Monday 10 October 2016

Narrative Spaces Lecture 01: Exhibitions/Architects/Spaces

The first of our Narrative Spaces Lectures hosted by Colin Priest focused on exhibition design and in particular an exhibition hosted at the Barbican Art Gallery entitled Bauhaus: Art as Life. The architect group Carmody Groake were responsible for the design and currational process building a relationship that connected the spatial organization and juxtaposition of graphics and product in order to bring the notion of 'Bauhaus' into the context of the gallery space. 

Context of the Bauhaus: School of Design (classical Modernism) known as the 'think tank' creating an exhaustive relationship between designer and design through a process of testing and exploring within emphasis on the basic fundamentals and use of material, form and colour.

Carmody Groakes practice focuses of the design for everyday life with many currational and exhibition design projects within their portfolio. They create a dialogue between Architect/Designer/Archive.


Within the exhibition the use of narrow lines were used to create a narrative link between the products on show and the show they were displayed in, providing the audience with a natural subconscious view point (Inter-connectivity driving the connection between viewer and product). throughout the exhibition colour and tone was incorporated into the space again to drive not just a navigational sense of how to navigate through the exhibition, but to create a harmonious relationship between the colours palette used within the products. With the use of the shifting view points of line and colour the actual presentation displays remained minimal and simple which allows the viewer a multitude of views whilst navigating around.

The use of colour/object/plane creates this notion of space contracting and expanding where images of the products original environment were produce at 1:1 scale to give bring in the identity of being and belonging within the space. The architectural furniture and walls designed within the space create a transgression fold able/movable space that involves the viewer in understanding the context and thought process of the "Bauhaus". The one link throughout the exhibition is the use of black lines that creates an continuity and a dialogue that frames, guides and discusses.


The exhibition publication and the exhibition itself form a strong resemblance, as if the exhibition if a 3Dimensional presentation of the book. The exhibition has visual performative elements that make the viewer feel like they are walking through the book. Both have significantly interesting design layouts in order to support the nature of clean simplicity in both view, thought and understanding.

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