Art Space, a project reimaging how local artists could be exhibited within libraries, required an innovative exhibition system. Libraries’ community focus makes them ideal spaces for exhibiting local artists, but also difficult ones. As a visually dense public space it risks relegating artwork to easily ignored decoration. To protect it from being so swamped, it risks disconnecting it from place.
Our concept was a gallery distributed among other spaces, overlapping with the existing architecture. As a kit of parts each Art Space is a fragment made from fragments. The primary components are two aluminium channels – one custom extruded, the other folded. One channel provides attachment for artworks, the other, clipped into it, provides rigidity and cable concealment.
Attached to the channels are hooks for 2d works, vitrines for jewellery and small sculptures, led lighting, and monitors linked to a multi-channel control unit. Maximising flexibility, we accommodated visual cabling rather than increasing complexity attempting to eliminate it.
Through the arrangement of component parts each Art Space establishes a subtle, particular presence – an aspect of its host library, expressed as a pattern: as the space between two doorways, the intersection of a ceiling grid and the edge of a bookcase, the intensity of light, the shadow cast from a nearby window.
With the advent of the new Art Space system applications to the Art Space program have risen by 30% in the first year with growth in the sales of artworks. The experience of audience members have been reported as exceedingly positive across all the new spaces with specific comments around the ingenuity of the system and attractiveness of the design.