5 I’ve been to a lot of these places and it’s become like a
tradeshow and its boring now… in an art gallery, you
wouldn’t expect to see how the artist painted. Perhaps you
should see his thought process.
Practitioner 6 If done well and intelligently (but not too technical)
documentation of process can add to a work.
From the audience survey that was conducted (see section 3.5.2) it was clear
that some visitors would have liked more information on the technologies and
processes behind the works in the exhibition. The practitioners were asked
what their thoughts on this were. 4 (66%) practitioners indicated that this
contextual information would have been appropriate for some works. However,
they also pointed out that this was a means to an end and not an end in itself.
- 220 -