Intern’s Note:
Vince Toh
Curatorial Assistant Intern for PJOC Exhibition from
Coming
from the background of landscape architecture in NUS, and having a deep
interest in the Arts such as music, dance, photography and film, I am sensitive
and curious towards the design of spaces, and often question the scope and
direction of a space when we allow the influences of other artistic mediums
influence our interpretation. When presented with the opportunity to take on
the position as a curatorial assistant under the supervision of Wardah Mohamad (Wardah), it was intriguing to explore how an empty space can be
seen as a “canvas”, and how the photography artworks for Photography Journal
Open Call (PJOC) can be curated to tell a story and to provoke a human
experience within the context of a gallery space.
This 1st edition of PJOC exhibition is realised via the intersection of curatorial practice and a spatial design approach. Through the use of Rhino 7 and Unreal Engine Twinmotion, I drafted multiple iterations of the gallery layout from start till finish, undergoing various permutations and combinations of the photography positions within the NX1 gallery. With my skillset in creating spatial mock-ups and renderings, I was able to reimagine the gallery’s visuals, thus providing the creative flexibility and accessibility in experimenting and arranging the hierarchy + flow of the photography artworks in relation to the gallery’s genius loci.
From January 2023 to May 2023, the curatorial process alongside Wardah eventually culminated in the final iteration which sees the artworks grouped collectively based on the typologies of their mediums and their respective narratives, providing a unique insight into the roles and functions that photography plays in the artists’ respective practices.
1st Draft – January to February 2023 Snippets
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2nd Draft –
March to April 2023 Snippets
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Final Draft - May 2023
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(Axonometric Diagram of PJOC in NX1 Gallery)
The entirety of the process was a thorough collaborative effort between the creators and the curators, which was a fulfilling experience as ideas and concepts were consistently bounced off each other. Like any other art forms, not one initial iteration is deemed “perfect”, and it is only through embracing the mindset of welcoming changes can the final iteration then be accomplished.
Transition from Offline to Online
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, physical visits came to halt, and that unprecedented measure led to the realisation that a strong online presence and virtual reality is a necessity. The onset of online presence can be applied to the curation of an art gallery, which directs us to rethink the presentation of an art gallery and how it can accessed online. As such, I tapped on the functionality of a Cloud based server that Unreal Engine offers, and through my 3D rendering process of PJOC, I uploaded the entire NX1 gallery for PJOC into the virtual 3D cloud so that the option of online 3D viewing of the exhibition is also available.
Link: https://twinmotion.unrealengine.com/presentation/NTnihxbY6EHpbt2Q
Physical Intervention
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One aspect of my stint as the curatorial assistant was lighting control for the photography artwork in the NX1 gallery, and this physical intervention in lighting control was an effort to ensure the artwork are adequately lit without being too overbearing. While a digital approach in curating is efficient, there are certain elements in curation that still require the physical human touch, and lighting is a minute detail that a computer cannot replicate accurately. Lighting is crucial as it provides structure and depth, hence it is able to direct and divert attention appropriately between the viewers and the artwork. As a curatorial assistant, being able to engage in physical hands on work with lighting served as a reminder that being on site and feeling the space personally is crucial and the human effort cannot be neglected, and this is a reminder that will be carried back into my pursuit as a spatial design/landscape architecture student.
Thoughts
It has been an honour as a young creative to be presented this collaborative opportunity with Wardah and the rest of the artists, as working in tandem is often the most rewarding experience given that the process itself facilitates dialogues between creation and curation. The journey of curating is also an intimate one, as I had the chance to witness up close and personal what the artworks are and what the artwork can be, while having direct interaction with the minds of the original artists. From conceptual iterations, trial and error methodologies to the final leg of the physical installation stages, the experience is rich beyond my initial expectations and the inspiration derived from being a curatorial assistant can be applied into other aspects of my creative pursuits. The process of seeing the digital iterations come into realisation is a fulfilling one, and I wish the same sense of fulfilment can be felt by the visitors when stepping into this 1st edition of PJOC.
This 1st edition of PJOC exhibition is realised via the intersection of curatorial practice and a spatial design approach. Through the use of Rhino 7 and Unreal Engine Twinmotion, I drafted multiple iterations of the gallery layout from start till finish, undergoing various permutations and combinations of the photography positions within the NX1 gallery. With my skillset in creating spatial mock-ups and renderings, I was able to reimagine the gallery’s visuals, thus providing the creative flexibility and accessibility in experimenting and arranging the hierarchy + flow of the photography artworks in relation to the gallery’s genius loci.
From January 2023 to May 2023, the curatorial process alongside Wardah eventually culminated in the final iteration which sees the artworks grouped collectively based on the typologies of their mediums and their respective narratives, providing a unique insight into the roles and functions that photography plays in the artists’ respective practices.
1st Draft – January to February 2023 Snippets
(Axonometric Diagram of PJOC in NX1 Gallery)
The entirety of the process was a thorough collaborative effort between the creators and the curators, which was a fulfilling experience as ideas and concepts were consistently bounced off each other. Like any other art forms, not one initial iteration is deemed “perfect”, and it is only through embracing the mindset of welcoming changes can the final iteration then be accomplished.
Transition from Offline to Online
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, physical visits came to halt, and that unprecedented measure led to the realisation that a strong online presence and virtual reality is a necessity. The onset of online presence can be applied to the curation of an art gallery, which directs us to rethink the presentation of an art gallery and how it can accessed online. As such, I tapped on the functionality of a Cloud based server that Unreal Engine offers, and through my 3D rendering process of PJOC, I uploaded the entire NX1 gallery for PJOC into the virtual 3D cloud so that the option of online 3D viewing of the exhibition is also available.
Link: https://twinmotion.unrealengine.com/presentation/NTnihxbY6EHpbt2Q
Physical Intervention
One aspect of my stint as the curatorial assistant was lighting control for the photography artwork in the NX1 gallery, and this physical intervention in lighting control was an effort to ensure the artwork are adequately lit without being too overbearing. While a digital approach in curating is efficient, there are certain elements in curation that still require the physical human touch, and lighting is a minute detail that a computer cannot replicate accurately. Lighting is crucial as it provides structure and depth, hence it is able to direct and divert attention appropriately between the viewers and the artwork. As a curatorial assistant, being able to engage in physical hands on work with lighting served as a reminder that being on site and feeling the space personally is crucial and the human effort cannot be neglected, and this is a reminder that will be carried back into my pursuit as a spatial design/landscape architecture student.
Thoughts
It has been an honour as a young creative to be presented this collaborative opportunity with Wardah and the rest of the artists, as working in tandem is often the most rewarding experience given that the process itself facilitates dialogues between creation and curation. The journey of curating is also an intimate one, as I had the chance to witness up close and personal what the artworks are and what the artwork can be, while having direct interaction with the minds of the original artists. From conceptual iterations, trial and error methodologies to the final leg of the physical installation stages, the experience is rich beyond my initial expectations and the inspiration derived from being a curatorial assistant can be applied into other aspects of my creative pursuits. The process of seeing the digital iterations come into realisation is a fulfilling one, and I wish the same sense of fulfilment can be felt by the visitors when stepping into this 1st edition of PJOC.