EMBODIED SPECTATORSHIP

Students:

Faculty:

Term:

Course:

Program:

James Dam, Robert Whipple

Adam Thibodeaux

Spring 2022

ARC621

MArch

Does a given environment affect how a user views a piece of art? Art is often intended to create more than only a visual connection with the user. This seminar is grounded in the understanding that where and how we view art plays a role in the kinds of information gathered. This idea calls into question whether the act of viewing art has catered to a standardized, able-bodied spectator.

Studying UB’s Anderson Gallery generated an opportunity to examine new methods of inclusivity and their relation to exhibition space.

This Technical Methods course tackled how environments can be better designed to integrate information gathering for the user, familiarizing them with the site and program. Students worked with the UB Anderson Gallery throughout the semester to develop a more intimate relationship between the spectator and the art piece. Developing site-specific design proposals for the exhibition and archive spaces enabled students to design from the user’s point of view.

MArch students James Dam and Robert Whipple developed a proposal for the art that would be stored away rather than displayed. Their design intervention changes the concept of private storage in the art gallery and turns it into an exhibit and research space. By incorporating an interactive storage device, visitors can interact with stored pieces that may not be featured widely in the gallery. A mixture of movable racks for mounted frames and underneath cabinets for smaller works make room to store new art pieces.

We have known each other since our freshmen year… this created a better dynamic to be able to schedule our time and work together in a better capacity."

- Robert Whipple

In addition to storage technologies, circulation among the gallery rooms creates unique spectating experiences. Entrances to the three main gallery rooms were arched to keep with the vernacular style seen on the second floor. Each room had large existing widows to be kept intact. The challenge was working with sunlight that has the potential to deteriorate art. To combat this, reflection spaces along the wall aid in diffusing the incoming natural light.

The changes their design intervention proposes bring the user closer to the art and conceive a re-imagined space for spectators. Using the Anderson Gallery as grounds for inclusive and experimental techniques allows these design modifications to be transplanted to other sites. Art has been and will continue to be a significant part of many cultures. Creating spaces for spectatorship to be equally enjoyed is an essential relationship for designers and architects to care for and consider.