On Collecting part 2

As part of the On Collecting art project Rachel Benjamin has explored museums as spatial systems that contain or frame everything they exhibit. The arrangement of the displays, the plinths and the labels are all formal constructions affected by the surrounding elements, other objects, lighting and colour.  Arthur Owen has created new objects in response to those in the collection; in the form of his own unique handmade plastic board game characters, to counter the mass produced object.

Julia Flatman, Senior Associate Lecturer, School of Visual Arts

Rachel Benjamin

When visiting a museum, we are often so interested by the objects on show that we neglect to appreciate how the artefacts are displayed. I was interested in the presentational apparatus. These images are a small selection of photographs taken on visits to Winchester Cathedral, the Wallace Collection in London, Pitt River’s Museum in Oxford and Reading Town Hall.  The purpose was to make visible the elements of display, the vitrines, the architecture and space, the positioning of the artefacts and the lighting.

There is a beauty in the reflections and shadows created by the lights and glass, which goes unnoticed.

 

Arthur Owen

These figures are made in response to my observations of industrially produced board games and lovingly produced horn ornaments. The rules and rough shapes of the figurines were tailored to function in a board gaming environment. The designs of the figurines represent my collective socio-political observations. The game is a vehicle in the modern information world war to help the leftists win one meme at a time. Memes make up the narrative of the board game.