SPACE OSMOSIS: DIGITAL by Alexandra Masters

SPACE OSMOSIS An exploration of two spaces. Vol. 1.

Foreword

1] Space Osmosis Introduction

2] Retail Invades Gallery i] The New Gallery ii] The Role of The Gallery Shop

06 10

3] Gallery Invades Retail

Space Osmosis; A Visual Research Document exploring the relationship between the gallery and the retail space

This is a culmination of three tumultuous years of work that explores two spaces. Within these two spaces I have I thought, played, and purchased.

i] Dressing Up Tills ii] The New Retail

18 28

4] Flat Globes and Grotesque Plastic i] Art and Retail Go Global ii] The Problem with Plastic

34 40

5] A Space Called Public - Want to Play? i] Relational Aesthetics ii] A Playground Made with BRICS?

46 56

6] Fusion or Emulsion?

7] The Art/Retail Pendulum Introduction i] Space Formula ii] Screen, Meet Brick and Brush iii] Opening Ceremonies Grow Economies

70 74 84 96

8] Space Osmosis Revisited

108

9] Space Parameters

114

Alexandra Masters FASH30001 N0393173

i] Methodology ii] Bibliography iii] Illustrations iv] Appendix

115 116 119 121

This is my White Cube

Space Osmosis: RESEARCH

Space Osmosis Introduction Retail Invades Gallery The New Gallery The Role of The Gallery Shop “[T]he terrible thing about writing is its resemblance to painting” Phaedrus

Gallery Invades Retail The New Retail The Changing Role of Retail Flat Globes and Grotesque Plastic Art and Retail Go Global The Problem with Plastic A Space Called Public - Want to Play? Relational Aesthetics A Playground Made with BRICS? Fusion or Emulsion?

Space Osmosis Introduction

On walking into the vast, steel skeleton of contemporary art, one asks questions surrounding modern arts maturing: beautifying capitalist consumption; our fatter and flatter globe; artistic playgrounds; questionable engagement; art’s new de regueur for the masses; consumerist churches; packaged experiences; art and fashion. When Sir Nicholas Serota opened the doors to Tate Modern at the turn of the century, contemporary art zaniness and a new attitude that once simmered around the edges of art, became packaged and official; new art, for a new society, open to all (Tate Modern is 10! 2010). Tate acted as a symbol of change in society, moving from the age of Thatcherism that expressed ‘There is no such thing as society’ (Keay 1987) to a new public that swarmed into the Turbine hall to think, act, play and purchase, en masse. Margaret Thatcher ironically launched the careers of art collectors, such as the notorious Charles Saatchi, and arguably, there was a paradigm shift as students from renowned institutions created art for the art market, and not for arts sake (Franscina 2013, p. 4). Naturally, art’s inventive creations play into capitalisms hands, offering new ideas to sell as commercial goods (Perry 2013). This relationship between art and commerce is tangible, though at first fragile, complex and diaphanous. It may be argued that art needs commerce, and commerce needs art. Art once distanced itself from reality, when frames were laid out like expensive bungalows in the white cube (O’Doherty 1999, p. 29), now pieces are not always in frames, not always in white cubes, and a novelty version is sitting in the gallery shop waiting for a mantelpiece in Middle-England. When Takashi Murakami offered a pristine array of Louis Vuitton handbags at the centre of his retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA 2007), the connection between culture and commerce was grotesquely overt, both embracing and exploiting his brand of art. Art offers fashion a whole sector of intellectuals and aesthetic conscious individuals, and at the zenith of a myriad of elements sits the annual circus Frieze Art Fair, fast becoming a playground for fashion and art alike (Judah 2013b). From Frieze to Louis Vuitton, both the gallery and the retail space attract a visitor/consumer with the same aim; pursuing beauty to fill a void. This void can be furthered both by the alienation of the gallery and the need to consume ghastly plastic (James 2013), therefore experience is now seminal. A white cube no longer suffices; not gold frames lined up like expensive bungalows, nor racks of fast consumables to dress-up our shells. We require visceral playgrounds to interact, view and purchase. Like the Gutai movement prompting the redundancy of the paintbrush (Birnbaum and Obrist 2010, p. 302), stores are prompting the redundancy of the stale rail. Philosopher Alain de Botton (2013, p. 80) argues that in order to improve our wellbeing, art should enhance and add meaning in our culture of consumption; gone are the days of pure function, for we have the world-wide-web for that. Through osmosis, these two bedfellows and globalised industries are learning to use each other, in a tumultuous love affair that is growing and maturing into equilibrium.

Figure One

Retail Invades Gallery The New Gallery

The Gallery Space was once a symbol of pure elitism, whereby a few wealthy patrons decided what was worthy as art. Arguably, in the infamous words of art critic Clement Greenberg, art still is and always will be ‘tied to money by an umbilical chord of gold’ (Greenberg 1939). This gold was once in the lacquered frame, but can now be found in the gallery shop - an ever-palpable presence within a contemporary gallery. Significant developments came in 2001 when the UK government introduced free universal entrance to national museums (Miller and Vaizey 2013), and between 2001-2012 visitor numbers increased by 150%. Tate Modern alone boasted 7.75 million visitors in 2013 (Mintel 2013a). The mass bourgeois is welcomed.

Figure Two Figure Three

The increased availability of memorabilia in the gallery shop inevitably means an audience of hungry consumers will descend. Within ‘Inside the White Cube’ Brian O’Doherty (1999, p. 76) expresses that the modern gallery creates a sense of both a studio and living room, which aids the bourgeois desire of possession, as the ‘gallery is, in the end, a place to sell things – which is O.K’. This luring of the bourgeois expresses the close ties of art and society, both affecting each other. Many critics argue that a mass, bourgeois audience does not choose anything steeped in meaning to connect with, but products of cardboard, cheap and false sentimentalism (Vázquez 1973, p. 254); an insult to every purpose the gallery proudly promulgates. This mass audience can mean that the art and the museum diverge in their values and trajectories, whereby the museum goes one way and the art another. With Tate Modern’s penetration into mainstream culture, and a more egalitarian and cultured society, Wolff Olins branded Tate Modern to de-institutionalise it for everyone on the street to enjoy (Tate Modern is 10! 2010). By the very nature of being branded, art was entering a new model of commercial value. When in conversation with Sara Cluggish (2013), curator at Nottingham Contemporary, Cluggish explained that her role is to ‘push their [the artists] package’, therefore not only does she see her role as creating a narrative through display, but as a sales person too. At times, Cluggish spoke in a tone not dissimilar to that of a visual merchandiser who attracts the consumer off the street. The gallery, like the retail store, acts as a microcosm of a segment of society, meaning its model will always be scrutinised (Griffin 2010). Thus, there has been an increasing pressure for new models to be created.

Retail Invades Gallery The Role of The Gallery Shop

Sales are important, both in the artist’s original work and the form it takes within the gallery shop. In ‘Art as Therapy’ Alain de Botton states ‘Though it appears as a mere appendage to most museums, the gift shop is central to the project of art institutions. Its job is to ensure that the lessons of the museum, which concern beauty, meaning, and the enlargement of the spirit, can endure the visitor far beyond the actual tour of the premises and be put into their daily life’ (Botton 2013, p. 83). Botton sees that the retail segment supports the educational nature of the gallery, therefore regardless of whether it is cardboard or a book filled with information, it is an investment into the enduring values of the gallery. Popularity and quality don’t always align when concerned within the artist and the public’s views. Curator and critic Robert Nickas belligerently opposes the necessity of the gallery shop: ‘In recent years, the trend has been for museums to move their gift shops front and centre. You often have to pass through aisles of merchandise to get to the show. But as you are amused by the perversity of a Jackson Pollock painting turned into a one-thousand piece jigsaw puzzle, wouldn’t you rather see the painting before you buy it in novelty form? Museums now also keep score. Almost ruthlessly. A show ultimately judged as successful based on how many paying visitors come through the gate. The quality of the show itself almost never enters the picture. The numbers are the quality of the show. The Numbers are the picture’ (Nickas 2011, p. 147).

Figure Four Figure Five

Nickas’ ardent use of the word perversity is perhaps out of turn, and if a mass audience chooses to go to a gallery rather than another organised arena, it is an impressive reflection of a culturally hungry society. It is inevitable that artists may oppose the idea that their works become a plastic piece for consumption - In a mass art space, where the shop is central, perhaps sensitive artworks are underappreciated, artist Rachael Whiteread certainly felt this when filling The Turbine Hall. Whiteread spoke of a ‘lack of seriousness’, which meant the mass-viewer did not gain from viewing the art as was intended (Tate Modern is 10! 2010). It could be argued that changing models of the contemporary gallery that shift towards ‘the middleman’, a figure considered to be parasitical with an aura of mediocrity, may jar with such left-wing, serious artists (Andreasen and Bang 2011, p. 21). On the contrary, Simon Withers (2013), a Nottingham based artist who graduated at the time of the YBAs (Nicholson 2009), expressed that as far as he is concerned, the retail shop encourages people into the gallery, and a postcard stimulates a memory of that temporal experience. It allows the consumer of it to ‘buy into that culture’. Withers did however express that he would not sell his work if it were to be deemed ‘purely as a commercial transaction’, but he sees any acquisition of art a positive thing. Commerce and popularity are arguably not the aim of most artists (Perry 2013), however, if one cannot purchase the real life work, such as the gargantuan works of Rachael Whiteread, one can purchase a postcard, book or print. These retail goods, and in particular an exhibition publication, can give life to art beyond the exhibition, which is surely but a good thing (Cluggish 2013). It is said that the retail space within a contemporary gallery sits centrally, aware of its convulsive effect amongst the art world, but these merchandised goods allow the middleman, or any man, to ascend the stairs of the gallery, open the mind, and consume a postcard that entertains the soul. Without funding, these institutions would not exist, and art could not be universally enjoyed, so if making art fashionable through merchandise allows galleries to ensure a place within society, it is to be applauded. As the relationship entwines further, more contentious discussions will take place.

Figure Six

“If you look there...”

“Shall we go for coffee on the Kings Road?”

What an intriguing portrait...

WORD WORD WORD [Reading in the V&A]

Que?

I thought the kids would like it here..

I’m bored...

My wife is stil in the V&A shop....

Figure Seven

Gallery Invades Retail Dressing-up Tills

The watercolour of the relationship between art and retail is becoming increasingly hazy as the separate colours of society disseminate. The racks of commerce may be filtering into the gallery, but equally, the intellectual refinement and sensitivity of the gallery is entering the retail space. The Conran Shop [Figure Nine], a visceral playground for interiors, fashion and design, brings artistic values to the affluent consumer with a fun and light-hearted spin. Betsy Smith (2013), head Visual Merchandiser, describes how though she sources inspiration in galleries, she is clear in understanding the job she is paid to do - â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I do think there is a need sometimes, to be really inspirational in a way that will drive footfall. In being more avant-garde, The Conran Shop does so in order to increase traffic, using it as a marketing tool that will â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;encourage more sales through the tills.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Even The Conran Shop, a source of inspiration for artists, designers and interior specialists, in creating less commercial visuals, still has the sale at the forefront of their agenda. Smith makes it very clear that in creating visceral excitement, a retail space could never resemble a gallery, for that would be a showroom. The key is that the retail environment, no matter how artistically charged undoubtedly and universally requires people at the tills. Figure Eight

The commercial presence of monetary figures will always invade the commercial retail space, something the two founders of The Poundshop [Figure Ten], Sara Melin and George Wu expressed upon questioning (Melin and Wu 2013). The Poundshop is a design lead pound-shop that uses interior specialists to dress up their transformative selling spaces; their brand is the epitome of praising art and design before commerce and sales. When asked if retail spaces could ever prioritise art above sales, Wu explained ‘the bottom line is that businesses need to make money to work and unfortunately that’s how it is’, this came after The Poundshop went from filling empty high street spaces, to being commissioned by Selfridges. When entering this commercial world where targets and mass audiences are prioritised, Wu told how they learnt the hard way that producing sales is the ‘bottom line’. Figure Nine Prior to this, Wu explained that their ‘goal is always to improve the experience whilst also trying to sell [their] products’. In order to eliminate queues, herself and partner Sara place one of each item out. The space is arranged like a gallery, so the shoppers have an order form and are directed to another space to watch their selections being individually packed, which ‘enhances the experience’. Fundamentally, the duo are learning as their business gains more commercial projects, to find the fine balance of artistic values and the commercial need to sell. The commercial space is easy to disregard. Philosopher Oliver James places the name ‘Affluenza’ on the need to consume in contemporary capitalist culture (James 2007, p. 5). Consumption, James believes, is a disease. Fashion and commerce, however have a myriad of roles and responsibilities – where would the economy be without it? It must be considered, that it can be pleasurable to consume (Vestoj 2013), and is highly potent when in the art context.

Figure Ten

Gallery Invades Retail The New Retail

Imagine if the retail landscape faced Amazonisation, becoming a desolate valley of grey warehouses, with no windows and no openings, just a sole mouse with a clicker dangling in the desert of wires. The appetite of the Amazon monster certainly seems to be ‘expanding in every conceivable direction’ (Cadwalladr 2013, p. 10). The model is chilling, cold and industrial, and welcomed by a wider economy of consumers behind screens across the globe. Amazon has even started selling art, and is expanding into apparel, groceries, and everything else. Mark Constantine, co-founder of Lush stated to the Observer ‘It’s a form of piracy capitalism. They rush into people’s countries, they take the money out, and they dump it in some port of convenience. That’s not a business in any traditional sense. It’s an ugly return to a form of exploitative capitalism’ (Cadwaladr 2013, p. 11). Retail is changing, and Amazon in the online sphere is in the driving seat. Within the realm of modern art, infamous architect Rem Koolhaas made a unique proposal to The Museum of Modern Art. The proposal eliminated the curator by creating an elevator that created a personalised experience in an ‘Amazon. com-like catalogue’ so works of art could be summoned at the viewers control (Koolhaas 2010, p. 289). Koolhaas is both reacting to the new models urged for museums and the invasion of the personalised online experience that Amazon provides for retail, and now art alike. This exploration constantly returns to the problems of consumerism – satisfaction would stop consumption, which would stall economic growth (James 2007, p. 45). The consumer is changing, and anything one desires can be found online. Brent Hoberman, the co-founder of Lastminute.com explains that ‘Big shops will become brand cathedrals’ (Warman 2013), therefore, increasingly the store will be a showroom whereby the consumer can shop online in-store. The retail store will become a physical representation of the brand as a lifestyle choice, or even a religion.

Figure Eleven

Entering a retail store is predominantly a leisure choice, and not a necessity (Cheng and Yabuka 2005, p. 7). School of Life [Figure Twelve], have created a retail space that aids meaning, conversation and thought. Mary Toal, of the committee expresses that by offering classes (such as ‘How to be Make a Difference’) and getting like-minded people together in a space with meaningful commerce, School of Life are offering an experience. The commercial goods aid as a memory of that experience, and fundamentally in the stores creation, they wanted to ensure ‘It wasn’t just another bookshop that you may as well go on Amazon for’ (Toal 2013). Figure Twelve

We may carry our lives in our handheld digital devices, but the online sphere (Amazon included) need not be an obstruction, but a vehicle aiding the in-store experience. In one study (Mintel 2013b) looking at mobile shopping and showrooming 33% of the 60,000 asked used their smartphone during their shop – how can retail strategies use this? When art is scattered across the world, outside the context of the museum, without intense intellectual scrutiny, its values have a chance to be spread and retained (Botton 2013, p. 232). If the retail space is a showroom to drag the bourgeois from the screen, perhaps inserting art and meaning into a retail showroom will touch consumers by the intellectual sensitivity and selfexpression of art. Ideas such as personalised lifts and classes on creativity are assisting a shift from purpose to inspiration.

Flat Globes and Grotesque Plastic Art and Retail go Global

Figure Thirteen

Art’s avant-garde focus is conventionally against capitalism, but contemporary institutions such as Tate Modern are using that very mechanism to sell art to the masses (Tate Modern is 10! 2010). What worries Julian Stallabrass, art historian and curator, is that there is an historical flattening in affirmation of the Tate brand (Tate Modern is 10! 2010). The word ‘flat’ is pernicious in this context, and is ever recurring in the talks, writings and conversations surrounding the expansion and globalisation of art, retail and general culture. The globe is becoming a fatter, and flatter plain. Desires are global, brands are global, markets are global; retail, art and every other industry alike. Previously the West ruled, with Private Capitalism thrusting those nations into expansive economic development (Moyo 2013). Private Capitalism and Liberal Democracy are held sacrosanct within the West, but in China, along with other BRIC nations (Beattie 2013), State Capitalism and Prioritised Economic Rights are thrusting the population toward wealth and satisfaction. Power now resides in the internet, satellite broadcasting, and with multinational corporations. Power is shifting, and therefore so are we (Ashdown 2010).

Figure Fourteen

Every ‘Selfish Capitalist’ on the globe seeks wealth and beauty, therefore the acquisition of both art and fashion build a façade for the affluence concerned (James 2007, p. 123). As briefly touched upon, in his book ‘Affluenza’ Oliver James expresses the damages of consumerism, symbolised by a disease called ‘Affluenza’ whereby ‘Selfish Capitalism’ is a presumed desire by the politically powerful for the masses, as economic growth is presumed to follow (James 2007, p. xv). Despite America being the second wealthiest nation, and forty times richer than Nigeria, America is ‘the most emotionally distressed of all nations’, questionably due to the unrealistic ‘American Dream’ forced onto all its young citizens. In the English-speaking world, Thatcherism was a grim imitation of American Market Liberalism whereby every individual has perceived rights to economic successes (James 2007, p. 123). James describes ‘Marketing Characters’ who see themselves as a commodity, and dress up their ‘package’ to sell themselves, most likely a result of the ‘Selfish Capitalism’ adopted primarily by the West (James 2007, p. 43). From an artist’s perspective, reflecting on the emergence of savvy artists producing work for global markets, Simon Withers witnessed his peers, caught up in the 90’s momentum of glossy art magazines, creating art inspired by artists from San Paulo, Los Angeles and Philidelphia. The glossy magazine was a driving force ‘influencing how artists perceived how artwork needed to look for the market’ (Withers 2013). Withers saw magazines such as Art Scribe and Art Review develop from paper for pure art to a glossy for the global mass market. Through osmosis artists reacted to the glossy, packaged, global world. This transition from function to packages is universal. It originates from post Second World War society when ‘people no longer bought soap to make them clean: they bought the promise that it would make them beautiful’ (James 2007, p. 11). From then, one of the most ubiquitous forms of artistic expression comes from mass consumerist art selling products (Morris 2013, p. 270). Mass art selling commercial goods is projected across all forms of medium, across all nations and cultures; even in the land of contemporary art [See Figure Fifteen of Frieze].

Flat Globes and Grotesque Plastic The Problem with Plastic

Figure Fifteen

The lurid sense of piled merchandise expected in retail, invades Frieze Art Fair in Regents Park, London. Frieze gathers crowds of artists and galleries from across the globe to cavort around the premises with fashionable figures - it is, after all sponsored by the house of McQueen. These deals would not be made if such associations would dampen the allure of Frieze, which is ever growing in popularity (Judah 2013b). It was The Saatchi Gallery [Figure Sixteen] that began arts big un-freezing (Tate Modern is 10! 2010), the gallery that gained its finances and cultural capital after The Saatchi brothers had gained a reputation with Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative campaigns of 1979 and 1983 (Franscina 2013, p. 4). The launch of The Saatchi Gallery in 1985 was a catalyst for arts shift; art and society moved with Thatcher’s reign. The ‘Big Bang’ of the de-regulation of the financial markets, created a nouveau riche (Franscina 2013, p. 4), whereby the acquisition of art became a yuppie symbol of wealth, to go with the Ferrari and aspirational handbag (Perry 2013). In the last decade the language associated with luxury goods has come to resemble the art gallery with signatures, limited edition pieces and investment pieces used as ‘entrenched terminology’ within the fashion world (Judah 2013b). Particularly in the world of Louis Vuitton, shops are curated, or reversely of the fashion and art pendulum, exhibitions are merchandised with the Louis Vuitton handbags of Takashi Murakami’s brash statement for his 2007 retrospective at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA 2007). Either way, since the 90’s, both industries are learning to seduce and manipulate audiences with each other’s lexicon.

Figure Sixteen Figure Seventeen

Younger artists who have succumbed to the allures of the commercial world have suffered from too much of an emphasis on the product and the marketing, with the meaning and sensitivity of the work absent, leaving the artist with some temporary financial gain, but a flagging career (Judah 2013a). Yayoi Kusuma’s collaboration with Louis Vuitton [Figure Seventeen] launched in 2012 and filled the windows of Selfridges with Kusuma’s blinding and chaotic oeuvre (Kalyvides 2012). The collaboration made Kusuma a household name, and gave Vuitton kudos, that was further enhanced by an exhibition at Tate. Kusuma was mature, established and aware, like Murakami was aware of the irony when his exhibition brought the elephant out of the room; art becoming commerce (Judah 2013a). When art maturely slips into commerce, it can enhance both brand and artist into a higher sphere of beauty, intellectualism and innovation. Vuitton and Kusuma wrapped each other nicely, allowing art and commerce to align, but if too plastic or too pretentious there is a risk of alienating art or retail. Though Frieze is arguably both plastic and pretentious, and considered to represent a ‘new art world symbolised by the grotesque gorging upon investments’ (Cumming 2013, p. 25), it is a triumph of wrapping art in a fun, interactive and fashionable way; both art and fashion lovers make the pilgrimage. Despite liberal-minded grumblings, it is a symbol of all things cool and contemporary, and fashion brings ‘cash, clout and a surprising sense of civic responsibility’ (Judah 2013b).

A Space Called Public - Want to Play? Relational Aesthetics

Get Inside...

Figure Eighteen

The less real/offline communications we have, and the more isolated we are from one another, the more we require public spaces as social gatherings. Art galleries allow a crowd experience, and one to look at something in a very deep way, whilst conversing with thy neighbour (Tate Modern is 10! 2010) – ‘we individually share the museum’ (Eliasson 2010, p. 308). Tate Modern is one of Phaidon Press’s main accounts, says a representative (Anon. 2013), and though the consumer may cut-out other activities in todays economy, people still want [free] art, which is a positive message about where consumers are going to acquire books. Phaidon’s representative furthered this when discussing their distribution into retail stores like Urban Outfitters since 2008, and the recent launch of The Fashion Book with Topshop (Anon. 2013). These collaborations engage with a new demographic, and by creating an event surrounding a book’s publication within the fashion context, it creates excitement, an experience, and a memory that will allow the book to market itself, without the interference of mass art. Much like the artists of the 1990’s believing the gallery to be a medium (Birnbaum and Obrist 2010, p. 301), this placement of art books and events within the retail space, both uses the space as a medium and enhances the brand. In the 90’s, artists eschewed the object in favour of the exhibition space as an arena, pushing the parameters limits in creating offerings of film, dance, a shared meal, a social space or a place to sell things. Thus, the artists were engaging ‘directly with the vicissitudes of everyday life to offer subtle moments of transformation’ (Griffin 2010).

This extends to new designs for the gallery space, taking into account increasing visitor numbers. Architects such as Rem Koolhaas have faced rendering the museums infrastructures to allow for food courts, restaurants, shops, bookstores, etc (Koolhaas 2010, p. 288). Koolhaas has stressed the shifts to massive infrastructures can prove detrimental: ‘Well, its not so much a contrast between the contemplative and the commercial as between the contemplative space and the infrastructural space, which is demanded by the shift from a relatively small audience, to a massive one – along with mass media, mass movement, and mass expectations. At some point, the visitor numbers begin to interfere with everything a museum is supposed to do’ (Koolhaas 2010, p. 288) These shifts in space bear comparisons to elastic: flexible, expanding, tolerant, rebounding. When artists Sarah Lucas and Tracey Emin opened a shop for six months in 1993 (Tate 2009), not quite a pop-up, but where the pair sold old t-shirts and consumed vats of Vodka, people, artists and curators came to see the informal marketing ploy for the pair’s works. It is speculated that the ever forward-thinking Rei Kawakubo began this trend in retail when creating a Commes des Garcon pop-up in Berlin in 2004 (Cochrane 2010) though Commes des Garcon’s close ties with art would suggest Kawakubo was aware of shifting trends in the art space before the fashion world took off their sunglasses. The 1990’s movement gained the name ‘Relational Aesthetics’ (Bourriaud 2002), whereby, in the words of Nicolas Bourriaud, of The French Ministry of Culture ‘what matters is not so much the object of art, but people’s interaction’ (Tate Modern is 10! 2010). The ultimate example of relational art is, arguably, Olafur Eliasson’s ‘The Weather Project’ (Eliasson 2003) that filled The Turbine Hall in 2003 with a blazing orange sun. On the ceiling of the steel frame engulfed by the orange glow, was a mirror for people to lie, stare, and connect with one another by making shapes and patterns; singular and plural together (Tate Modern is 10! 2010). The Poundshop fills spaces of the increasingly desolate high street of London, Olafur Eliasson summons weather in The Turbine Hall, and Frieze fills new art in Regents Park – all to create an experience, something exciting in its temporal nature, and allows people to be a singular element of a wider collective. ‘I think the key thing is about experience, and giving the customer experience, and giving them a story or a message’ (Smith 2013)

Figure Nineteen

Figure Twenty

Figure Twenty-One

A Space Called Public - Want to Play? A Playground made with BRICS?

A palace of fun would be welcome amongst the grey industrial structures of the city… In 1960 British architect Cedric Price began planning a ‘Fun Palace’. ‘Choose what you want to do,’ Price wrote ‘or watch someone else doing it, Learn how to handle tools, paint, babies, machinery, or just listen to your favourite tune. Dance, talk, or be lifted to where you can see how other people make things work. Sit out over space with a drink and tune in to what’s happening elsewhere in the city. Try starting a riot or beginning a painting – or just lie back and stare at the sky.’ (Birnbaum and Obrist 2010, p. 302). Price’s plans may never have been realised in concrete, but the new models created for the art gallery are ever complex in infrastructure, and it is unfortunate that the liberation of the 60’s has shifted since Conservative governments. Far from Western civilisation in Japan was a movement of a heterogeneous and avant-garde nature named Gutai (Birnbaum and Obrist 2010, p. 302). Gutai began in post-war Japan in the mid-50’s whereby the paintbrush was redundant; dance, rooftops, with and for children, body art, the mail, open-air and one-day exhibitions, and Happenings all created events as and for art. Gutai (Guggenheim 2013) remains a source of inspiration today, having had a slow, but convulsive effect that lead to the unfreezing of the contemporary galleries in 90’s Britain.

Figure Twenty-Two

A ‘Fun Palace’ of sorts may have been realised in Shanghai in the form of a shopping mall. In China, it is believed that true wealth must contribute to culture, therefore China’s increasing affluence is cosmetically masked (Hing-kay 2010, p. 293). It is suggested by the founder of Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai, Oscar Ho Hing-kay that China is unfamiliar with the idea of modern and contemporary art (Hing-kay 2010, p. 293), however, a shopping mall has landed in Shanghai that has weaved modern art into its structure. K11, founded by Adrian Cheng, heir to one of Asia’s most influential families, is an ‘arts playground’ believed to be a ‘panacea to the ghost mall: a shopping mall cum-contemporary art gallery’ (Grove and Morris 2013, p. 97). Cheng designed the mall for a new shopper that doesn’t want to be coldly pushed products, but is equally environmentally aware. So, the green walls, nine-story waterfall, urban farm, rooftop gardens, and life-size sculpture of a pregnant woman by Damien Hirst (2004), all encourage steady footfall. It is a fun palace for fashion and art, that the consumer/viewer will inevitably discuss with their friends, and succeed in every retail landscapes aim - to encourage consumers to spend long periods within the space. Korean artist Jung Yeondoo said of K11 ‘The art elevated the image of the shopping mall itself. It’s still commercialism, but in an indirect way. It’s not under your nose’ (Grove and Morris 2013, p. 97]. Chengs unusual, Gutai-like approach to the retail space is a 21st century example of fusing two aesthetically concerned worlds, whist offering the consumer thought, feeling, beauty and more than a steel frame. Nature is encouraged to weave itself into the structure, and it is not just about rails of commerce, it is about experiencing an environment.

West, take note. Figure Twenty-Three

Fusion or Emulsion?

If art sticks to ‘Art’s Social Environment’ the artist is preaching to the converted (Willats 1976, p.1). If the art is removed from its context, it is presumed that it is widening its audience from the parameters of its social environment, causing new meanings to be assumed. This notion, expressed prior to the 90’s unfreezing resonates with the present and the future, for new models have and still need to be created in order to capture new ideas, new audiences and new potentials. The Optimum Model (Willats 1976, p. 8) expresses that 1) the intentions of the artist 2) the social/physical context 3) the audience, are constantly evolving and manipulating the inputs and outputs until it reaches an equilibrium to satisfy all involved. Could this model be transferred to retail to create new approaches? Within both the retail and gallery landscapes, the equilibrium is shifting towards more adventurous contexts and therefore reaching wider audiences. Both K11 Art Mall in Singapore and Tate Modern in London use their contexts to both encourage an exposure to art and retail simultaneously. However, it is more of an emulsion; the primary agenda of the context taking up most of the surface, with a scattering of references to the other. What if a harmonious fusion were created, not restricting to either or? Could a retail space offer thought and meaning equal to commerce, and could a gallery space offer lifestyle goods for the consumer, next to interesting and beautiful pieces of art? Within the lifestyle retail arena, art can be in the products and visual merchandising. Anthropologie is a store that blurs the boundaries of retail and leisure (Sender 2010) and offers artistic visceral detail in every corner of the store, from the windows, to the walls, rails and products. Within the Regents Street store [Figure Twenty-Five] there is a living wall centrally by the stairs that climbs up the three stories, then surrounding are other textural walls, with vibrant hues, boxes of trinkets and illustrations engulfing the rails of merchandise. From context to purchase, one can purchase a silk dress, a book on interiors and a painterly ceramic dining room set; improving the interior mind, exterior self and ones day-to-day surroundings. With interior decoration we are communicating messages about ourselves that words might not permit (Botton 2013, p. 48), the same could be said for a brand. The idea that the retail space is only for dressing up facades is contested, for as Phaidon Press has integrated their art books into retail spaces (Anon. 2013), and in the nature of Anthropologie, certain lifestyle stores can touch the consumer on many levels.

Figure Twenty-Four

Figure Twenty-Five

In philosopher Alain de Botton’s own and true words: ‘The true purpose of art is to create a world where art is less necessary, and less exceptional; a world where the values currently found, celebrated and fetishized in concentrated doses in the cloistered halls of museums are scattered more promiscuously across the earth.’ (Botton 2013, p. 232) Stores such as Anthropologie have almost achieved this, however, if a store so artistically charged integrated contemporary art pieces, like Damien Hirst’s sculpture that sits in K11 (Hirst 2004), a new model would be created for both art and retail, as one (Grove and Morris 2013, p. 97). Though these fusions and emulsions of the gallery and retail space are clear in their message, there will always be the white cube closing its walls in on pure art contexts. In ‘Inside the White Cube’ Brian O’Doherty (1999, p. 29) both praises the gallery space as ‘one of modernism’s triumphs’ and damns it as we ‘read’ the hanging ‘as we would gum – unconsciously through habit’. Even if we experience art in a masticated manner, it would be no different to the mass art that invades our daily lives, leaving us to believe confected wants are needs (James 2007, p. 12). Some exposure to art is better than none. The solid status of the white cube is at home in mainstream contemporary art, and it would be foolish to eliminate the pure, religious nature of it. ‘A gallery is constructed along laws as rigorous as those for building a medieval church. The outside world must not come in, so windows are usually sealed off. Walls are painted white. The ceiling becomes the source of light. The wooden floor is polished so that you click along clinically, or carpeted so that you pad soundlessly, resting the feet while the eyes have at the wall. The art is free, as the saying used to go, “to take on its own life’ (O’Doherty 2009, p. 15) Figure Twenty-Six Figure Twenty-Seven

Changes of the contexts in their purest form need not be eliminated, for the elimination of the exterior world within a gallery for more serious contemplation can offer anybody reflection if they so desire. The white cube isn’t going anywhere, like the cold retailers offering value goods in a brutal attempt to sell will always have a place for the less artistically persuaded. Artistic minds may be the focus, for one concerned with aesthetics of that nature will both enter art galleries and artistically minded stores; our personal identities (Botton 2013, p. 48), strange though it may seem are formed not just by people, but in objects, landscapes, jars or boxes. If it is true that commercial, mass art feeds contemporary capitalism, whereby cheap holidays, personal successes and love affairs are affirmed (Botton 2013, p. 62), then what if the commercial space, without removing the purpose, allowed art to infiltrate into the environment? Art Critic, Clement Greenberg, and others, have argued the value of the pure art context: ‘To prevent art’s authenticity, criticality, and life force from becoming one with advertising, propaganda, and the maw of capitalist consumerism, you need to keep art separate, pure, and involved with questions of its proscribed disciplines. Such a strategy would preserve fine art’ (Staniszewski 2011, p. 190) Greenberg was a force in the mid-20th century, but today we face a 21st century facing the force of online. Like O’Doherty deliberates about the role of the white cube, and concludes it will never go away, Greenberg today would need to leave the once cemented models of white cubes and their airs of ‘exclusive country clubs’ (O’Doherty 1999, p. 38) to face a new egalitarian, mass world where art and fashion align. The pendulum continues to swing as art and retail seek to find the equilibrium. 66

Space Osmosis faces the Art/Retail Pendulum: STRATEGY The Art/Retail Pendulum Introduction Space Formula Screen, Meet Brick and Brush Opening Ceremonies to Grow Economies Space Osmosis Revisited

The Art/Retail Pendulum Introduction

The curator is self-selecting, generally so immersed in their field that they forget an ordinary society unacquainted with magical thinking, a society that is generally secular, democratic and largely ‘the middleman’ (Botton 2013, p. 54). With the explored relationship in mind - too consumerist a space and the middleman wonders in a consumerist haze (James 2007, p. 33), but too avant-garde and the magical thinking is alienating; the pendulum is fine.

“The dead straight miles by stealing flat-faced trolleys, Push through plate-glass swing doors to their desires – Cheap suits, red kitchen-ware, sharp shoes, iced lollies, Electric mixers, toasters, washers, driers –

The previous research document concerns itself with the relationship of [public] space, exploring the changes in its maturation. The following strategies look at the future surrounding: new models to approach the retail space, the integration of technologies to engage and directly inserting art into the retail space informed by the individual brands personalities. This is a concrete age where [steel] structures and [mass] people have smooth and shiny frontages; in reality we, and the world we live in are multi-layered and multi-faceted. Therefore approaches must look away from referring to a mass, swarming public, and to pushing parameters of space and society.

A cut-price crowd, urban yet simple…” ‘Here’ by Philip Larkin (Larkin 1964, p. 3)

‘But regardless of method, we all strive to attain the same goal: individual freedom, independent thinking, and individual consciousness. This is the path to a healthy society’ (Weiwei 2012, p. 20) Society is sculpted by the images and environments creative classes create, responsible for ensuring all facets and perspectives are conveyed. When a visual merchandiser or curator promotes the individual in a similar vein to Ai Weiwei, through involving the audience with the many facets of beauty, thought and feeling, the power of semiotics will resonate through every layer. This exploration was initiated with the steely facts that online sales are constantly increasing – 16% in 2013 (Mintel 2013c), and that reports on e-commerce have noted that showrooming has been ‘based on a simplistic view of online shopping that does not reflect the multichannel world’ (Mintel 2013d) therefore it is not a binary distinction of online vs. offline, as explored in Mintel’s E-commerce report from July 2013, or even gallery vs. retail, it is understanding this world of ‘multi’.

The artistically concerned may wince at Larkin’s cynical, declarative words on commercial life, however from one’s own pockets, to the economies, to the globe, financial circulation ensures the world goes around; a Selfish Capitalists acceptance is a Liberal’s fury. It is a contentious issue that will never cease. Art and retail offer every persuasion something different, increasingly, both involve beauty and funds in this multi-channel world.

Space Formula

It is easy for figures within the arts to feel uncomfortable surrounding the successes of museums run like global corporations (Birnbaum and Obrist 2010, p. 305), particularly when artists, such as Simon Wither speculate that it is possible we will get to the day where there is ‘actually no difference between a Walmart shop, Asda and the Tate Gallery, perhaps they already are closer together’ (Withers 2013). Museums have altered their purpose, from educating citizens to becoming a site of entertainment. This is a disparaging age, where goods and services are not answering human needs and desires, but demonstrate businesses seeing what they can get away with (Botton 2013, p. 178). This is the age of the blockbuster show. One exhibition that was far from the white cube, and typifies the exhibition’s de rigueur was ‘Hello, my name is Paul Smith’ at The Design Museum (2013). The displays reflected the playful fashion designer Paul Smith’s life and career. There was no chance of compromising the contents seriousness, like the voiced concerns of Rachel Whiteread when her works filled The Turbine Hall (Tate Modern is 10! 2010). It was a ‘fun palace’ [Figure Twenty-Nine] with rooms of screens, models of Paul to Instagram, and sets of Paul’s offices and shops. It was fun and engaging. Furthermore, the merchandise, was filled with fun and humorous goods to take home as a memoir. Smith’s voice resonated across the walls - most appropriately ‘I hate shops that all look the same – I love individuality’.

Figure Twenty-Eight

Paul Smithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shops are individual, designed specifically for the space, much like curator Sara Cluggish (2013) explained how she approached organising art; its all about the individual space. A public space concerned with endorsing a brand [the new shop] or artist must look beyond rails and whitewashed walls, such as the Paul Smith exhibition demonstrates. Olafur Eliasson expressed that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a radical museum helps generate an intense feeling in its visitors, based on the coexistence (rather than the polarization) of individual and collective perceptions. Museums are uniquely capable of addressing us on a highly intimate and personal level that nevertheless resonates collectivelyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (Eliasson 2010, p. 309). The future of public spaces may concern themselves with more radical thinking in order to offer a shared experience on an intimate level.

Figure Twenty-Nine Radical adj.

- Extreme change from accepted or traditional forms.

In order to further intertwine the retail and gallery space, new models need to be made from pre-existing formulas. More widely, the whole formula of the city landscape is changing. Miami is a developing city with its formulas increasingly scrutinised since the unveiling of the Pérez Art Museum. ‘At times, Miami seems to be following the London formula’ writes Rowan Moore of the Observer ‘property speculation + contemporary art + restaurant boom + cultural diversity = dynamic world city’ (Moore 2013, p. 16). As an affluent city of West Coast America, it is inevitable that investments move to indulgencies and ostensible statements of wealth. When considering new models of space, the wider landscape must also be considered. Figure Thirty

The speculation is relentless surrounding ‘the future’, and within Monocle Magazine’s Retail Special Tom Morris writes ‘bricks and mortar are more important than ever for the future of retail’ but rather than urge the shopping mall model, as that of K11, the publication draws on the need to return to ‘the traditional shopping precinct – outdoor mixed-use retail centres’ or more directly ‘a pleasant shopping precinct is the melting pot that binds a community together. So why do we hide them in stuffy impersonal indoor malls?’ (Grove and Morris 2013, p. 106). The interconnected model named ‘Midori Lanes’ is stated to allow for ‘a powerful forum for conveying a brands values’ (Grove and Morris 2013, p. 106), vital with the emergence of ‘brand cathedrals’ (Warman 2013). Midori Lanes [see Figure Thirty-One] consists of using authentic material, mixing young and old, mixed open spaces, an orientation around café’s - a structure similar to Brighton Lanes. Monocle’s utopian ideas are not dissimilar to the plans in place for the Battersea Power Station development due for completion in 2024. The Chief Executive of Battersea Power Station redevelopment, Rob Tincknell, has stressed that high street shopping needs to evolve to not just offer a variety of shops – ‘that means shops, cafes, galleries and restaurants side by side framed with architecture’ (Warman 2013, p. 8). Perhaps it is feared that there will be a merging of space, but ‘anyway’ says Tincknell, ‘showrooming’ is here to stay: ‘Shops themselves will need to evolve to serve a generation of customers who may well visit a shop in order to experience a product – but ultimately will transact online’ (Warman 2013, p. 8).

Figure Thirty-One 80

With these new developments of 2024 in mind, this may be where the Optimum Model (Willats 1976, p. 8) may be revisited from its original art and social environment to the artistically charged retail space and social environment [See Figure Thirty-Two].

The Original Optimum Model, 1976: The Intentions of the Artist – The Social/Physical Context – The Audience

The Retail Showroom Model, 2013:

‘The store environment is more important than ever’ says another report from retail analysts at Mintel, with three fifths of women asked stating that the in-store environment affected where they purchased goods. Stores must excel in ‘layout, merchandise and innovation’ (Sender 2013). If more stores consider new radical approaches to the store, appropriate to their own identities, and with an awareness of the multi-channel world, even the click-and-collect consumer may stop, look, and purchase. Click-and-collect is an ever expanding channel – in the instance of John Lewis, it accounts for one third of online sales and 8% of general sales (Knight 2013).

The Intentions of the Lifestyle Brand – The Social/Physical Context in which the Product would be Forwarded – The Consumer to which the Product would be Presented – The Consumer’s Engagement and Purchase Decisions

The Arts Orientated Retail Store Model, 2013:

If this model is applied to relevant retail stores in future developments, such as Battersea, the retail space could compliment the new, open and interconnected environments. Therefore, the store, the architecture and the landscape will become a stimulating and rewarding place to visit. Architect Frank Gehry declares ‘You accept ugly cities but complain if we do something special’ (Warman 2013, p. 8), well perhaps it is time we stopped complaining and allowed art to act as the foundation of our structures.

An Avant-Garde Retail Store – An Arts Orientated Space with Artist’s Works on Display – A ‘Seeker of the New’ Consumer – The Consumers Engagements with the conveyed Story and Purchase of Item

Figure Thirty-Two

Screen, Meet Brick and Brush

“Take a photo of me under a boulder”

One would guess, at this point reading through the document that a handheld device has been glanced at, the very least (or, as a writer would hope, the reader has been otherwise engaged). Looking deeper into one key reason new models are required for space, as Tincknell says, is the power of technology (Warman 2013, p. 8). In philosopher and computer scientist Jaron Lanier’s book ‘Who Owns the Future?’ Lanier (2013) explores the digital revolution in how it concentrates wealth, reduces growth, and challenges the livelihoods of an everincreasing number of people. Lanier questions the statement of Selfish Capitalism explored in the research document - ‘As the protections of the middle class disappear, washed away by a crisis in capitalism, what is being left in their place? And what else could replace them?’ (Lanier 2013, p. i). Technology is surfacing new facets for our perceived personalities, and enhancing a need to pursue beauty in an age where everything is validated with a photograph.

Another one...

Lanier, also points to Moore’s Law, which explains the rapid acceleration of computer chips and therefore technologies. Moore’s Law demonstrates how ‘yesterday’s unattainable camera becomes just one of today’s throwaway features on a phone’ (Lanier 2013, p. 6). Phones cannot be ignored as a variable that alters an audience’s behaviour in both the gallery and retail space.

Figure Thirty-Three Figure Thirty-Four

This is where the fear of ‘Amazonisation’ of Chapter 3 can be utilised within the gallery and retail space. For in this ‘impulse economy’ it can confidently be presumed that the mass audience both will be holding a handheld device and will readily consume. IBM retail now regards ‘the consumer with their mobile phone’ as one measurable instrument (Schwartz 2010, p. 11). ‘Mobile is entering the in-store environment at a time when our idea of the store is changing dramatically. As we stroll, head bent, nose-to-screen, down bustling streets and navigate the store aisle using peripheral vision, is the pone homunculus guiding our shopping behaviour, or is it a distraction, interrupting the design and role of the store?’ (Schwartz 2010, p. 11) Even artist Simon Withers spoke of his observations when on site at Nottingham Contemporary, where audiences spend just as long looking at the works on their i-phones as they do with their retina’s (Withers 2013). How does this affect the future strategies when considering the gallery and retail space? What is she looking at?

Already, there are projects in the gallery space to integrate QR codes to encourage monetary transactions, not in the shop, but to sit aside the artwork. William Makower, from National Funding Scheme for the Arts spoke of using the viewer with the handheld device to gain funding for arts institutions, and ‘get lots of people to give small amounts’ (Makower 2012). The crux of it is that you need to target audiences when their emotions are heightened. This will be available increasingly in 2014 for people to be able to use their handheld devices to spend money in the gallery, not on plastic or novelty goods, but on arts funding. This method is a direct way of encouraging an audience to invest in art that emotionally moves them - a rewarding monetary transaction. The currently dull information plaque [Figure Thirty-Five] is an obvious area to target, for not only is art increasingly conceptual, but as demonstrated, it is a way to engage a viewer at their most emotionally heightened (Makower 2012). Art, unlike retail, can provoke emotions and balance the soul to connect with real values, as opposed to superficial ones (Botton 2013, p. 33). This could also transfer to retail for the information tags on items of clothes. When in conversation with the Store Manager Dorothy Burns and Visual Merchandiser Shawana Grosvenor of Opening Ceremony’s Covent Garden store, both figures stressed the importance of Opening Ceremony’s environment and how the clothing tells a story (Burns and Grosvenor 2013). It may particularly work well with this technology. The ‘Fashions for Men’ collection by Yoko Ono featured boots with incense sticks on the toes - just one of a multitude of the avant-garde creations. In the very nature of their displays [Figure Thirty-Six], Visual Merchandiser Shawana Grosvenor explained, like the hats displayed on cacti in their typical fun nature, the imagination is fuelled. In allowing an interactive label the consumer could view a story behind the item or garment as a new way to engage in the bricks and mortar store [Figure Thirty-Seven].

Figure Thirty-Five

Figure Thirty-Six

Problems in the world are so readily brought to our attention, that we need new tools to preserve hopeful dispositions (Botton 2013, p. 16), therefore, in inserting art into the items [labels], and taking an abstract idea to give it a palpable purpose, art is assuming value within the retail space (Botton 2013, p. 218). Increasingly digital and physical are working together, and within publishing, magazines such as ‘Because’ are allowing the reader to scan flat images from an editorial that load a video of the shoot. If one gets more [artistically charged] content for their purchases be it in a printed magazine or garment it adds perceived value for the consumer. Even the bricks and mortar that hold such publications need to become a brand, a Phaidon representative explained, that people want something to associate with, and ‘everybody’ wants an experience and a memory to discuss on social media (Anon. 2013). This leads to free advertising for the brand, in this case Opening Ceremony. Nothing is singular anymore.

Patricia is made of electric pink satin, and proven to be of exceptional use on bad hair days...

Figure Thirty-Seven

Phillipe is as yellow as the sun in St. Tropez, and made of felt. He only drinks Kir Royales ....

Figure Thirty-Eight

Opening Ceremonies to Grow Economies

A retail store of the future will not be able to afford to sit sluggishly, inert, cold and functional. To follow on from new models and bringing the information label to life, there also needs to be a move to directly insert art within the space. The space is after all, with the help of the online sphere, becoming a brand cathedral, showroom…gallery.

Our Values, Our Spirit, Our Feelings

‘A flagship store is a showcase,’ says Jean Cassegrain ‘It symbolises our world. You are in contact with what we communicate: service, colour, experience, our values, our spirit, our feelings’ (Cassegrain 2013). Cassegrain’s words are relevant to the future models of ‘brand cathedrals’ that must herald evoking artistic values for a consumer that seeks the new. The stress on ‘our values, our spirit, our feelings’ resonates with roles closer to art and religion; now retail. It is not a cold push, it is a relationship, like Cassegrain’s repetition of the word ‘our’ suggests. Through integrating art and collaborations to engage with the consumer, more emotional connections will be made, creating potentials for more ‘real’ relationships to be formed between brand and consumer. Before cementing strategies that do just so, there are other elements that use art in an indirect way. For instance, connecting the content-inside-outside is viscerally pleasing, as Figure Thirty-Nine of Dover Street Market demonstrates. It creates a strong connection of the garment to its landscape that the e or m-commerce could not convey. Returning to Opening Ceremony, their touches [Figure Thirty Six and Forty], such as the hats on cacti and ice cream seats, create a surreal Dali-like atmosphere, complimenting the consumer that ‘seeks the new’. Burns and Grosvenor both stressed the importance of Opening Ceremony’s continuous collaborations with artists. Grosvenor emphasised that they ‘curate’ the store (Burns and Grosvenor 2013). Currently Robert Storey’s work is in situ, alongside fixtures by Studio Toogood [Figure Forty]. When asked about the future of Opening Ceremony’s retail spaces, Burns agreed that the store will ‘better facilitate experiences’, as well as more space, more engagement, and fundamentally, they ‘definitely’ want to further their relationships with artists (Burns and Grosvenor 2013).

Figure Thirty-Nine (Above)

Figure Forty

Collaborations between gallery and retail spaces are becoming increasingly vital; Opening Ceremony understands this. The role of art has changed, and ‘no longer exists as it once did’ art critic John Berger explains in his much-discussed book ‘Ways of Seeing’, for ‘Its authority is lost. In its place there is a language of images. What matters now is who uses that language for what purpose’ (Berger 2008, p. 33).

Figure Forty-One Figure Forty-Two

Within the retail context, the language of images that art provides is used to ensure bricks and mortar offer people a social, valuable and rewarding space to think, act, play and purchase. To directly insert art within the retail context is to do the reverse of Takashi Murakami, or take the model of the K11 mall in Singapore, and create a micro-version within the individual store that enhances the brand’s values. As mentioned in Chapter 6, Anthropologie’s brand identity suggests the store to be an ideal candidate, however it is also worth experimenting with & Other Stories, a store too contemporary and ‘curated’ to ignore. Hennes and Mauritz’s older sister launched in London in March 2013, aimed at a women that is used to shopping online, and having a mix-andmatch approach to dressing (Wang 2013). Encouraging women to create their own story from the collection, the store is described as ‘H&M’s take on a lifestyle store, much like Anthropologie with displays that integrate beauty products and accessories along with clothing’ (Wang 2013). It is also a store that encourages women to dress themselves individually, aiming for beauty, as opposed to a look enforced by a visual merchandiser [a certain amount of this in the context will naturally occur].

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Although, It may seem a natural move to introduce new artists, in Hettie Judah’s (2013b) article on artist collaborations, it was noted that only artists already respected within the industry can survive the claws of fashion, name in tact - most notably mentioned, Yayoi Kusuma and Louis Vuitton. Therefore, as Olafur Eliasson’s ‘The Weather Project’ (Eliasson 2003) was such a symbolic change in art and relational aesthetics, it seems the most fitting example of a strategy aimed for a change within retail. Scandinavian brand meets a Scandinavian artist seems ideal, however in experimenting [See Forty-Five and Forty-Six] with both stores situated in Regent’s Street, Anthropologie works better, practically.

Figure Forty-Three Figure Forty-Four

Figures Forty-Five and Forty-Six pictures a segment of the Regents Street stores whereby one wall has been replaced by the artists work - The Weather Project (Eliasson 2003). Consumers may try on an amber crushed velvet dress in the warm sunny hues of Eliasson’s sun; aimed to act as a catalyst of change. A piece that once filled one of the most contemporary, of contemporary galleries now fills the most contemporary, of contemporary retail stores. ‘Art peels away our shell and saves us from out spoilt, habitual disregard for what is around us. We recover sensitivity; we look at the old in new ways. We are prevented from assuming that novelty and glamour are the only solutions’ (Botton 2013, p. 65) In this new story, much like Ai Weiwei encouraged the ‘individual’ to be the path to a healthy society, in using this strategy, Anthropologie + Olafur Eliasson has the potential to be the path for a healthy high street.

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Figure Forty-Five

Figure Forty-Six

Space Osmosis Revisited

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Art is at a point where the difference between the outside world, the gallery and the retail space is five million meters of plate glass window; blurring into conflation (Withers 2013). The art gallery in Nottingham Primary has a red brick structure of an old school, and is open to all. It is everything that a white cube space is not [Figures Forty-Seven]. Artist Simon Withers (2013) spoke of a story whereby a collector was interested in his work, but after months of negotiations, he spent one million pounds, including on an Andy Warhol. On the word of the collectors financiers advisor, he did not buy Withers work, but he told the gallery that Withers piece was his favourite of all. Ultimately, the collector was affected by capitalist values and fashion over what he thought was beautiful.

Figure Forty-Seven

One could not ask for a stronger confirmation that people need art, than that today thousands of masterpieces are appreciated everyday; unthinkable in previous centuries (Grove and Morris 2013, p. 264). Be they on the street peripherally consumed, in the retail space, or in the contemporary or white cube gallery. Gutai values are seeping further into our culture whereby most spaces are multipurpose arenas, and the temporal nature of the ‘pop-up’ has long been a reaction to empty spaces and a commercial world of global franchises. 78% of Tate’s annual income from 2012/13 came from self-generated income of their £157.8 millions pound total, therefore despite the non-existent entry fee (Mintel 2013e), fundraising, the retail space and exhibition entry all grow in importance. We need art, and we need retail, speaking both as a society and economy whereby the parameters of the public space allows the walls to be permeated by the street (Birnbaum and Obrist 2010, p. 302). As the landscape of public spaces change where pure function is redundant, and the online sphere grows in power to create a multi-channelled and multi-faceted world, the visual merchandiser/curator is more important than ever. Public spaces, whatever their once cemented trajectories, are open to new purposes for a mass bourgeois audience. New retail, for a new society, open to all.

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Figure Forty-Eight

SPACE PARAMETERS

Methodology Bibliography Illustrations Appendix

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Space Parameters Methodology London/Nottingham

Space Parameters Bibliography

Summary Initially, the exploration sought a naïve pondering that retail in general required an artistic eye to form a rewarding space, and that art could solve the cold value retail environment. The catalyst of change came from talking with figures within the industry. Without discussing ideas and opinions, the exploration would only have been fit for the page. I discovered that spaces differ in purpose, and geared the research towards the lifestyle/artistically charged retail environment. The retail space ultimately needs to sell.

Andreasen, S., Bang, L., 2011. The Middlemen:Beginning to Talk About Mediation. In: O’Neil, P., ed. 2011. Curating Subjects. 2nd ed. London: Open Editions/de Appel, pp. 20-30.

Primary Research Trips

Ashdown, P., 2011. The Global Power Shift. [Online Video] TED Talks, December 2011. Available at: http://www.ted.com/playlists/73/the_global_power_shift.html [Accessed: 10th November 2013].

Research trips far exceed the value of hiding away in books. Though books form an academic voice and aid knowledge of history, in order to create informed strategies and discussions of both the gallery and retail landscape now, by venturing out, taking images, and talking to people, a clear and true image of the landscape can be formed (See ‘Planned Research Trips’). Primary Photographs Continuously from October to December I carried a film camera around with me in order to accumulate a good body of images to visually communicate my research and support my body of writing. Images both assist my message and my forming of ideas, moreover using the same camera gives a consistent aesthetic.

Anon., 2013. Publisher, Phaidon Press: Interview with Alexandra Masters and Rebecca Davies, London, 21st November 2013.

Beattie, A. 2013. Definition of BRIC. [Online] Financial Times Lexicon. Available at: http:/lexicon.ft.com/term?term=bric [Accessed: 10th November 2013]. Berger, J., 2008. Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin Classics. Birnbaum, D., Obrist, H., 2010. Museums on the Move. In: The Museum Revisited. Art Forum, Summer 2010, pp. 302-305. Botton, A., 2013. Art as Therapy. London: Phaidon Press Limited.

Primary Illustrations

Bourriaud, N., 2002. Relational Aesthetics. Paris: Presses du reel.

In order to get a sense of both environments, I ethnographically sat and sketched both retail and gallery spaces, looking at the way consumers and viewers interacted with the space and each other. The locations I visited to illustrate were as follows - Tate Modern 13/12/2013, The Conran Shop 17/12/2013, The Saatchi Gallery 16/12/2013, The Victoria & Albert Museum 15/12/2013.

Burns, D., Grosvenor, S., 2013. Store Manager and Visual Merchandiser, Opening Ceremony. Interview with Alexandra Masters and Rebecca Davies, London, 12th December 2013.

Primary Conversations

Cadwalladr, C., 2013. Life Inside the Amazon Machine. The Observer, New Review Supplement, 1st December 2013, pp. 10-11.

Initially, I wanted to know how both the Visual Merchandiser and Curator used and created spaces – how do their roles differ? In talking to both I formed an understanding of their approaches to space. I furthered this in talking to an artist, publisher, entrepreneurs, and a store manager so as to create a wider perspective. Every conversation offered invaluable insight. My key questioning surrounded space, the relevant industry, the importance of art and the importance of monetary figures (See Transcripts).

Cassegrain, J., 2013. Reinventing Retail. Monocle, October 2013, p. 95.

Secondary Listening

Cochrane, K., 2010. Why Pop-Ups are Everywhere. [Online] The Guardian, 12th October 2010. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/12/pop-up-temporary-shops-restaurants [Accessed: 9th December 2013].

The radio, although whispering in the background during research, proved a key source. Grayson Perry’s Reith Lectures on Radio Four were fascinating. Radio Four in general offered various relevant discussions, such as one concerning the issues with the consumerism of Christmas. Secondary Reading Philosophers and theorists offer deep thought on the subject, and this can greatly differ from reports that look purely quantitatively at industries. Alain du Botten’s work surrounding art in Art as Therapy (2013) and Oliver James’s work surrounding consumerism in Affluenza (2007) were particularly engaging.

Primary Planned Research Trips: 01/10/13 – The Guardian talk on writing with Jay Rayner, London 19/10/13 – Frieze Art Fair and Monocle Shop, London 23/10/13 – Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham 25/10/13 – Liberty, Opening Ceremony, National Galleries, Anthropologie 29/10/13 – Conversation with Betsy Smith, Visual Merchandiser at The Conran Shop, Chelsea 30/10/13 – Phone Conversation with Sara Cluggish, Curator at Nottingham Contemporary 31/10/13 – Conversation with Mary Toal, School of Life 07/11/13 – The Poundshop, Broadway Cinema, talk with George Wu and Sarah Mellin, Nottingham 15/11/13 – Conversation with Fine Art Students, Nottingham 21/11/13 – Paul Smith at Design Museum, CDG Market Market, Tate, Conversation with Phaidon Press, Louis Vuitton Townhouse at Selfridges 29/11/13 – Primary Gallery open studios, Nottingham 31/11/13 - Conversation with Simon Withers, artist at Primary 12/12/13 – Poundshop at KK Outlet, Conversation with Dorothy Burns at Opening Ceremony, Dover Street Market –London 14/12/13 – One week’s work with both visual and retail team at The Conran Shop 16/12/13 – The Saatchi Gallery, Images 18/12/13 – The Victoria and Albert Museum

Cheng, K., Yabuka, N., 2005. Hip Interiors: Shops and Showrooms. Singapore: Page One Publishing Private. Cluggish, S., 2013. Curator, Nottingham Contemporary. Interview with Alexandra Masters, Nottingham, 21st October 2013.

Cumming, L., 2013. Where the Message is the Medium. The Observer, New Review Supplement, 10th November 2013. Design Museum, 2013. Hello, my name is Paul Smith. [Exhibition] London, Design Museum, 15th November 2013 – 09th March 2014. Eliasson, O., 2003. The Weather Project. [Installation] Tate Modern, London, 16th October 2003 - 21st March 2004. Eliasson, O., 2010. Olafur Eliasson: Artist, Berlin. In: The Museum Revisited. Art Forum, Summer 2010, pp. 308-309. Franscina, F., 2013. THATCHER: The Legacy. Art Monthly, June 2013, pp. 4-7. Gehry, F., 2013. You accept ugly cities but complain if we do something special. The Times, Arts Supplement, 13th November 2013. Greenberg, C., 1939. Avant-garde and Kitsch. Partisan Review, 6 (5), pp. 34-49. Griffin, T., 2010. The Museum Revisited. In: The Museum Revisited. Art Forum, Summer 2010, p. 47. Grove, S., Morris, T., 2013. Know your market – meet the players who are reinventing retail. Monocle, October 2013, pp. 97-106. Guggenheim, 2013. Gutai: Splendid Playground. [Exhibition] New York, Guggenheim Museum, 15th February - 8th May 2013. Hing-Kay, O. 2010. Oscar Ho Hing-Kay: Founding Director, Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai. In: The Museum Revisited. Art Forum, Summer 2010, p. 293. Hirst, D., 2004. Wretched War. [Sculpture] K11 Shopping Mall, Shanghai. James, O., 2007. Affluenza. London: Vermillion. James, O., 2013. Are children given too many toys? [Radio] BBC Radio 4, Women’s Hour, 13th November 2013. Judah, H., 2013a. Inside an Artist Collaboration. [Online] The Business of Fashion. Available at: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2013/12/inside-anartistcollaboration.html [Accessed 5th December 2013]. Judah, H., 2013b. Fashion’s Art Fair Love Affair. [Online] The Business of Fashion. Available at: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2013/12/art-baselmiami-beach-fashions-art-fair-love-affair.html [Accessed 3rd December 2013].

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Tate, 2009. Tracey Emin discusses The Shop. [Video] Tate Talks and Lectures. Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/video/tracey-emindiscusses-shop [Accessed 10th November 2013]. Tate Modern is 10!, 2010. [TV] BBC Two, 25th May 2010. Toal, M., 2013. Manager, The School of Life. Interview with Alexandra Masters, London, 29th October 2013. Vázquez, A., 1973. Art and Society: Essays in Marxist Aesthetics. 3rd ed. London: Monthly Review Press.

La Ferla, R., 2007. The Artist’s Fall Collection. [Online] The New York Times, 8th November 2007. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/ fashion/08ART.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 [Accessed 11th November 2013].

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Wang, L. ,2013. H&M’s New Story. [Online] The Business of Fashion. Available at: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2013/03/retail-recon-hms-newstory.html [Accessed 30th December 2013].

Larkin, P., 1964. The Whitsun Weddings. London: Faber and Faber Limited. Makower, W., 2012. Digital Meets Physical. [Online Video] Culture Label, 6th November 2013. Available at: http://www.culturelabel.com/remix/ videos/2012-london/remix-panel-digital-meets-physical-part-one [Accessed 29th December]. Melin, S., Wu, G., 2013. The Pound Shop. [Lecture] Broadway Cinema, Nottingham, 7th November 2013. Miller, M. and Vaizey, E., 2013. Maintaining world-leading national museums and galleries, and supporting the museum sector. [Online] Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/maintaining-world-leading-national-museums-and-galleries-andsupporting-the-museum-sector [Accessed 4th January 2013].

Warman, M., 2013. The future of shopping: from high street to i-Street. [Online] The Telegraph. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/ news/9821702/The-future-of-shopping-from-high-street-to-iStreet.html [Accessed 30th October 2013]. Weiwei, A. 2012. Weiwei-isms. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Willats, S., 1976. Art and Social Function: Three Projects. London: Latimer New Dimensions Limited. Withers, S., 2013. Artist and Curator, Primary Gallery and Nottingham Contemporary: Interview with Alexandra Masters, Nottingham, 1st December 2013.

Mintel, 2013a. Visitor Attraction – UK – December 2013. [Online] Mintel. Available [Paywalled] at: Mintel.com [Accessed 4th January 2014]. Mintel, 2013b. Shoppers prefer mobile devices for showrooming. [Online] Mintel.com Available [Paywalled] at: Mintel.com [Accessed 4th January 2014]. Mintel, 2013c. Online Sales Increase. [Online] Mintel. Available [Paywalled] at: Mintel.com [Accessed 290th December 2013] Mintel, 2013d. Showrooming: the red herring in e-commerce. [Online] Mintel. Available [Paywalled] at: Mintel.com [Accessed 9th December 2013]

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Mintel, 2013e. 2013. Visitor Attractions – UK – December 2013. [Online] Mintel. Available [Paywalled] at: Mintel.com [Accessed 29th December 2013]

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MOCA, 2007. © MURAKAMI. [Exhibition] The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 29th October 2007 - 11th February 2008.

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Fields, J., 2007. Meeting the man behind Moore’s Law. [Online] BBC. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7080646.stm [Accessed 8th January 2014].

Morris, D., 2013. The Artistic Ape. London: Red Lemon Press Limited. Moyo, D., 2013. Is China the New Idol for Emerging Economies? [Online Video] TED Talks, June 2013. Available at: http://www.ted.com/talks/dambisa_moyo_is_china_the_new_idol_for_emerging_economies.html [Accessed 10th November 2013]. Nicholson, O., 2009. Young British Artists. [Online] Museum of Modern Art. Available at: http://www.moma.org/collection/theme.php?theme_id=10220 [Accessed 2nd December 2013]. Nickas, R., 2011. To be Read (Once Every Two Years). In: O’Neil, P., ed., 2011. Curating Subjects. 2nd ed. London: Open Editions/de Appel, pp. 143-147.

Flintoff, J-P., 2012. How to Change the World. London: Macmillan Harrison, C., Wood, P., eds., 2000. Art in Theory, 1900-2000; An Anthology of changing ideas. London: Blackwell Publishing. Hopkinson, R., 2013. Elmgreen & Dragset make themselves at home. The Art Newspaper, Frieze Art Fair, Weekend Edition, 18th October 2013. Imagine: Who Cares About Art?, 2008. [TV] BBC Two, 27th September 2008. Kearton, N., 1997. Curating the contemporary art museum and beyond. Art and Design, 12 (½).

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Moore, R., 2013. Caruso St. John: We’re so bored with things that are tasteful. The Observer, New Review Supplement, 17th November 2013, p. 30.

Perry, G. 2013. Reith Lecture 3: Nice Rebellion, Welcome In!. [Radio] BBC Radio 4, 29th October 2013.

Paul Smith – These are a few of my favourite things, 2013. On: The Culture Show, 2013. [TV] BBC Two, 20th November 2013.

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Perry, G. 2013a. Reith Lecture 1: Democracy Has Bad Taste. [Radio] BBC Radio 4, 15th October 2013.

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Staniszewski, M., 2011. Grand Illusions: The ‘New’ Museum of Modern Art. In: O’Neil, P., ed. Curating Subjects. 2nd ed. London: Open Editions/de Appel, 2011, pp. 186-193.

Strange Days; Cold War Britain, 2013. [TV] BBC Two, 19th November 2013.

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118

Space Parameters Illustrations

Strategy Document

Research Document Figure One Masters, A., 2013. Tate Bricks. [Own Photograph] Tate Modern, London Figure Two Masters, A., 2013. Tate Space. [Own Photograph] Tate Modern, London

Figure Twenty-Eight Masters, A., 2013. Wal – As- Tate. [Own Illustration] London

Figure Three Masters, A., 2013. FREEZE! Receipts. [Own Photograph] Frieze Art Fair, London

Figure Twenty-Nine Masters, A., 2013. Hello Paul! My Name is Alex.[Own Photograph] ‘Hello! My Name is Paul ‘at The Design Museum, London

Figure Four Masters, A., 2013. Saatchi Shop. [Own Photograph] Saatchi Gallery, London Figure Six Masters, A., 2013. Simon Says. Simon Withers [Own Photograph] Primary Gallery, Nottingham

Figure Thirty Masters, A., 2013. W Magazine [pseud.] 2013. Perez Art Museum Miami Bay View [digital image]. W Magaine. Available at: http://www.wmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Perez-Art-Museum-Miami-bay-viewopening-December-2013-C-Herzog-de-Meuron.jpg [Accessed 10th January 2014]

Figure Seven Masters, A., 2013. People Watching. [Own Illustrations] Research Trip Illustrations, London

Figure Thirty-One Monocle Magazine, 2013. Issue 67. Midori Lanes. London: Monocle, , P. 106 [Graphic Image]

Figure Eight Masters, A., 2013. Hazy Relationships. Illustration [Own Illustration] London

Figure Thirty-Two Masters, A., 2013. The Arts Orientated Retail Store Model. [Own Model] London and

Figure Nine Masters, A., 2013. Jasper’s World. [Own Photograph] The Conran Shop, London

Willats, S. 1976. The Optimum Model. 1st ed. London: Latimer New Dimensions Limited. P. 8

Figure Ten Masters, A., 2013. One Pound. [Own Photograph] The Pound Shop, London

Figure Thirty-Three Masters, A., 2013. ‘Take a photo of me under a boulder!’[Own Photograph] Frieze Art Fair, London

Figure Eleven Cadwalladr, C., 2013. Life Inside the Amazon Machine. The New Review, The Observer, 1st December 2013. P.8

Figure Thirty-Four Masters, A., 2013. Boy with Mobile Phone.[Own Photograph] Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Figure Twelve Masters, A., 2013. Life School. [Own Photograph] The School of Life, London

Figure Thirty-Six Masters, A., 2013. No Stale Rails. [Own Photograph] Opening Ceremony, London

Figure Thirteen Masters, A., 2013. Grotesque Plastic. [Own Photograph] London

Figure Thirty-Seven Masters, A., 2013. Hat on Cacti . [Own Illustration]Opening Ceremony, London

Figure Fourteen Masters, A., 2013. Glossy Magazines. Kaleidoscope [Own Photograph] Nottingham

Figure Thirty-Eight Masters, A., 2013. The Story Continues. [Own Photograph] & Other Stories, London

Figure Fifteen Masters, A., 2013. Contemporary Crowd. [Own Photographs] Frieze Art Fair, London

Figure Forty-Nine Masters, A., 2013. Content-Inside-Outside. [Own Photograph] Dover Street Market, London

Figure Sixteen Masters, A., 2013. Space. [Own Photograph] Saatchi Gallery, London

Figure Forty Masters, A., 2013. Robert Storey & Ice Cream. [Own Photograph] Opening Ceremony, London

Figure Seventeen Dezeen [pseud.], 2012. Louis Vuitton and Kusama concept store Selfridges, 2012 [digital image]. Dezeen, Available at: http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/08/dezeen_Louis-Vuitton-and-Kusama-concept-store-atSelfridges_ss_4.jpg [Accessed 10th January 2014]

Figure Forty-One Masters, A., 2013. Rails. [Own Photograph] Opening Ceremony, London Figure Forty-Two Masters, A., 2013. What’s the Story? [Own Photograph] & Other Stories, London

Figure Eighteen Masters, A., 2013. Figures. [Own Photographs] Frieze Art Fair, London

Figure Forty-Three Masters, A., 2013. Curated Walls. [Own Photograph] Anthropologie, London

Figure Nineteen Masters, A., 2013. Let Me Explain. [Own Illustration] Saatchi Gallery, London

Figure Forty-Four Olafur Eliasson Studios [pseud.], 2003. ‘The Weather Project’ [digital image] Tate Modern. Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/exhibition/unilever-series-olafur-eliasson-weather-project/olafur-eliasson-weatherproject [Accessed 10th January 2014]

Figure Five Masters, A., 2013. EN MASSE. [Own Photograph] Saatchi Gallery, London

Figure Twenty Masters, A., 2013. Tate Café.[Own Photograph] Tate Modern, London

Figure Thirty-Five Masters, A., 2013. Blank Plaque. [Own Photograph] Saatchi Gallery, London

Figure Twenty-One Iceland Design [pseud.], 2013. Olafur Eliasson ‘The Weather Project’, 2003 [digital image]. Iceland Design Blog. Available at: http://blog.icelanddesign.is/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Tatemodernpowerstation_.jpg [Accessed 10th January 2014]

Figure Forty-Five Masters, A., 2013. Sun and Stories. [Own Photograph] & Other Stories, London

Figure Twenty-Two Animal New York [pseud.], 2013. Gutai Lead [digital image] Animal New York. Available at: http:// content.animalnewyork.com/wp-content/uploads/gutai-lead.jpg [Accessed 10th January 2014]

Figure Forty-Seven Masters, A., 2013. Welcome to Primary. [Own Photograph] Primary Gallery, Nottingham

Figure Forty-Six Masters, A., 2013. Sun and Living Walls. [Own Photograph] Anthropologie, London Figure Forty-Eight Masters, A., 2013. The Hat and the Cactus. [Own Photograph] Frieze Art Fair, London

Figure Twenty-Three K11 [pseud.], K11 [digital image] K11 Corporate Images. Available at: http://www.k11.com/corp/ images/portfolio/sh/mall_sh_1.jpg [Accessed 10th January 2014] Figure Twenty-Four Masters, A., 2013. Oil Spill. [Own Photograph] Frieze Art Fail, London Figure Twenty-Five Masters, A., 2013. Anthropologie. [Own Photograph] Anthropologie, London Figure Twenty-Six Masters, A., 2013. Man in White Cube. [Own Photograph] Saatchi Gallery, London Figure Twenty -Seven Masters, A., 2013. CASH. [Own Photograph] The Conran Shop, London

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Space Parameters Appendix

Space Parameters Transcripts Interviewer/s: Rebecca Davies and Alexandra Masters Interviewee/s: Dorothy Burns and Shawana Grosvenor Occupation/s: Store Manager and Visual Merchandiser of Opening Ceremony Date: 12th of December 2013 AM: What Inspires Opening Ceremony’s approach to the space? SG: We always try and approach artists and designers relevant to the brand, so before this we had Studio Toogood that did our fixtures, as you can see. We work really closely with Faye, and her work reflects what OC wants to emulate too. Our current installation is Robert’s Story who we have worked with before, but this is the first art installation he has done for the space. We love his work and it reflects our aesthetic, so it was a natural collaboration. It works really well with the space. He has done some pieces for us in New York too. It always has to feel really relevant and work with the shop as well.

Word Count:

AM: Would you say you curate the space?

Total: 8,006 Research: 5,029 Strategy: 2,977

SG: Definitely. We work really closely with the artists and designers… DB: It’s quite a heavily involved process, I think more so than we initially anticipated. When we first came into the store, the Toogood collaboration had already been negotiated, and since its been open Shawana and I have worked together to find people to approach, and it was a real process and artists and designers mock up designers from our briefs, and it’s a constant back and forth process. It takes a couple of months. BD: Do you have artistic control over the space? SG: We always get people submit designs relating to their current style of work, or something they really like of theirs. Then we tailor it to our aesthetic.

Physical

Personality

Physical

Personality

New/Fresh Strong focus on editorial like aesthetic Lifestyle Orientated Curated mix of clothing, accessories, gifts and beauty products Urban cool

Fashionable Self-conscious Curated Independent

Large retails stores Strong focus on visual merchandising Lifestyle Orientated Curated mix of clothing, accessories, gifts and home décor Colourful and Warm

Arts orientated Quality Story-telling Innovative Liberal

Brand Identity Models

DB: We do the all the ground negotiations here and then we filter that back through. Though we have an artistic director in New York who tries to keep all of the stores feeling consistent throughout, even though each store has their own style and their own identity. Ultimately we get things at a good stage here and then we go through the fine details with her and bring it back to the brand, keeping the continuity but ensuring as a store we have our own voice. AM: Do you ever feel restricted by the need to sell or the brand? Or, do you feel that you have a lot of artistic freedom? SG: Well, Opening Ceremony really pushes creativity, and an installation space that’s really fun and pop-y. It’s not necessarily about selling. That’s not the main focus. DB: From a manager’s perspective, the exciting thing is that we’re still privately owned. So we have the freedom to take risks and we’re not kind of chained to that, obviously we still need to be a profitable business, but at the same time we’re no obverse to taking risks. We collaborated this year with Yoko Ono to realise this book of men’s clothing that she had drawn, relating back to her and John Lennons wedding in the sixities. She did a book called ‘Fashions for Men’ and it’s completely off-the-wall. There are some men’s knee-high boots with an incense burner on them. So a little unusual, and they come with incense sticks you can burn. So we’re not bound by function in our stores. Obviously, the end aim is to be profitable, but we’re really passionate about so many things, and we’re able to indulge that. That’s rare and exciting.

Relationship

Culture

Relationship

Culture

AM: Is there anybody you look up to for inspiration? Any other stores you try to emulate, or even a gallery space that you look too?

Social Seeking independence Strong

Promotion of independent thinking Understanding of the future concerning digital relationships Cool and collected

Personal Seeking beauty Thoughtful

Thoughtful of consumer and environment Liberal in taste, style and thought Homely

SG: I wouldn’t say that there is a particular store. Obviously we do store visits around the world for general inspiration, our main aim is that we want to make it as fun as possible, but also as shop-able as possible. A mixture of that, and the current country, so at the moment it’s Belgium and you can see influences of that around the store. So I would say its more the country.

& Other Stories Reflected Consumer Seeker of ‘Cool’ Liberal in taste, style and thought Online/Offline Young Professional Cool Laidback, Throwaway

Anthropologie

Self-Image Arts and Culture Multi-channelled

Reflected Consumer

Self-Image

Young Professional Cool Laidback Artistic Cultured Well-travelled Lasting Pleasure

Arts and Culture Consumers desire quality products and style in self and interior

DB: If you don’t know, every year we feature a different country, and that’s part of the original business model. So OC from its origins was to bring international talent in one place as a celebration. Carol (Lim) and Humberto (Leon), more than anything in life wanted travel and new experiences. So what they decided that each year they would feature a different country. So, they’ve done East Coast versus West Cost, and then they’ve done Great Britain, which is when they introduced Gareth Pugh to the states. Other counties have included Argentina, China, Korea, and then this year being Belgium. So every year it is exciting to change the direction of the store. Last year with Korea it was mental with silver foil, psychedelic prints and all this kind of KPop. So with Belgium you’ve got Dries, and Raf Simons, so the feel is so different. AM: So being global is quite important for Opening Ceremony? Yes, it is a really big part of what we do. Yeah, and its fun like that, it gives us something different to offer, and its always an exciting discussion between us – where will we go next? Belgium was a country we wanted to do for ages, but we held off until our twelfth year as we had expanded the company enough to include designers like Raf and Dries - brands that are more elevated. AM: Do you think you’re trying to offer a lifestyle through the products you sell, from the designer clothing, to branded totes and books? DB: Yeah, I mean it’s not something that we consciously think about. We offer options to people. We notice that there is a type of person, well several types of people that shop with us. I think we reach a wide demographic. But they all seek out the new, and are wanting things that aren’t so readily available for the masses. It’s the main thing that binds everyone together. Our buying team are constantly trying to source the new and avant-garde. People like that some things you can only get at Opening Ceremony. AM: You wouldn’t get anyone coming in here that was really square would you? I’m sure the majority are in creative industries?

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SG: With Covent Garden comes tourists…

AM: Is your market predominantly Asian?

DB: Yes! I think being in Covent Garden brings in tourists. Covent Garden is evolving as well, but initially when we first open we’d get crowds of tourists. We don’t see it so much anymore. We used to get groups of Italian fifteen years olds coming in and laughing at an Rodarte dresses and the fact that they’re seven thousand pounds. Its kind of just part of it, its funny, but its also really depressing. We’re used to having to explain it to people. The way we approach our stores is really different, like the way men’s and women’s are facing each other, when usually they’re separated from a different floor. We do have great basics though too!

DB: We have a huge customer base there, then Arab Emirates, Russian, and lots of royalty from Dubai…it’s a real mix. Its’ always intriguing when we get the reports of the claims of tax. It does really fluctuate, but Asia is undeniably one, if not our strongest market. We have certain figures in Japan focusing on that market, as it is so different. We have separate buyers for Japan.

VM: They are hidden, but they’re there! AM: So I suppose you would say that you are creating a story in store relating to the country and artists…

DB: We want to definitely further that. We have lots of ideas we are yet to realise. Retail is changing, and we definitely want to further the in-store, experience, with more opportunities to expand our relationships with artists and designers. We are built around collaborations, so we would like more scope to play and develop ideas with people.

SG: or the year, or the season, or the collections, so there’s always something to play with to form a narrative around.

AM: What idea would you love to do, it money and commerce was not a factor?

DB: Also, we don’t focus on window displays here. In New York they focus more on the window displays and the mannequins. But that’s not something we focus on.

DB/SG: We have so many ideas, so many lists. Its hard to single anyone out…so many…too many…

AM: Is there a reason for that? DB: The installations are more of a focal point for us. AM: From what I have observed, most stores create an exciting window display, but then in-store its very functional and not as innovative. Whereas for you, the whole store is very innovative, and like a gallery. DB: We do feel it’s an experience we’re trying to create. Even how we are all trained with customer service. Everything in here has been handpicked and there’s a story behind everything and a reason why it’s here. Its something we try and reiterate to the staff, nothing is here by chance. If someone’s looking at something, we should be able to talk to the consumer about the story behind it. So they’re not just buying a pointless item of pure function, but they understand its story, and they’re buying something that they can relate to. AM: Have you noticed the retail space changing? What do you see for the future of retail? DB: Its something we are incredibly aware of. At Opening Ceremony, we’re constantly trying to push the boundaries and look for new ways to approach retail. As the store manager, it’s something growing in my awareness as the company grows. You do need to offer people more now within the retail space than people just coming in and just shopping, you need to be more enticing than that. Getting people into a Bricks and Mortar store is much harder than getting someone into an e-store than someone can do on their own on the bus. Its something we’ve been exploring in New York as part of our Fashion Week activity we took over one of the super piers on the river, and that was exciting. It was relating to what we did with our LA store, where there were lots of different rooms. It was actually where Charlie Chaplin used to film his moving pictures. AM: Are they not restricted by that history due to the heritage of the premises?

AM: Do think artistically charged stores such as Opening Ceremony could further the relationship with art?

DB: I think for me it would be a space to better facilitate experiences, and more adventurous collaborations…maybe a garden…so you could really create experiences with artists. One of the first pop-ups I went to was called Reindeers with Bistroteque, they took over the floor of a car park in Brick Lane it was the first to twenty second of December so there were chandeliers made out of antlers and all of the plates were designed by Will Broom and the reindeer candelabras were made by someone else. It was all collaboration. On the 23rd they sold off the items. It was seven years ago. I would love it if we could take it to that extreme, and create fun events like that. AM: Do you hold events here? SG: We would love to. DB: Its something we want to build upon in 2014. We’ve had a couple of fun launch events, our main launch in the summer we had drinks in-store and a dinner and then a party… BD: Was this all in-store? DB: It was when we launched our pop-up shop, so we had drinks in-store and food vans outside. Then that was open to lots of people, and then one hundred and fifty people went for dinner. We had an after party. The dinner was really fun, and It was compared by a tranny called Genette and she does hula-hooping and she did one hundred and fifty in one go. Then we did a K-Pop event for Fashions Big Night Out, which doesn’t happen anymore. Thank god.

DB: Not really, it’s just a very different space. It was approached in a mini-mall kind of way. And then they extended that and explored it further on the water with Fashion Week. I think down the line as a company we do want to approach it as a more all-encompassing experience. It’s definitely necessary. And because we have established relationships with directors, and film=makers, we can partner on those kind of events.

It’s a lot of energy put into something that doesn’t amount to anything because everyone’s at New York Fashion Week. It works in New York, because everyone’s there for the beginning of Fashion Week. So New York has all the high calibre figures of fashion, cause Anna Wintour came up with it. So, good for her, but not good for us. So, if we could take ideas and make them really, really big. Robert could have done something bigger, and better. Its amazing, and works within this space, but the opportunity of pushing it further would be great.

AM: Are you aware of the sales in general, whether the majority lies in-store or online?

SG: But if we could have more space, and more scope it would inevitably give us more freedom

DB: I mean online do an incredible business….

AM: So coming into 2014 and beyond, you would ideally like more space, more engagement and more of an experience. And really pump up the artist collaborations with more events?

AM: I guess because you create such an experience, I mean, I would want to come in to be a part of it, which you don’t get online. DB: Yeah, and a lot of our stuff you need to try. Currently we only have an American website, so we don’t have a European site. A lot of our European clients aren’t so turned on by the shipping duties, so that’s something we’re looking into, it is in the pipeline. In America, although their online sales are healthy, in-store they still do a lot more. Our clients often have relationships with the staff, and they come for the experience. They also want to come and see the art in store, and how we’re presenting things. You need to really know yourself to confidently shop online at Opening Ceremony. At the beginning of the season we do have a trying on session for the sales team. A lot of people get confused by the garments so we need to understand them too. We had a dress that had a slit in the side with a handbag attached to it. You had to keep hold of the bag or the dress didn’t work. That needed explaining! AM: Have you heard of K11 Art Mall in Shanghai? Its basically a mall, but its defined by being an ‘arts playground’. So they have Damien Hirst pieces for example, integrated within the layout. It’s not a space that coldly pushes sales as it prioritises art and heralds an interesting experience. Does that sound like it would work in London?

DB: We are definitely lucky to have so much freedom, and yes, we definitely want to be more adventurous. BD: Would you ever consider furthering the technology within store? Or would that not be relevant to your brand? DB: The way we approach technology I suppose is that we try to be early adaptors, in everything. And we definitely try to be prevalent on Instagram and social media in order to connect with our audience. It’s really important for us. We employ people just to be on social media to respond to requests and the media. People are constantly asking questions on our online channels, and so many brands are stagnant in that area. We do rely on technology in that way. We definitely use social media to communicate what’s going on in-store. So I guess in the future it would make sense to further explore this within the in-store experience. It is going to happen sooner than we think. AM: You can’t get away from it in any industry…

SG: It sounds very exciting…

BD: I have noticed more integration recently from other stores, like using an i-pad, which is becoming generic. Just exploring more ways to be more innovative with technology.

AM: Imagine Opening Ceremony as a shopping mall for a mass audience…?

DB: I mean an i-pad is handy.

SG: Yeah, I mean it sounds interesting, and I would hope it would.

BD: But trying to be more interesting, and not just generic.

DB: But the spending power in Asia is far higher. Europe is a bit of a low ebb. It might not work at the moment, but in the future I think it would. If the economy picks up, you never know.

DB: I haven’t been to any retail spaces that have used and integrated technology effectively, or interestingly. In Japan they are definitely more forward thinking in integrating technology. Europe’s a bit more old-school, but we’ll get there, we just take a bit longer. Who knows where technology will take the retail environment.

Interviewer: Alexandra Masters Interviewee: Sara Cluggish Occupation: Curator at Nottingham Contemporary Date: 30th October 2013 AM: Hi Sara, so I’m looking at the roles of both the curator and visual merchandiser, and how both use space. But, also, how the use of space and its contents makes the viewer or consumer feel. So, when I say ‘retail’ space, I’m starting to look at a focus on the ‘lifestyle’ retail space, so The Conran Shop, Monocle, The School of Life, Opening Cermony – all allow one to purchase a jumper, a self help book, and a coffee table – therefore improving every element of the self. The philosopher Alain de Botten in Art as Therapy also discusses how the shop in the gallery is vital to the visitors experience – you can take home the Monet painting you were admiring within the gallery home on a tea towel. So…I’m comparing both spaces, their effects and looking at the change of space, so I just would like your opinion of what you responsibilities are? SC: Creating a narrative…definitely key, its the most basic thing…one piece of art influences the next…its like writing a paper… you can think about a visual article…you have to synthesis what underpins the concept of the artist’. As a curator you have dual responsibilities…one to the artist, helping push their package in a new direction, the other, major one, is to the audience…its dangerous to think of an artist as a single entity, as…people are coming from a variety of different places and circumstances, but cant isolate…isolating commercial gallery at a specific public…there should be a certain public consciousness…I’m striving to reach a broad public’ AM: What do you consider, as a curator to e a beautiful space? SC: I look at the architecture…a lot of light…climate control…great to control temperature, and…controlling lighting level’ ‘My friend curated an l-shaped gallery…meaning the viewer experienced the artwork twice…interesting’ Environment effects what will be included in the context…every space has its tricky points, you need to know the space well’ AM: Where do you stand on the increased focus on the retail space within commercial galleries? SC: In terms of commerce…I think a limited edition can be positive for an institution and artwork…of course… it’s pricier than your average coaster’ ‘You’re buying something that’s a remnant of a work. Buying a memento of art and your experience, and then the exhibition publication is key…as the gallery experience is temporal…but the publication is an amazing way to give life to art beyond the exhibition’ ‘I recommend The Museum Revisited by Art Forum, it will be interesting for you’ ‘Depends on vision…people come to see jazz on a Friday night…increasing footfall is nice…curiosity in the unknown and new…but it doesn’t reflect the quality of the art’ ‘We call that a ‘blockbuster’ show…for commercial institutions…its part of the uk spending model…promoting an increase in visitors…not very healthy’ ‘Its not about making money, its about using funding responsibly and creating a good show’ ‘Look at Pierre Julatty(?)...I’m not going to tell you why…’ Interviewer/s: Rebecca Davies and Alexandra Masters Interviewee: Anonymous Occupation: Publisher at Phaidon Books Date: 21st November 2013 RD: Should niche publications have a community, become books? P: There is a new market for independent magazines. They’re cool, commercially interesting. Sang Bleu is £100, their sixth edition. I wouldn’t normally spend that one a book, let alone a publication that calls itself a magazine. This is quite interesting that it can sell under that heading. What is perceived as a magazine is becoming more structured and permanent, similar to a published book. RD: So you perceive magazines to become more like a book in the future? P: Fundamentally, it’s all about the content. If you’ve got the content, you’ve got the consumer. Publishers get scared that print won’t survive any more because of digital, but this isn’t the case. They both can survive by working hand in hand. RD: Independents are more focused on consumer bases, unlike mainstream magazines like Vogues fashion night out… P: Mainstream publications are trying to reverse their techniques, moving back to trying to reach and interact with the consumer. Independent magazines can’t survive without the consumer so their importance is celebrated and obvious, the consumer feels a lot more viable and important. RD: Are magazines going to become made to measure? Made directly for you similar to a Graze book or like an annual coffee book? P: You have to find something that you didn’t think you were interested in. The consumer doesn’t know what they want, just like the best retailer. You have to trust the retailer; they have a clear idea of their market and willing to take risks. This makes you trust the brand better.

AM: With regards to Phaidon books, where is the most popular outlook for consumers to purchase your books? P: Interesting question. For us the most dominant place is still within retail shops. We sell a lot online, through outlooks like Amazon. We support new authors and publishers who can’t get into the places that they want. AM: Will publications become like a brand and lifestyle? P: It’s really hard. Monocle have done an exceptional job by being a brand. People want to tap into the lifestyle of a brand. This is because they have a strong personality. AM: What are your opinions of Amazon? P: Impressed and dislike it at the same time. As a business model they have done exceptionally well. They are happy to make a smaller margin; they sell a higher volume at a lower value. They don’t send much on overheads or office space. It has damaged publishing industry but that’s because publishing houses are weak and agree to Amazon’s terms. They need to be bolder and say no. It’s not a feasible way to run a business. You need to believe in your products. Phaidon still sell books cheaper but we don’t revalue our products. If the consumer generally feels its value then the consumer is willing to pay. Even I paid £100 for Sang Bleu because it’s genuine. As a publisher we don’t inflate the RRP. We don’t play psychologically games; sell it for more to give a lower discount. Jamie Oliver’s book is never going to be £30, it’s always on sale for “half price” to feel like you’re getting a deal. People value high quality and want people to produce authorotative content, they’re not as stupid as we think. RD: Do you think bookstores will die and books will be accessed in retail shops and coffee shops that consumers are already willing to go to? P: A lot of bookshops have died over the years, as they didn’t adapt. It’s not what it used to be. A lot of independent bookshops are opening up but no one talks about them. People are more concerned by the worrying aspect of publishing rather than the success stories. Bookshops won’t disappear but they will change. Foyles is moving, their plans are great, strong incorporation of digital. They’ve created a deal with publishers that if you purchase a hardback issue, you can also receive it in a digital format. This is great, when I purchase a thick book I don’t want to carry it around, I like to read the content on my iPad, read it digitally, but still have the beautiful visuals and physical object within my home. Harper Collins did a beautiful book but also created a digital content to incorporate both, listening to consumers need. You want the story but practically it may not be easily accessible. People want both. There’s a lot to be send for that, physical and digital shouldn’t be against each other but work hand in hand. RD: Because and Frame gives extra content, 2D to 3D. Will digital become incorporated into print or will it move straight into digital app format? P: As technology evolves we’ll see more and more prospects of digital being incorporated. If you can get more content, added value in a digital format then people will want that. They want the most they can get for their money. Whether this is something you listen to or visually read. Foyles bookstore have magazines, they are sitting side-by-side with books; beautiful new publications. Tate Modern does this also. Calling one thing a book and one thing a magazine doesn’t have much meaning anymore. They are becoming more interlinked. Urban Outfitters sell books really well, we started their in 2008, they reach a new audience, a new demographic that bookshops would never be able to reach. If shops and publishers adapt, they will survive. AM: How do you think bookshops can engage the consumer? P: They need to be a brand, something people want to associate themselves to. They communicate with students, people with certain interests and they do this really well. They do events, interactive events. As a publisher we want to get involved with that too. Consumers want personality and a relationship with the brand, like we did with the Topshop launch of the Fashion Book. Everyone wants the book, the experience, a memory and they’ll talk about their time on social media to promote it further. It’s like a free advertising. RD: Will advertisers be able to incorporate into the magazines content? P: It’s quite tricky to do. When you read an article that’s promotional you feel like they’re trying to trick you and I don’t like that. RD: Views on mainstream publications? P: They’re trying to imitate the niche personality but on a large scale, which doesn’t really work. People enjoy the rebellion process; they can’t deny its excitement. Mainstream magazines seem forced on a consumer. Not every consumer is within the creative industry; they may not understand the purpose of a niche publication. They want something easy to read and tell them a lifestyle to follow. Financially, independent magazines don’t make much income. To have full creative control you have to sacrifice the pay cheque. It’s ironic that the Indies have a tough time, they inspire the big mainstream giants. I wonder if all the indie publications did die (I don’t think they will) then it would be the death of commercial publications, where would they get their inspiration? RD: Will magazines have commercial channels? P: I think they can and I don’t think it’s a bad thing as long as they don’t lose themselves and their tone in the process. The content is the most important thing. The main purpose is to deliver the best quality for the consumer, that’s what it’s about at the end of the day. We don’t go out and ask what people want; we make what we think they will want. Ultimately the consumer doesn’t know what they want. We don’t publish anything that we don’t think is amazing. We never ask ourselves if it’s commercial, if we like it then we’ll do it and we have a strong identity because of that. If you’re trying to do something commercial you’ll always be behind the curve. Accept the challenges, don’t listen to people who say you can’t and don’t just copy other people who are successful. That won’t work in your favour.

RD: Do you have a key demographic? P: We do a lot of art and design books. We do what we think will fit into what we want to do, not directly what we think the consumer wants. There’s books that we think would benefit a design conscious person but if you make it accessible and attractive other people will latch onto it. Publishing the right things will be default make people want it. That’s not to say that it’s a challenge. At the moment we do some digital publishing but if we think it doesn’t transcribe properly on screen then we don’t do it, we have a concern over quality. I think we should and will move into digital publishing in the future, as long as the quality it maintained through out.

Interviewer: Alexandra Masters Interviewee/Speakers: Sara Mellin and George Wu Occupation: Creators of The Pound Shop Date: 7th November 2013 SM: This was our way of flipping that coin around, can you make design affordable and accessible for everyone?’ ‘I guess the goal with the pound shop, is to spread design around through price and arrangement’

AM: Will digital promote physical content rather than taking over?

‘We are becoming the perfect testing ground for designers to experiment and see a reaction to the products they’re selling’

P: It’s a good vehicle of added value and extra content. You have to be careful with how it’s advertised. When people get a whiff that you are trying to sell you something then they back away. Digital should enhance print rather than taking over, everything needs to work hand in hand. You need subtle forms of advertising. You also want books on your shelf that you feel proud of, a beautifully visual book that you feel proud of one your bookshelf and shit fiction stored on your iPad. People are ultimately show offs.

Finn Williams/Asif Khan

‘If you’re always trying be commercial, you are always ever so slightly behind the curve. It’s probably the same with fashion. Essentially I never get that idea of wearing or creating for what’s in fashion’ ‘Something beautiful is aspirational, and therefore authoritative in any market’ ‘Essentially, its not so much the voice, it’s the quality’ ‘We haven’t gone digital over the concern over quality. Until we’re convinced digital will provide quality across all platforms’ ‘Digital is a good vehicle for added value and extra content, not sure, I think people have to be careful with using it as a way of advertising. People don’t like to feel they’re being advertised to. Its completely about all of the different media helping each other hand in hand’

‘Using very low cost materials’ ‘For every shop we do, we use a different designer, to create it because, well we want the shops to be something more than just somewhere you want to shop, we want it to be an exhibition space and somewhere you want to stay’ ‘We want the designer to feel free to do what they want…within a budget’ ‘You can do whatever you would like’ ‘We used disused shops’ A positive response amongst communities ‘Mean-well’ spaces have a lot of spaces, and they can help you with the landlord and the owner

AM: Daily Mail?

GW: Product designers - smith and Wiseman

‘It’s that mass, mass market. It’s the Fifty Shades phenomenon’

‘We invested in a web shops, which is obviously the future of retail’

Neilson – distribution site –trade and sales

‘We then had orders from Iceland, Australia, Hong Kong…which was incredible form just having east Londoners come to our stores’

Bookshop – Claire de Rue? Exhibitions and photography books

‘Alma’

AM: ‘Can I ask quickly…in Tate, the shop of the gallery in terms of selling publications, its had an increasing presence, why do you think the gallery shop has become such a fundamental part of the gallery? Do you think its because books have become more of a piece of art in themselves? P: I think it has a reputation, and that shop is known in its own right as well as being the Tate bookshop. You could put that shop anywhere, and it would have an amazing reputation for stocking most of the things you could possibly want if you’re into the arts in any way, shape or form. AM: Previously galleries would never have had a shop that was such a big part of the experience? P: I think that they’re exceptional, and they’re expanding in 2015 so there’s going to be more books, and more retail space, particularly given to books. Tate Modern is the only gallery on the planet to expand their retail space. Most gallery shops, produce a certain amount of space for books, whereas Tate are doing really well with books, and they’re giving more space to books…I cant think of another gallery on the planet that’s brave enough to go ‘Yeah we’re doing well, lets do more of this’. AM: Do you think a different kind of consumer is visiting the gallery? P: ‘I think people are still visiting in a time when they’re not spending money, cause people still want art, gallery attendances are up year on year, whereas people are not doing lots of other things in the recession, but they are still going to galleries. I think that’s quite an important message in terms of consumers in general, who will cut out lots of things, but will then do something else, which is reassuring. That’s a response in our times, that people still want too do that. I still want to take my kids’ They have brilliant kids books as well, again, they’ve not just taken every kids books that are available, and they have a reputation for having a selection of books that you wont necessarily find in one place anywhere else. They are one of our top accounts - we do very well with them. It’s a good brand match, in terms of, what we do, and what they do is very similar. Good content, and good quality. And I guess, to a certain extent, educational. It comes to that, good buyers, you want to be the place that’s introducing new, cool things for people. It’s a word of mouth thing, its very underrated. Literally the most influential way of people valuing a product is through word of mouth.

‘We suffered form huge, huge queues as well as theft and breakages, so we introduced a kind of Argos system, you get a form, and you tick what you want, there was only one of each item displayed out, and then you went into down to the warehouse and someone packs it for you, and it was quite nice actually, cause you go downstairs to the warehouse, and a lot of our audience are creative, so they got to see the raw materials and ended up collaborating. This whole thing reduced quest amazingly, we didn’t have any theft, and people even said they missed the queue...I guess we’re English’ ‘Our goals is to always improve the experience whilst also trying to sell our products’ At Mother, London ‘It was only a day, so we tried to make a real event of it, we had a hip-hop photo-booth, lots of mulled wine, and everybody got really happy. Ding events is something we’ve always been interested in, erm, we’ve had bands play, and we’ve also had workshops; we always try and make each shop a bit different’ ‘The ultimate interactive window shopping experience, so studio good one, who did the cart, created this kind of moving waves…it was two waves and then it stopped slowly in front of a url code and you could use your phone and shop the products…’ ‘You could shop 24 hours using QR codes…’ AM: ‘I thought it was interesting that you called yourselves curators and not visual merchandisers, and I wanted to know what’s the difference for you, and could commercial spaces ever prioritise beauty and design above revenue, do you think? Wow, well, when we had a meeting with our mentors in Selfridges, she said that the bottom line is, that we have to make money, so I don’t think that will happen. They will do to a certain extent, because they have a marketing project so they will commission certain projects and they know they wont make any money, and there will be those instances when you can go in and have freedom, which happens for us, but it couldn’t ever be a regular thing, I don’t think. The bottom line is that businesses need to make money to work and unfortunately that’s how it is. The reason we don’t call ourselves visual merchandisers, I kind of feel like visual merchandisers are the people that do the displays, Well we do both We do now, but we didn’t before. So we do the displays, but we do both. So I guess that’s why we call ourselves curators, although that sounds a bit…I don’t know what to call us. We select the products, and we make the event happen…event organisers! How about that…! I think it goes a little bit beyond that, because in a way you’re a kind of freelance product event, although you’re event organisers

127

Interviewer: Alexandra Masters Interviewee: Betsy Smith Occupation: Head Visual Merchandiser at The Conran Shop, Chelsea Date: 29th October 2013

Interviewer: Alexandra Masters Interviewee: Mary Toal Occupation: Part of School of Life Date: 31st October 2013

AM: What do you look for in a successful space?

MT: It is super important to us as a brand to create a very definitive space that tells people from the minute they walk in what we’re offering, but then also keeps that, kind of, cool, inviting slickness to it. So, we talk a lot about what we want the space to look like, and even have, like, someone who came in who was a freelance, like concept store, manager, he came in, and he gave us some advice on how to literally lay things out, and he cam up with the information point here, which is quite a big focus for the shop.

BS: I think the key thing is about experience, and giving the customer an experience, and giving them a story or a message. Its all about travelling around and getting a different experience in each bit of the shop, that’s what I think my goal is, is to make sure there’s enough visual stimulation around. AM: Do you consider the consumers feelings when they’re in the space, or do you think more about the sale? BS: Ultimately my job is to make money, and its about making the product look good, and make it desirable. I suppose I need to inspire the customer so they have ideas to take away and they want to translate into their homes. AM: Do you think the retail space can learn from the art space in its approach to the audience? BS: I think you can, because it’s all about giving off a feeling and an emotion. Yeah, I think you can compare it, but ultimately, I’m trying to sell products, that’s what my job is basically, trying to make the product look good so you buy it. I do think there is a need sometimes, to be really inspirational in a way that will drive footfall, because sometimes we do things that we know wont be very commercial, but we know it’s a marketing tool, so that we will get more people into the shop, so that will encourage more sales through the tills. AM: Do you ever feel restricted creatively by the need to sell?

AM:I guess this place looks so different, as it kind of, makes education look cool, is that something they go out of their way to achieve, are you attracting a certain audience? MT: So definitely, we’re aiming at the kind of 25 to 50, kind of people who want to come and experience the classes, its not so much a shop you can walk in and browse, this is just one level of the organisation, so its almost like a welcome space, and it just so happens it’s a bookshop as well, but, its not our main space, or anything like that, we have a space downstairs, but that’s the space that we use all the time, and this is literally the welcome point so for classes that people attend they come here and spend half their time here browsing the shop, and just have conversations after the classes downstairs’ AM: So, your kind of selling a lifestyle, because all your books and your classes are about how to improve you life, or how to improve your well-bing, or… MT: Yeah, so everything you see in the shop, all the books, you see on the right there, they’re chosen by the faculty who do the classes, so that’s always quite a tight selection, and then there are other main things we deal with in the classes, so we constantly refer back to the program, and then we do our retail range, that’s a few months old, and that’s us trying to branch out into creating new gifts, as well, because, there’s definitely a market for that, people want smarter, nicer, thoughtful things.

BS: Not here, (The Conran Shop) but I think I would elsewhere, and I think here has, I think its quite unique, elsewhere, I wouldn’t be allowed so much creative freedom, and part of its because we have Jasper, and he’s really creative, and believes in it looking a certain way, I cant believe any other business would operate like we do. We’re like a loose canon in a way.

AM: So, I guess you aim the student, I guess, to come out and feel better about themselves…

I think the ideas are grown here, and I suppose grown here, and the other stores take the elements to suit their space…like Marleybone, it’s got its own unique identity. That’s something that we’re very keen to do, to develop each store for its own market, with its own personality. Whereas I think other brands, that are like chain stores, they have work very differently. They have a head office where they design it, work out how they’re going to display it, and then it gets rolled out to everybody, and everybody has to do the same, but here its more about reacting to the space. If it doesn’t suit the space, that’s no good. You can put something that works here, and force it onto another space.

AM: Do you think that retails spaces could ever achieve that…

The visual side, that’s what gets people to stop. So it’s about getting people to stop, engage and want to own it. Its just about knowing who your customer is, that’s the key thing, you’ve got to know who your customer is, and then you target everything, the product, the displays, the whole, everything, to who the customer is. So, you really have to think about the customer first. But ultimately if we inspire, we will make the sale. It’s all driven by sales. AM: Do you think the retail space can learn from the art space in its approach to its audience? BS: It definitely can. The Conran Shop has a very definite philosophy, that it doesn’t want to feel pretentious, and erm, unapproachable, even though we sell really expensive things. We want to feel anybody can come and enjoy the shop. If you can’t afford a sofa, you can come away with a five-pound pen, or a bag of sweets. When we first worked with Jasper, we took a very definite strategy, that we didn’t want the shop floor to feel like a showroom, and that we wanted it to feel more like you were walking into people’s houses, and that each collection, or grouping of furniture had a particular look, and that there was everything that you needed in that one section.

MT: Yep

MT: Yep AM: Or do you think they could ever prize, beauty and learning over revenue? Or do you think it will always be based on money, because this space and organisation is about self improvement, and then, we’re all businesses and we all need to make money… MT: Well, I think that definitely what we’re trying to achieve, is having people come in and experience the school of life, and even if they don’t come to a class, they still get a memory of it, cause we have such a huge, online and international community, so that’s another reason we started doing products, because people wanted something to take away with them, so we found that creating smart, thoughtful gifts and retail, that there was a niche in the market that people were interested in, and it wasn’t just another bookshop that you may as well go on Amazon for, it was like we definitely wanted to like, produce things that you could only have in our shop’. Its about purchasing a memory, or something that will help you, I guess… We are trying to build our brand as well, cause obviously, the classes and the programme, is what we’re known for, but now we have this new level of it, and that’s the retail, and that’s international, whereas we can only give classes to people in London… AM: Do you think you’re looking to expand? MT: Yeah, we are, we’ve already got one pop-up that was in Melbourne for 3 months and now its becoming permanent, and then we did another one in Brazil, in San Paulo, and we’re looking to do pop ups in San Francisco and Paris…But, the design of the shop is important for, to try and sell the programme, especially when the name had to be something that was really slick, and not faddy. The design brief was that…it just gets to the point, doesn’t it? AM: Yeah,

Meant to feel like you’re walking around somebody’s home, and not a showroom. We want it to be destination, we want everybody to think ‘Oh, I must go to The Conran Shop’, so we’re trying to be drivers I suppose.

MT: It just comes down to different consumers I guess, someone that comes here is trying to improve their inner self, whereas a lot of retailers, people go to improve their outer self…its a completely different thing…

Its still a certain type of person, that enjoys beautiful things. Its design conscious, its not any kind of riff-raff.

MT: Its funny that you’re doing kind of, big, major shops as well, and like …

We’re not trying to appeal the same person that does to Argos. I go to look for ideas’ to an art gallery.

AM: Well, I just though people say ‘retail therapy’, and Alain is saying ‘Art as Therapy’, but is it therapy?

My whole being is constantly looking for ideas, you don’t ever stop.

MT: Well that’s really interesting, you know, like when you go to shops, like Dover Street Market, or Bluebird, and they’ve incorporated fashion with lifestyle, and then you need to buy that really expensive dress, and that really nice coffee table…coffee book table

Its lovely to buy things for yourself, I don’t particularly like the process of shopping, but I like coming away with things that are going to improve your life, either improving the environment you live in, or improving me, or what I’m wearing, cause it makes you feel better about yourself. A lot of people will go to galleries to be stimulated. Retail Therapy, I think that’s just about getting something that will improve your life…it will be different things for different people. We want to keep the customers in here for a long time, and take them on a journey. We’re selling a lifestyle.

AM: I don’t know whether to focus it more on lifestyle shops…. AM: It’s a huge thing, concept stores…I went to the Monocle store as well, its quite similar, its about selling you a lifestyle, like they do a ‘guide to better living’, so you buy a magazine, and some other cool piece of memorabilia… MT: It’s not slick enough, like cause it’s got lovely things, but it just feels a bit, too much. Cause you’re just walking around in a supermarket, basically. I don’t think they’ve done it as nice as it could be.

MT:To me that feels a lot more...I don’t know, it feels a lot more, superficial, and obvious, like ‘have a cool coffee in a cool spot’ ‘ AM: Yes! Kind of ‘aren’t we so cool’, Like Dover Street Market… MT: They’re not hitting it the right way, cause you don’t walk in there and feel like you can even touch anything Cause that’s why its interesting, cause its such a fine line, you do just walk around and feel ‘I’m just not cool enough to be in here’ They’re not actually fulfilling that, I think, that it’s a very, very small targeted audience that gets that, so they know them so well, and they have the money to keep them going People who feel part of that club feel better for going in…think ‘I’m one of you’. A really nice shop that I like is Margaret Howell, it’s a really nice store. AM: I love Margaret Howell! It’s really unpretentious…Its really unpretentious, and really nicely designed, cause its just straight talking…Have you ever been into The Conran Shop? MT: Yeah, it’s a bit much. AM: In what way? Interviewer: Alexandra Masters Interviewee: Simon Withers Occupation: Artist Date: 1st of December 2013 ‘Why would I send slides out to the bigotry white cube space and say I’m looking for gallery representation?’ AM: So you have to except yourself as a commercial product yourself? SW: think what’s key to my own psychology within that is that isn’t the point in which the work is compromised, bringing it into the world is the point of compromise. Potentially, I’m not a great conceptualised, so I don’t think about holding your thoughts in your head, that’s not really producing anything, or remnants sometimes. If I were to go and visit white cube spaces, such as the Anthony Duffay, or The Lisson gallery, I will pick up on what we spoke about a few days ago, they are possibly for me the aspiring places. Okay, there were lots of them, but not as many as there are now. I don’t know where that peak is. AM: Do you think its gone full circle? SW: I think there’s possibly more galleries now, but is that an awareness? Yes there were a lot, especially in London in the late eighties, but you still had the remnants that cork street where people like Lesley Wadington were, but a lot of them have left now, so Anthony Duffay was Lisson Gallery on Bell Street, one has to be careful in saying that, because, people will pick up Art Scribe, which was my monthly bible to telling me what’s in London and elsewhere… AM:What’s in Art Fashion? Yeah, yeah. Art Scribe turned from almost like a paper type publication, into one which was glossy. Editorial improved… AM: Do you think that, because obviously you graduated at the same time as the YBA’s, that the art landscape changed since that, hence the publication manifested to reflect that? SW: I think it is. I think it was even noticeable at college, that I felt that it had become the idea of aspirational; making your art was aspirational. And I’m pretty sure, from the degree shows of 1987/88, after finishing and continuing so, that it wasn’t about experiencing the work anymore, it was making some ideas of what you thought about what it was you were actually looking at in that glossy picture in Art Scribe because it was very high quality paper at the time. So it didn’t really reveal what that painting looked like, because painting then was still right up there. AM:S o you think art became aspirational when it became more conceptual? SW: I don’t think it was about conceptual, I think its when it started reaching more of a mainstream art crowd. We were much more savvy. AM: I would have thought it was the other way around? SW: I kind of think it always has been aspirational. Each generation may find differences, but walking here this morning, I certainly wouldn’t like to be the person and say there’s possibly no difference, there is. I don’t know how one could make that based on my…the map that I’m drawing, I could certainly see that in my informative years, in the 80’s, the exotic trips to London, to these white cube spaces, perhaps I didn’t feel intimidated by them. Perhaps because I’m an artist, perhaps because I’ve been introduced by lecturers, about history. But, perhaps because of the glossy magazines, of what white cube spaces, and okay they are there to sell work, but I just thought that there were …there was always a thing I likes about the white cube space, it stripped everything else away… AM: It blocks out the outside world, and you’re not distracted by anything else, but that work of art you’re standing in front of…

SW: As an artist, I really like that, I preferred it in those spaces, because, its not the public, because even I was a member of the public, I might have been going to art school, but I was not necessarily the kind of person that is useful to them, which is either the buyer, or the art crowd. You could put it down to, I don’t have the money to buy the piece of work, my appreciation of it is between me and the work, because the person sat behind the desk is there to deflect any questions and prevent you from getting to the people, and again, I may have this in too much of a simplistic way, but I had read, and subsequently, artists like myself would send slides to these people. And it’s solicited, and its unwanted. I think by the early 90’s , Art Scribe had gone to the wall, and Art Review, which was a glossy, it was less intelligent, and that’s when we can reflect and think ‘Can we see any changes going on?’ Cause even things like art in America, once you could go into shops that were selling that, but at one time If you were in Sheffield, things like W H Smith wouldn’t sell these, you had to find someway of subscribing to them, to find some obscure magazine, or go to London and find them there. So things like Art in America opened up that actually more than what Art Scribe was showing in some ways, was this is who is exhibiting around the world. And we would all go down to London and get your fix on that, and either you would start making work very similar… AM: Or you would react against that? SW: Yeah, I think the thing I was going back to saying is that It could be quite general that there were student in my year at Sheffield that were possibly not getting to see the exhibitions, the painters work may be showing in Philidelphia, or it might be Los Angeles, or it might be San Paulo, or anywhere else, and so they were trying to replicate, not that work, but work very similar themselves. And, so I think you got incredibly slick work that looked like it fitted within the magazine page. I think the magazine was a real driving force and was influencing how artists perceived how art work needed to look for the market. AM: So you’re almost suggesting that publications were more influential than the actual gallery itself, I guess purely because of accessibility? SW: Because you could amass so much information in that product, now is there a connection between that and when you jump a generation, as you were saying about the mobile phone, the internet, where even more information is at hand so that you may not need to experience the real thing, and you draw your influences from this second hand knowledge rather than personal experience. The more we’re leaving lives of personal experience, or from… AM: So have you noticed a change in the galleries, obviously you would presume that they would acknowledge the fact that with publication people don’t necessarily need to go to a gallery…have you noticed any new ways that galleries have been attracting people into the space, prior to these publications or the internet? SW: Erm, I think the answer is I’m not too sure. My position is that I am going to less and less galleries in London, and not seeking them out. And, I think that has something to do with because, perhaps a lot of the artists that I may have been influenced by are still exhibiting, but I probably no longer have that kind of relationship to go and see what they’re doing, occasionally I have done and I’ve been disappointed. Again, in the 80’s I was a really big fan of Anselm Kieffer, and I used to go religiously every two years to see his latest shows…I went to the one that was in the new white cube that had opened, and I really disliked it. AM: The experience, or the art, or the space…? SW: It was all too big. He’s always made big work, but some of these explanations of quite pitiful dimensions, set against his really large paintings…but maybe some of the most irritating things were some of the films, he had been interviewed by Tim Marlow, where you got Keifer, this giant of contemporary art history, within his own lifetime, described himself as the ultimate underground artist, because he feels he’s disliked by the art world…but you think, well if you’re not in the art world, I don’t know where that leaves the rest of us. AM: As an artist I can see that’s quite demoralising… SW: So, I think he wanted the audience to warm to him, he was quite childlike, which I’ve not seen before, so maybe, he has become more human in some ways, and my perception was that I would have preferred somebody who had at least more gravitus. Because actually, I don’t think I can be bothered to identify with people that I don’t know. We seldom, don’t have the time for artists let alone anybody else, and here we have an artists, is he selfishly seeking more and more from that audience. AM: Well talking about feelings, your work focuses on human feelings, so do you think public spaces need to focus more on a persons feelings, and engaging with the audiences emotions? SW: I would try to say, its not really sitting on the fence, the real answer is that I don’t know. I don’t know how, even I would seek to force one or the other. I don’t want to be ambivalent to it. Its one of these things, there was an artist had put something on Facebook, a high level artist, and they were saying that ‘artists should be doing work that effects change within society and politics’, and I really struggle with the word should. We should be doing this or that. AM: Yes, it must be dangerous to have a concrete model, some audiences want to escape, some want to play, and some want to extract meaning or an intellectual challenge… Do you think retail could offer the same intellectual sensitivity that Fine Art allows? Lets say you were to curate a retail space… SW: Instinct would say yes, it would say that’s potentially an exciting possibility, even if I don’t understand when that could happen and I wouldn’t want to reduce it to that idea that we treat, we seemingly treat consumers with a great deal of intelligence, yet most of the time it seems to suggest that they try to pull the wool over our eyes as if there’s a them or us. But I cannot not see at the moment with the progress in technology, receiving information, increased sophisticated personal journey’s through how we seek a purchase something and where you need information, that people are not beginning to be equipped to be able to receive almost incredible personal relationships with the retail space that is potentially bespoke to the individual, but I don’t know whether we are there yet. It seems to me that we could drive through that, purely because how you could use the internet as the instigator.

AM: So, talking about the future, what do you believe to be the future gallery space? Does Primary symbolise the new space, whereby the white cube is no longer enough? SW: I think there are several things, a bit like painting is now considered just one of many mediums that artists use, and I think the idea of post-medium state that we’re in, so it could literally be, as we know the concept driven work, or something of a performance, so what you’re left with is a remnant, if not the remnant of the documentation of it. The people who continue to paint, who maybe still engage with issues relating to that, before you can deal with the content I guess. So, I think alternative space, is this is what these (Primary) are, where maybe its become more mainstream, or their influences, because even their influence is the building, like the Nottingham Contemporary, and that idea of the found space. It might not look like it in many ways, and it might be superficial, and it might be marketing, but I think there’s probably some evidence there, that these are coexisting and influencing both party’s. I don’t know whether the artist’s idea of creating a white cube space, that coexists with the other space, like the Primary House, where I don’t know quite how they will develop. And then this still comes back to the aspirational white space, if typifies by something like White Cube, which again, everything outside, when you entre as the public, its void of everything but what is related directly to all sorts of things, and some of it might be about all sorts of things, but generally you leave everything at the door, unless it driven by.., I guess it could get quite complicated, and its almost beginning to sound like there’s no difference between the outside world and the art world white cube space. It’s maybe five million meters of plate glass window. AM: Because you’ve got the same public coming off the street and into the gallery…? SW: So, maybe that’s where I do believe to think there’s where differences begin to make sense…so I suppose its very easy to think two different thoughts, I think the White Cube space will become just as relevant as it always has, and I don’t know whether it becomes a different choice. Is that for the artist, or again, is this aspirational? So, I might aspire to show in somewhere like White Cube, because it is so stripped away of the everyday that you encounter, but its not my choice to show in there, or not to show in there. So artists probably end up making, cause I don’t think lots of artists, some do, have a choice, they not creating are not creating space the best they are able to create, and I think that’s opened up all sorts of cultures, where you end up with something like Primary. Are they a real anecdote to the alternative of the white space, or was there this realisation that, you know, that we need to do something different. AM: Or is it just a reaction to empty and available spaces? SW: I think its reaction to different spaces and how you make that work. So that’s progressing, not just the diversity of the work, but the vocabulary. Now even that vocabulary stretches back a long, long time…now even in the 1950’s you’ve got…certain shows of the 20th century and what they created as installations and the performance and the kind of works that would have taken place from over one hundred years etcetera. So I think its really hard to pigeon hole the key things, because the more you know, the more blurry it gets to be able to define any particular thing. You could still go back and say that I see a certain truth about the nature of the white cube spaces that are typified by those examples, but I do potentially believe, going back to the idea of audiences, is they are getting more and more equipped to deal with both in how they receive their art for member of the public. They will both be important and one wont necessarily dominate the other. I just think they will carry on. AM: How far do you think the blurring of retail and the gallery can go? For instance, Tate Modern is expanding its retail space, but how far will it go until its predominantly a retail space? SW: I wouldn’t necessarily believe it will swap from one to another completely. I think those worries may end up being expressed as if something is being jeapodised and that might be due to the nature of us being slow in out ability to adopt change, and placing ourselves in that concern and anxiety. It’s interesting that they are expanding. I think that’s intriguing, the idea before the big coffee table book, where at exhibitions you may find monographs, or maybe in university library’s. The idea to be able to have the purchasing power, I would always ask from my family for Jim Dine, of High Preistess from Anselm Keifer, so it’s the one thing my family would buy me, and these really became quite precious items. They weren’t limited editions, but where else were you doing to get these, and have the opportunity to get that kind of cash. Twenty, or Thirty years on, you get these coffee book table deluxe editions, cd’s, hand printed t-shirts and things. There’s a nostalgic thing, but actually it is consumerism again that’s being brought into that so if the coffee table book and the art book are being brought into that , I see no reason why even the artist multiple doesn’t increase, and if its part of the retail experience to get your hands on a piece of art, then that’s possibly quite interesting. As it slowly does that, it might end up just taking that into the galleries in a way that has possibly been explored in the past, you may say Warhol has done that in certain ways, but if it gets a much harder edged retail concept then I think it perfectly possible and will we get to the days where, at lease for entertainment, that there is actually no difference between a Walmart shop, Asda and The Tate Gallery, perhaps they already are closer together. AM: But for you as an artist, acquiring a book, because you could never acquire an Anselm Keifer piece, is it a close as you can get to acquiring the artists work, and it’s a memory, and it’s a token… SW: I think it is, and as these books have increased in quality, it felt like an artists work. There is the thing that, as a consumer good, unless its signed, or really is by the hand of the artist, that has a resonating feeling with the signature, that signature has a certain kind of quality to it. I bought one signed by Joseph Buoys, and he just used to sign things with pencil, and its not about the autograph, its somehow about that he was the right artist to use pencil, and its loaded with that association, because you buy into the Buoys myth. I chose to pay more to sense the artists touch. AM: I suppose, you might say that if it s curated by the artists, signed and touched by their hand it’s a piece of art, but if it is a just a pure consumer good about the art, its value is commercial and less sensitive?

SW: I think that a big thing, people are seeing it through their i-phones, whether its noticeable as a way of recording information, or people will take images of the information panels as its easier than writing it. From what I’ve seen with my work at Nottingham Contemporary, when they are authorised to take photos, the viewer takes just as long looking at the physical exhibition as they do their phones. Whether they are doing it to download the images on their computer, upload it on social media, or share it with friends, so it becomes no different to the beautiful world of infenerable rubbish on the floor, which Facebook is really good at, in that tens of thousands of people are taking images of the same sweet wrappers, and then people ‘like’ it as if its some kind of extraordinary piece of the everyday. I think you can celebrate that, but then I am sometimes not so sure of the perception of whether the art on the wall is any greater or any lesser when people just look at a picture on their phones. AM: So, I guess your answer is ‘yes’ that people are engaging with art through their phones. So, do you believe commercialism and the increased accessibility of the contemporary gallery has been damaging to the experience? SW: It hasn’t for me, as the genuine artist’s work memorabilia, although not at affordable prices, is still available. Even artists are interested in goods, and there has to be something for that market, so you could never afford a Keifer, but you can afford the print, or the smaller painting, and if you cant do that, then something mass produced is of value. It’s the same kind of hierarchy as the telecommunication system can you afford the £400 or the £4000, maybe there’s no difference. They do the same thing. AM: So would you say that the gallery space needs the retail space to get that mass audience? SW: Maybe it helps them enter into it, maybe it helps them understand. Maybe its the souvenir, maybe they go around for long enough to warrant the need to purchase the postcard. Perhaps it’s the only tangible piece of evidence that people go away and prove that they’re seen that important painting for example. Or the exhibition, maybe its about being there, as much as we mark landmarks around the world, or meeting famous people. Perhaps there are levels where it’s treated exactly the same. What the retail space if offering is the ability to buy into that culture, that’s artist’s work. It might be a fridge magnet you take away, or a photograph, and there are occasions where its your companion is taking a photograph of you with that painting, Mona Lisa being a prime example, the amount of tourists that do this, and I imagine that that’s increasing more and more as the rules become more lax about cameras, but it still come back to the fact that nobody is missing an opportunity as far as retail is concerned, in order to sell you some more of that experience. AM: So as an artist, when you have purchased these glossy art magazines, does it feel for you that by acquiring and intellectual engaging with it, you feel part of the art world? SW: I thought it gave me something closer to hand, and going back to books, you start accumulating your own library, before computers. So the idea that you had books that you could dip in and out of, but with those much larger, beautiful books I certainly felt I was buying a relationship with that artist. Certainly with the Joseph Buoys one as in some ways it is doing no different than the Tate Gallery versions. And at Tate they are offering the same service as they delicately bring these out, open it up for worship, and yeah they aren’t wearing white gloves, but they’re really careful, and they value that book as its in the spirit of the artist, the man is contained with it, now that magic, can come out into retail or people find magic in the replicated postcard of Joseph Buoys, because they couldn’t get it the first time around, or they didn’t know about it. So the retail space taps into some of those things, and at some level, though I hestitate to say it, there is no difference between selling the mini, the Roles Royse or the Aspex. Some of it will have something to do with the artist, certainly if they are blue chip artists, selling work through the white cube, producing a space for all of these needs. At a different level, as artists in Primary, like many artists, Im sure we engage people in these ways, in many ways in our own works. And, I have to acknowledge that because some of my work is trying to sell it. AM: So you are aware that you need to sell your idea and you would like your work to be purchased and exhibited? SW: Yeah, I think there’s all of those things, and if a curator or collector buys it, there are no guarantee’s but there is every possibility they can look after that work better than I, and its more than the loss of that work, we probably produce very little, and we are very strongly connected with what we produce. As conceptual artist’s we choose not to be tied into all that, sometimes I’d even rather not sell the work, if its going to be seen purely as a commercial transaction between myself and another party. I think it still floats from one thing to another, but fundamentally, I think there are huge benefits about selling the work that you produce. The only thing is that when I have overtly gone down a commercial root, I think the work has suffered. I don’t go chasing that, but it would be nice to think that it marries up so that everything could be sold. AM: So, would you feel if someone were to buy an artwork they were adding value, but if they were to by a postcard or replication it would devalue it? SW: Perhaps if one cannot afford the real thing, to take some aspect of it away if it’s a postcard, that’s fine if its one produced by the artists themselves. Its something tangible, that for at least 4 minutes at some point, even if when it gets taken home its gets stored away, of forgotten about, or sent onto somebody else, but for at least for that moment they want to invest, even marginally in the work, and look and consider it. Unless they’re just indifferent to it and they’re just collecting postcards for no great reason. I suppose the work, adding value, I don’t know where I sit, as artists may seek selling their work because it does increase in value, its probably quite a nice idea. Though stripping that back, I was made aware of a collector interested in my work, a six by five oil on canvas, and there were negotiations with the gallery, and it went on for 8 months, the gallery called me and said that the guy didn’t want my painting, but he had bought a few other pieces within the gallery, but the work he purchased was a solloit, a Howard Hodgkin painting, Andy Warhol…he spent nearly a million. Anyway, he told the gallery that he preferred my painting to anything else he had bought, but it was his financiers that advised him otherwise. It highlights that there isn’t much difference, but the mass have their own convictions to buy what they like but the industry must purchase what they seemingly need to buy because of investment, and what is fashionable. It reveals truths about the industry.

SW: Yes it is, and its an interesting area where it potentially flips from one to the other, and does it become a lesser experience, or just an alternative experience? Or one you just have to make do with. The Tate are clever in how they replicate, going back to Joseph Buoys, the wooden postcards, they were about £80 on the secondary market in Amsterdam, after he died they were about £1000. Then we come to the Tate many, many years later and they weren’t editioned, just pure novelty for around £15. As an artist, I could identify with that, it was beginning to lessen the experience. I might get excited about the potential of it, but it devalues it. It’s aimed to purely get money from us. That’s what computer technology is doing, it encourage replicating it in another way. AM: Coming back to technology, have you noticed in this age of the i-phone any new ways people engage with the gallery space?

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Space Parameters Consent

Project Title: Space Osmosis; A Visual Research Document exploring the relationship between the gallery and the retail space. CONSENT FORM Please read and confirm your consent to being interviewed for this project by ticking the appropriate boxes and signing and dating this form

From: Sara Cluggish <SaraCluggish@nottinghamcontemporary.org> To: Alexandra Masters <alexandra.masters@btinternet.com> Sent: Thursday, 9 January 2014, 15:35 Subject: RE: Thank You and Consent Hi Alexandra, I was just thinking about this last night! So sorry I never got back to you. Yes, of course you have my consent for academic purposes – no problem.

1.I confirm that the purpose of the project has been explained to me, that I have been given information about it in writing, and that I have had the opportunity to ask questions about the research 2.I understand that my participation is voluntary, and that I am free to withdraw at any time without giving any reason and without any implications for my legal rights 3I give permission for the interview to be recorded by research staff, on the understanding that the tape will be destroyed at the end of the project 4.I agree to take part in this project

Best of luck,

___________________ __________ __________________ Name of respondent Date Signature

Sara

For office use only

From: “DGroenewald@phaidon.com” <DGroenewald@phaidon.com> To: Alexandra Masters <alexandra.masters@btinternet.com> Sent: Monday, 13 January 2014, 18:02

Name of researcher taking consent …………………………………………. Date ………………………………………

Good luck with it and apologies about not authorising use of my name. Best,

Signature…………………………………………………………….. How can I find out more about this project and its results? Please contact module team leader on Tim.rundle@ntu.ac.uk

Anonymous The representative from Phaidon spoke to Rebecca Davies and I on the terms that if the document was to be published for academic or any other purpose, Phaidon are to be marked out of the document.

Project on: Space Osmosis; A Visual Research Document exploring the relationship between the gallery and the retail space. What is the project about? I am in the process of researching the roles of both the curator and the visual merchandiser; how do both approach space and what do they see to be their responsibilities? I would like to look at how both spaces have affected each other - both space’s roles have changed since the 90’s democratisation of art and the increase in consumerism. How will this relationship continue to develop? Who is running this study? I am a final year student studying at Nottingham Trent University. This is an individual research project. Why have I been chosen to take part? I would like your personal opinion of what your responsibilities are.

From: Info <info@theschooloflife.com> To: Alexandra Masters <alexandra.masters@btinternet.com> Sent: Monday, 11 November 2013, 15:43 Subject: RE: For Mary, Thank You and Consent

What do you want me to do?

Hi Alex,

Your participation is entirely voluntary. No one else will be informed of your participation or non-participation.

That all looks great and sounds good, I wish to confirm my participation and consent for the material to be used, Thanks for checking and good luck with it! Mary Toal

A brief conversation would be more than adequate, so that we can get an overall idea of what the industry is like and where improvements can be made. Do I have to take part?

What will happen to the information I provide? In order to keep a record of the interviews we would like to tape the discussion and have transcribed into text. We will then analyse the information and feed it into our results. At the end of the study all the tapes, transcripts and any other information collected will be destroyed. How will you protect my confidentiality and anonymity? The tape and transcript will only be handled by me, in line with data protection principles and our approved research protocol. Hard copies of research notes are kept in locked cabinets, and electronic files are kept on password protected computers which are not accessible to any other person. What are the possible disadvantages and risks in taking part? The main cost to you will be the time needed to be interviewed What are the possible benefits? I hope that you will find participation interesting. On the documents completion I am happy to send a digital copy of my insighst of the discussed relationship. This is a relationship that is bound to develop as society moves into increased digitalisation whereby more than ever public spaces will need to adapt. The visual merchandiser/curator has never been so important. What will happen to the results? The information given will be used in our report as evidence for and against.

Space Parameters Tutorial Sheets

Independent Research Project

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Tuesday the 15th October

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Tuesday 29th October

Bring in a piece of writing I like (Alain, of course) – his piece on culture coming in the ‘wrong wrapping’, we all assume that glamour will fill our voids, it does not!

Zine – I loved putting it together – visuals/photography/writing/illustrations/compositions….how do I academically translate? Prepared to briefly discuss thoughts on presentations – where do I think I am going?

A lose plan of essay/how will I structure my essay? Make a clear and concise structure. The Gallery Space, The Commercial Space, The Effect of Space, The Opinion of Space The Changing Space, The Future of Space

Art as Therapy and The Artistc Ape and Reith Lectures – what’s inspiring me – where do I take them???

Learning issues to discuss in session:

WE NEED ART – how can this be integrated in society outside the gallery space? Learning issues to discuss in session:

Should I specify a certain area within retail – The Lifestyle store, where one can improve our interior and exteriors? In order to compare retail and art, it must be a design/art interested retail space?

Ethics – what are the ethics surrounding pictures? The essay relies on a strategic outcome – what does this entail? Is reading a book all day a realistic use of time? What is expected of a first class worthy essay? Feedback from session: Potential to be too self indulgent…it needs REASON

Both retail aim for the same thing; pursuing beauty to fill a void Are my questions naïve? AKA ‘Will retail ever priorities beauty and therapy over revenue? It’s a unanimous NO! Asking one curator and one visual merchandiser is too narrow? Feedback from session: If my research is taking me towards lifestyle “It sounds like a good plan to narrow the question if your research is leading you that way” – okay, I need to stick to lifestyle and the idea on interior/exterior improvement of the self. Expand research – stay on the question of he aims and responsibilities of the curator and visual merchandiser, don’t sway into other avenues.

Remember WHO/WHAT/WHERE/WHY ‘There is something there’ – I need to develop a focus of the retail/art connection and to stick with it Always been on the look out – research is everywhere…think outside the industry Tasks for next session: Brainstorm Research – The Gallery Space/The Retail Space

The questions I am asking are ‘interesting’ Tasks for next session: Consider how I am going to present where I am so far – What issues do I need help with? Show warts and all. Learning Outcomes, what are they? I need to know them…constantly refer back to the question I am asking and the basic boxes that I need to tick.

A Method Plan for research What are my intentions? Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor)

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

Signed (student)

Independent Research Project Independent Research Project

Tuesday 22nd October (coincided with LS:N Global talk)

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session: Brainstorm of gallery/retail space – what are their purposes as public spaces? Method Plan – How am I going about conducting my research? I have prepared a lose line of questioning for curators and visual merchandisers - do they seem reasonable? Learning issues to discuss in session: Very heavily focusing on Alain du Botten’s theories – is this a problem? My line of questioning for experts – does that make sense? I am going along the lines of asking if art is therapy, is retail therapy? How can retail be made therapy? What makes therapy? What makes the consumer feel good? I am going to London to talk to experts within the fields – I will be comparing the responsibilities and the roles of the curator and visual merchandiser – do they differ, or are they the same? Feedback from session: By next week, drop Alain du Botten! Try and speak to him (he responded to my twitter!) Go to ‘School of Life’, the store based on such theories as those created by philosophers Speak to a wide range of experts. Base my essay on the use of space by curators/merchandisers of public arenas. Contact Sara Cluggish of Nottingham Contemporary! Tasks for next session: Bring in a piece of writing I like (Alain, of course) A lose plan of essay/how will I structure my essay? Make a clear and concise structure.

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

Tuesday 5th November 2013

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session: Consider how I am going to present where I have done so far – What issues do I need help with? Show warts and all. Learning Outcomes, what are they? I need to know them…constantly refer back to the question I am asking and the basic boxes that I need to tick. Learning issues to discuss in session: Is my line of research too narrow? I want to write a lot about a little, not a little about a lot – does this fit in with the learning outcomes? Where do I go next? Am I wasting time emailing people? Am I talking to the right people? Feedback from session: Collate what I’m thinking – Feel free to start writing…I don’t want to start writing until I have a completely formed line of thought. Include context at the beginning of my essay…WHY WHY WHY Remember, I am coming up with a strategy Continue with what I am doing – and just be ready to present: What I have done/What I plan/What I’m thinking/What have I found out It is not a showing off exercise, its an opportunity for help and feedback – what am I struggling with? Learning Outcome point to think about: Harvard Reference as I go along (it must be correct), follow ethical guidelines as much as possible, don’t copy for look of document/my own take on infographics, have I answered my question? Arguing and reasoning. Tasks for next session: No tutorial – I will write up what I have been thinking over the week regardless and what I have got from the lecture week… My ideas are constantly shifting and changing - DEMONSTRATE! Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

Independent Research Project

Tuesday 19th November Presentation

Independent Research Project

Tuesday 14th January [Via Email]

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

THE PRESENTATION

All of writing so far for Michelle to look at a section of.

Take everything I have got from lecture week and use them for communicate my ideas and issues. How can I involve the audience???? Learning issues to discuss in session: Shall I alter my question?

Some visuals to help select which ones

Based on my research so far, when do I go now to achieve the highest grade possible? What more could I research or focus on?

Bibliography and citations thus far – am I doing it correctly? Learning issues to discuss in session:

Feedback from session: Refine question – BE FOCUSED in what I am saying - At the moment it is a ramble and not a narrative A study exploring the relationship between gallery and retail spaces. Through observing the relationship and changes of spaces together, I hope to suggest a way to create a fusion of both the gallery and retail space. Good context – but I have gone down a few rabbit holes Go back through research with a lens Directly reference question, constantly refer back. Filter – create a clear and concise narrative - Don’t be Grayson Perry [talk too much about not enough]

Is it expected to be a change in tone of voice for the strategy - should it be more ‘action’/quantative/reflective? Is it bad to introduce new information within the strategy, or is it meant to be more of a reflection on the research and how that is commercially useful in the future? My research is at the 5,600 mark on the 3rd draft - Is that still too much with the +/- 10%? Feedback from session: The word count is not assessed pedantically The tone of choice is not something required for strategy, but may be appropriate to use a more declarative style. It is fine to introduce new information within the strategy if it Is more ‘strategic’ and relevant to the section

Stop Thinking Now – What do I want to say? - Make a model – a logical model - Think FCP

Keep referencing consistent Tasks for next session:

First = Great research and thinking + Answering the question in a logical fashion

Proof read again

It’s a narrative, not an interesting ramble

Who am I aiming this for? What is the call to action

Tasks for next session:

To have started InDesign and completed imagery

Write a refreshed and refined breakdown of what I am saying - CLEAR AND CONCISE Write and introduction! - Mock up a logical model?

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor)

Make the essay useful and logical, so it is not just interesting, but useful too.

Signed (student)

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student) Independent Research Project

Tuesday 3rd December ; Last Tutorial Before Christmas

Independent Research Project

Tuesday 21st January

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session: A piece of writing from the initial stages of our essay Last Tutorial before Christmas – what do I want to ask? Bring transcripts of both Michelle and Tim’s feedback – does Michelle approve of Tim’s comments based on the fact that he is the head lecturer of FCP?

Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session: Show sections that are going into printing – opinions? What am I thinking about implementation ideas for next stage?

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Have I followed the ethical method of practice – most notably concerning Phaidon and illustrations? Learning issues to discuss in session:

Should I explain how my essay had shifted and changed throughout exploration?

Is by bibliography a sufficient size?

Do I need to look at pro-consumerism or is simply getting a visual merchandisers opinion of space enough?

I am losing perspective of what is good and what is not – who can I get to read the document?

Is my focus on global/political/social changes too heavy?

I am struggling with Indesign – can my grade be affected if I have made errors (a blurred image)? Feedback from session:

Feedback from session: It is better to paraphrase than directly quote – only directly quote if you could not say it better yourself. People must have said somewhere that they consent to you using them in your study

Providing the bibliography is true and of a reasonable size, that is all that matters. The most effective method is to get someone detached from the course and subject area, and watch their reactions as they read the document.

Avoid large quotes – doesn’t demonstrate understanding

The visuals of the document are assessed within the grading scheme, as the nature of the course requires certain level of visual and digital understanding. Tasks for next session:

Shall I do a separate document as appendix? We have the choice.

The completed document is to be handed in to the office upon completion by the stated date.

Do not explain how essay has changed, and any info. Is okay, as long as it is relevant and brought back to the question and FCP

Continue to consider where to go with ideas for the next stage of study. Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor)

Tasks for next session: January 6th – I should have pretty much finished the writing – December is a vital period – stay focused and draft essay around 3 times:

Signed (student)

- Does it tell a story? - Is it interesting and well informed? - Is it cited correctly? - Does it flow? - Have I stayed on point and answered the exploration? - Is my strategic outcome an interesting and does it tie my research together nicely? Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student)

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I filled the white cube