A preview of Bristol and West’s audiences
Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives
This month sees the opening of the first exhibition at the M Shed, Bristol’s newest museum for and about the people of the city. And what better artist to exhibit than one that lives in the city and documents people and life through photography, Martin Parr.
Here at Audiences South West we are very lucky to receive invitations to previews of work in and around the region. This one in particular interested me, not only because of the venue and wanting to see the gallery space, in what I think is a beautiful building in the heart of the city which everyone should visit if not just for the view, but also because Martin Parr is by far one of my all time favourite artists.
It was on arriving that I realised this preview was going to be a little different to those that I had attended recently. There was a real feeling of anticipation, excitement and eagerness from those that were attending, which had formed a crowd surrounding the museums locked doors before the official start of the event. I was really pleased to see the audience attending the event wasn’t just made up of sector professionals and artists, but there were friends of the museum and members of the general public that were sincerely interested in the exhibition and use of the space.
The exhibition was everything I had expected from Parr, a series of vibrant photographs capturing the quintessence life of the middle class from the 1980’s to the present. What was great about the exhibiting photographs was that they are off people and life in Bristol and the South West of England. Not only did this provide a strong link to the context of the museum and its collections, but it gave another layer of engagement to the audiences as they could physically relate to events, locations and people in the images. Along with the images plain English explanations and a background of the artist and work were provided with a chance for audience members to vote on their favourite image. The most voted for images will be purchased by the museum to start a collection for the city – a fantastic way to increase ownership of the venue and its collections.
The gallery was again everything I had expected. It provided breath taking views of the city and provided one large open space that had bays and walls dividing areas to create intermit spaces within the white walled room.
The event itself really did make you feel like a special guest invited to a preview, not only were the doors closed until a certain time, but Front of House staff were checking your invitation against names that had RSVP’d. It was clear that the museum had a target audience that they had invited to this event. I’d be interested to see how that changes with the different exhibitions that they show. For example, for the next exhibition ‘Norman Parkinson: An eye on fashion’, will they target members of the fashion community and local fashion retailers to attend?
It was half an hour into the event and an introduction to the exhibition was given by the curator of the space and Martin Parr himself, who mentioned how refreshing it was not have to go on a long haul flight to open an exhibition but only had to cycle 7 minutes down the road. This, along with the other aspects of the event so far gave it a real personal touch and there was clear consideration into the event and its meaning. Even though some of what I’ve mentioned may seem quite formal, it really was quite the opposite, it was welcoming, joyful and celebratory. Unfortunately I was unable to stay, but I was assured that there was going to be a celebration party in the museum’s cafe with food and music as the evening continued.
Since the M Shed opened I’ve heard mixed reviews from my peers. Personally I think the dedicated space to the history, people and culture of the city is great. It provides many of the most engaging and participatory elements of a 21st century museum with flat screen interactive points, pieces within the collection that you can manipulate and architecture that is innovative. I’m keen to see how the museum lives as the history of the city continues to grow and evolve. I’m hoping that the use of the gallery will reflect this and so far, so good.
Each time I have been (this was my third visit) the space has been jam packed full of every kind of audience member you can think of, and this preview was no exception. The gallery space adds another exciting element to the programme available at this new space. The relationship between museum, collections and the visual arts is strengthening and I look forward to seeing the evolution of the space and its programme, which I’m sure, will be developed alongside the New Expressions 2 project taking place in the region (http://www.newexpressions.org/).
The M Shed has cleverly and thematically programmed this space so far, from gifts available in the shop, to exhibiting artists and guests invited to the previews. Every element clearly works holistically together to meet the objectives of the venue and I really do hope it continues.
The Martin Parr exhibition is available until the 27th November 2011, both the exhibition and museum are free entrance. More information about the exhibition and museum can be found on the M Shed’s website – http://mshed.org/
Trackbacks