i'm a curator, you're a curator, we all are curators simply because we select & organise...apprently

one bad yet good yet bad thing about living where i do is the fact that things take a while to happen / move / filter through. but i'm afraid that the candid flippant misuse of the term 'curator' has finally arrived, last week to be exact, with the opening of a new place in town.

music nights are no longer 'hosted' or 'presented' by some guy but are 'curated'. the promo leaflets and website reads like this: this 'whatever-catchy-name of a gig night' is curated by 'so and so' and features 'this whatever' band; with '... the venue is created and curated by...' (running the place + dictating what goes and what doesn't = curating ...actually that's not too far from where a lot of curators would like to be! chuckle...)

this is nothing new, i know, and is not a new subject to discussions, i know, and no matter what i say / think, it is most definetly not new, i know. but it still angers me to the point i just can't wait for - and actively source - another buzz word to come along so that people can jump on that and leave my precious 'curator' be,

here are some interesting (read 'infuriating') examples:
elle decoration Oct 09
from ny discusses the way her interior is decorated and declares '...i guess i'm less of a shopper, but more of a curator.' giving some thought to what you put in your home / selecting + styling = curating.

local music festival: swn
selecting + event organising = curating. i actually spoke to huw about this and he was genuinely afraid that he shouldn't have used the term, as he couldn't really explain why it's used.


i'm just waiting now for the local market to have some curated stalls, for a curated vintage clothes shop to open, and for the term to loose all meaning until no one wants it...

what makes good design?

cardiff design festival

this year, i've put together a digital exhibition for this year's festival and will be uploading it on to here probably friday (so keep an eye out for it) after the opening on thursday eve. if you're around cardiff, come along to milgi, city road - it will be a good event.

guerilla marketing done right

what a fantastic way of building curiosity, interest and excitement and a novel way of advertising which is new new new to here (although i know it's been done done done in other places...)

john lewis is in town and don't we all know it.

museums take note, this is how it's done.

book of the month

this month i will mostly be leafing through and reading 'tactile: high touch visuals' edited by robert klanten, sven ehmann and matthias hubner, published by die gestalten verlag, berlin. different design discipline's use of three-dimensional space is the subject, so plenty of inspiration for exhibition design.

product of the month

september's product of the month is klaus aalto's 'city boy picnic grill' for selki-asema.

perhaps a bit late for the summer picnic season but surely a must-have for the fresh autumn ones? compact, clean lines and quality materials (stainless steel and oak), this grill is pretty enough for any shelf and practical enough for a good lot of use.
as seen in copenhagen design week's code 09 showcase and available at www.finnishdesignshop.com.

pop-up culture

they say that in tough times, creativity blossoms.

as money is scarce in the arts, innovative thinking comes into major play and one key movement has been the 'pop-up' exhibition space. landlords and estate agents are clocking the advantages of offering empty shops to curators and artists to set up for days /weeks / months. fashion brands have been doing this for ages (comme des garcons the most obvious), banksy has done it, so it was only time until the flow reached others.

san francisco has a programme 'art in storefronts' up and running, backed by the Mayor (article here http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=35742 (thanks to curating.info)), new york has a 'no longer empty' initiative, numerous pop-ups in london and interestingly, salon gallery of london have just released details of a competition they are running for young curators to win the chance to put on a show - 'london's next top curator'. check out http://www.salongallery.co.uk/ for details on how to apply. crap title but a great chance for young graduates which is very much needed.

from personal experience, it's pretty difficult to find landlords open enough for suggestions on this, but i'm sure that says more about here and anything. ho hum. although there has been one - the 'aaaaart shop' in the main shopping centre here. so hopeful signs that it'll catch on. i do hope so.

time to get self-motivated to fill the empty with the full.

p.s. interesting article on this subject here (another favourite blog worth keeping an eye on) - http://newcurator.com/2009/02/slack-space-empty-shops-as-exhibition-space/