Over the course of my time sitting in the Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork and Jewellery department of the RCA, I have been involved in two exhibitions that are part of the annual schedule for students.

On both occasions the departmental authorities (Hans Stofer and Michael Rowe) have imposed conditions on the outward appearance of the display that has compelled students to show there work in a context that was determined, which they might not have chosen for themselves.

On the first occasion the overcoat was the system of display on which objects were placed. This was the show in Nijmegen, Holland (see link).

The twine hanging down from a tense wire was the thing on which you had to attach, your hanger, and then the overcoat. All had to conform to this string. Everyone had one string, but within this space each student could do what they wanted. They all responded to the same brief with a dominant object that all had to use as a base, which gave the show a uniformity, within which eclecticism could occur, like a library shelf with complete mix of different books from different publishers, each with individual font, colour and size.

How much further could a curator impose on the artist-makers? How significantly could a curator impose conditions on an artist that would require him/her to forego ego, individuality, in a marketplace where the name is all important? How much is the individual maker willing to give to a curatorial principle?

The second involved putting work inside a MDF box which lit up as you opened the door. In the immediate aftermath of Christmas and the New Year technicians were toying with lamps and MDF boxes in the colder lower level of the Gubelkin galleries to set up the show.

So used to feeling comfortable in presenting my work as a researcher through the normal channels of powerpoint presentations and seminar discussions, standing in front of an object you have made in an exhibition with an audience was curiously disarming. I desired some kind of recognition or appreciation of the piece, and if they there was something that they didn’t understand, that I intended to communicate through the piece I wanted to make them understand. But you’re not privileged to the same freedom to explain something over the course of many minutes.

And if someone turns around and expresses praise for your work, you become all bashful… “Oh no… really…”

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