A Place Called Home

curator

kjʊ(ə)ˈreɪtə/

noun

1. a keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection.

   
   

   "the curator of drawings at the National Gallery"

   
   

   synonyms:

   custodian, keeper, conservator, guardian, caretaker, steward

   • a person who selects acts to perform at a music festival.

   
   

   
   
2. Curating a show is a different challenge than directing a short film or a documentary. The proses requires so many changes and adaptation. First is identifying what you want to display? Every cultural object have their own significance. 
3. 
   
4. A Painting is different than a cultural artefact. 
5. 
   
6. A sculpture is different than tepak sireh. 

     A keris is different than a sculpture.

( understanding the message and the medium is important ) - i suggest picking up Marshall Mcluhan's to understand this. 

with art keep expanding her boundaries, the most important issue is to gel them together in a space, at the same time working with each other? Bear in mind, curator is like any film director, must know what is the narrative, edit what is needed, discard the ones, distilling the rightful essence ( this process alone is akin to get the rough cut ).

hence we have the tedious ( never-ending ) editorial process.

The magic of every creation. 

but here, i remind myself - there is no fade in and out, no sweeping angles, but simple images cut to images. No soundtrack to amplify the support any facade of emotions. 

Your hard-cover catalogue, academic writing text serves only as an optional side dish, the main dish is the show. So forget the 1000 word wall text- audience wont have time to read. They dont need to.

We now in the age of social media, sensation fueled newsfeed that last mere minutes. Everything now is visual based. We live in the age surrounded by clickbaits attention, hashtags, creating instantaneous momentary glamour.

But again, the exhibit is for the ones who attend it. Not thru FB or a 360 video. An experience to be felt.

Most importantly - knowing that audience is intelligent enough to dissect it, knowing these is not a "syok sendiri" session.

setting up 

Most exhibit objects here have their division of challenges as it constantly requires regular reviews, each object is like an actor, playing their roles to deliver something something - an experience and most importantly resulting unto a catharsis.

17 projectors for this - no sweat

So im pretty lucky to put this unto a test by curating an upcoming show in Balai Seni Negara, a show entitled A Place Called Home. Certain paintings belongs to Balai Seni Negara is translated to gif animations for the past three years, and now all of them will presented under the same roof. How all these images associated to a place, a location - a space we called HOME.

In this case - our country, NEGARA KITA. Ours, not yours or mine. Skipping every notion of individual, recalling back the elements of US. 

Hafiz with Dzukifli Buyong's Ibu dan Anak

For years and years, i wish how favorite paintings of mine need to come alive, wink, blink to audiences to be relevant - i got my wish.I need to make audience aware that we in 2018, not 1888. Anything that is dead doesnt move. It needs an act, not a big one but subtle gestures to indicate this.

Tunku by Douglas Glass

If you want to see the gifs produced - you guys can click the link below

https://www.behance.net/gallery/53451239/Gif-Reinvention-2017-Phase-3

https://www.behance.net/gallery/35936867/Reinventions-Gifs-Volume-1

come and experience this ok. Mind you these gifs are shared through Balai's facebook as we wanted to them to share it to others too...it belongs to the rakyat, to make things continuous, we must pass the torch to others.  

Oh yea, say hello to me if you happen to see me in the gallery, no worries, i wont bite. If im not there, means im deep in the jungle, supervising talented indonesian building real HOME to the orang asal.

Aziim, myself and Hafiz - the set up costs us bloody 5 days.

and yes, please do snap a pic with Che Ali as he is the penghulu kampung. The chief, the el - kapitan. The godfather.

Che Ali by George Giles, watercolor, 1885
collection of Balai Seni Negara

I ( we ) have done what is needed, the rest belongs to the audience.

Enjoy.