 |  | Full bloom at The Laing |
|
Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Full Bloom, Late Shows
New Bridge Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AG
Contact: Sophia Yadong Hao sophia.hao@twmuseums.org.uk
Name of Event: Full Bloom, Late Shows
Date(s):17th May 2008
Budget: £1,700
Theme: Participation
Objectives: to encourage people to enter the gallery during the Late Shows, and to attract a younger audience (14 to 24 years old). To alter the public’s perception of the Laing Art Gallery and foster a wider understanding of what traditional and contemporary forms of art can be.
Describe the event/activity (briefly):
Full Bloom, was a 12 hour public art work by John Dummett which invited members of the public to inscribe hundreds of fresh white arum lilies with descriptions of how they have expressed love to others.
Overall evaluation of event (in terms of numbers attending, target groups reached, media coverage and other objectives met):
Full bloom was covered by BBC radio in Newcastle Upon Tyne and by regional newspapers and arts magazines. Approximately 1500 people witnessed the work with 50% of these participating. The work was successful in engaging with the target group of 14 to 24 years old, the location of the work outside the gallery was instrumental in achieving this.
What made this event/activity special to the participants, special for the museum or gallery?
Full Bloom gave individuals the opportunity to contribute and participate directly in the construction of a public art work, the public were also able to talk informally to the artist throughout the work. For the Laing Gallery the project successful expanded the current curatorial approach by presenting and making work in a public and outdoor setting.
How will this project inspire you for the future? And, how could it inspire others?
Full Bloom was a useful demonstration of how small scale and relatively low budget commissioned works in public space can be used as a strategy to encourage a wider audience to experience contemporary art. This approach can provide a vital context in which to develop and present experimental, process based and live works outside of the programming schedule of the Laing galleries main exhibition spaces. The short duration of this type of process based work offers the Laing the ability to have a public profile based around a quickly changing and highly visible programme of public art works, which will complement and expand its current curatorial capability.
