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Assignment4finalversion:APictureisworthathousandwords
ProfessorPaulSmith,Director,OxfordUniversityMuseumofNaturalHistory©JoannaVestey2015ThisphotographisfromCustodiansaseriesmadebyJoannaVestey2012-15(1)(2).InherArtist’sStatementVesteyquotesauthorJanMorriswritingaboutOxfordasforming‘anationalparadigm’,andstatesthatshewantedtoexplorethisstructurefurtherand,inparticular,whatcouldberevealedbyexaminingtherelationshipbetweentheOxfordinstitutionsmakingupthatstructureandtheindividualsthatoccupiedthem.’Theserieswasintendedtobe‘AcelebrationofthespacesandparticularlytheroleoftheCustodians’withtwocriteria–thespacesphotographedshouldbeinOxfordandeachinstitutionshouldselectanindividualwhowouldbeseenwithinthemasa‘Custodian’.(Vestey,2015:89)TheserieswasshotwithanoldHasselbladwithdigitalback–modelingthelayersofoldandmoderninthebuildingsandpeople.ThedinosaurinthephotographabovestruckmeasapunctumwithintheseriesasIscannedVestey’swebsiteimages.PerhapsanobviousoneintermsofconnotationsregardingoldCulturalinstitutionsandslownesstochange.However,asIexploreditfurther,otheraspectsrosetothesurfaceforme.Inkeepingwiththeseriesasawhole,thesoft,mutedcolourtonesanduseoflightevokeasenseofcalm,stillnessandcontemplation.IwasremindedoftheworksofThomasStruth(3),CandidaHöfer(4)andAndyFreeberg(5)consideringplacementofpeopleinthespace,theirrelativesmallnessinrelation
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totheframe,orabsenceofthem.InaninterviewwithBJPVesteyherselfreferstoHofer’smonographArchitectureofAbsenceandthemetaphysicalaspectsofemptybuildingswhereyouaredancingwithghosts.(6).Theuseofrecedingperspective,lines,diagonalsandtrianglesremindedmeofclassicalpaintingsandearlierphotography,butthisclassicalcompositionisfragmentedbythedinosaurwhosespikycurvesandjuttingjawactasapunctuationmarktoconnoteadifferentnarrative.Thepointofviewappearschosentoemphasizethearrangementofobjectswithinthespace,injuxtapositionwiththefigureofthesolehumanappearingverysmallintheframe,andyetapunctumdrawingone’seyeasif,despiteseeminglessimportantintheoverallschemeofthings,hehasanimportantroletoplayatthismoment.Thedinosaurskeletontakesupalargeportionoftheforeground.Withhindlegsrestingonaplinth,butforelegsfreeitlookspoisedtodescend;skullandopenjawsappearingtopointattheDirector,standingagainstawalloflargevitrinesattherighthandside.Asmallerprehistoriccreaturestandsopposite,asculpturedportraitbustonacolumnatitsback.Therearefurther,ghostlyshroudedfiguresinthebackgroundandtotheDirector’sright.Hegazesupwards,seeminglyatthebrickwallandcolumnsopposite,apparentlyunawareofthesecreaturesthatappeartobesurroundinghimandreadytopounce.AsmyeyestravelaroundtheframeInoticetablesanddisplaycabinetspushedtogetheronthetiledfloor.TheDirectorisstandingonaplywoodpaththattravelsalongsidewoodenscaffoldingthatchangestoironsupportingaplasticshroudedscaffoldasitmeetstheroof.IhavenotvisitedtheMuseumitselfandtheGothicarchessoaringgracefullytomeetaglasstiledroofconnotetwopossibilitiestome–themuseumishousedwithinadeconsecratedchurchoradefunctrailwaystation–somethingsimilartoStPancras,London.(7)Bothcouldfit–theworshipofthepastandaterminuspoint.(8)IndeedIwonderedinitiallywhetherthiswasastoreroomwhere‘unused’specimensorartefactslanguishuntilneeded.Thechosen,formalelementsofthephotograph;thewide-angledforegroundanddiminishingperspectiveaddtothissenseofclutteranddisorder.IdoubtthatVesteymovedthelargeobjectsaroundandassumeshechosethatvantagepointand,takingthelightdirectionintoaccount,askedtheDirectortoposeinthatparticularspotwithhisbackagainstthecabinets.TheforegrounddinosaurandshroudedbackgroundfiguresformatrianglewiththeDirectoratitsapex-theonlyhumanbeinginthescene,backed-upbythewoodenscaffoldinglooksthinandsomewhatspindly.Itcertainlydoesnotlooksufficienttosupportthestructureoftheroof.CouldthisbeavisualmetaphorfortherelationshipbetweentheMuseumandtheDirector?Hestandserect,lonelyinhisrole,gazingsteadfastlyatthetaskaheadofhim.Therevereddeadscientistsandremainsofcenturiesofcreaturesthathaveroamedtheeartharethreateningtooverwhelmthismanwiththeirexpectationandtheneedtomaintainandrepairanoldbuilding.Ataskrequiringconsiderablefinancialsupport.Subsequentresearchinformsmethat,inline
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withtheUniversityMuseumConservationPlan,2012,(9)theMuseumwasclosedfor14monthsduringa£2millionprojecttoremoveandresealtheglassrooftilesandreopenedinFebruary2014.(10)TheMuseumhasadistinguishedpast,itsfoundingstonebeinglaidon20June1855andmovingintoitsnewbuildingin1861.MenofsciencehaveconductedsignificantdebatesthereovertimeandstatuesofsomearedisplayedaroundtheMuseumcourt.ProfessorPaulSmithbecameDirectorin2012andhehasworkedinuniversitymuseumsformostofhiscareer.(11)IimaginehecomesfromalonglineofDirectorswhosestayshavebeentransientcomparedwiththelifeofthisInstitution.Itmakessensethatheappearssmallintheframeofthisparticularphotograph.Ihavebeenunabletofindthedateonwhichthephotographwastakenbut,ifamcorrectinassumingthatthisoccurredduringtheMuseum’sclosureforrepair,itprovidesanexcellentexampleofthetemporalityofthephotography–arecordofaparticularspaceandtimethatnolongerexists.Thinkingof‘apicturebeingworthathousandwords’remindsmethat,whilstIhavebeenlookingataphotographandnottherealityitself,thisflatimagehasdrawnmeintoinvestigatingamultitudeoflayersandmeanings,justastheMuseumlayersdifferentperiodsoftime.(1014words)
(1) Vestey,JProfessorPaulSmithDirector,OxfordUniversityMuseumofNaturalHistoryAt:http://www.joannavestey.com/galleries/custodians(Accessedon3December2015)
(2) PhotographdownloadedwithwrittenpermissionfromJ.Vesteyinprivateemaildated2November2011.
(3) ThomasStruthcreatedaseriesofMuseumPhotographstakenoveranumberofyearsinmajorEuropeanCities.Thesephotographsarelarge-scale,incolour,andshowpeopleincontemplationofhistoricpaintingsinMuseums.Hewasinterestedin‘picturesofpeoplewithpicturesinthem’.Therearepicturesofpeople,alone,ingroups,standingorseatedandwhatholdsthemtogetherasaseriesisthefactthattheyarealllookingatpictures.Seehttp://thomasstruth32.com/bigsize/photographs/museum_photographs_1/index.html(accessed3December2015).
(4) CandidaHöfercreatesbeautifullycomposedphotographsofpublicandinstitutionalspacesthatareusuallyemptyofahumanpresence.Seehttp://aperture.org/shop/architecture-of-absence(accessed3December2015)
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(5) AndyFreeburg’sSeriesGuardiansofRussianArtMuseumsalsotakesusintoMuseums.Hissubjectsarethewomenwhositinthegalleriesandkeepwatchoverthecollections.Hisphotographshavemorevividcoloursandvarietyoftones,withhissubjectsbeingclosertothecamera.Seehttp://andyfreeberg.com/guardians.html(Accessed3December2015
(6) InaninterviewwithBrennavanSritharanofTheBritishJournalofPhotography(20August2015)VesteyreferstoHofer’sseries,‘Youdon’tneedsomeonetobeinaspacetoknowwhatit’susedfor…….evenifyoutookoutallthefurniture,there’sstillsomethingabouttheatmospherethatholdsthestory’.Thiswasinreferencetotheconceptof‘dancingwithghosts’.http://www.bjp-online.com/2015/08/joanna-vestey-custodians/(Accessedon3December2015).
(7) BuildingbeganonSt.PancrasStationin1867andthisGothicbuildingwasoftencalledTheCathedralofRailwayStations.Seehttp://stpancras.com/history(Accessedon4December2015).
(8) Infactthiswasanewbuildingbuiltinneo-Gothicstyle.TheOxfordUniversityonlinearchivesinformedmethatfouracresoflandwaspurchasedfromMertonCollegeinDecember1853,withafurtherfouracresaddedin1854.thedesignfortheMuseumwaschosenthroughanopencompetition.Followinganopencompetitiontwodesignswereselectedfrom32entriesandtheConvocationvotedforaneo-GothicdesignbyDeaneandWoodward.TheUniversitymadeagrantof£30,00toconstructioncostfortheshellofthebuildingandthismoneywas“…..partofthe£60,000accumulatedprofitoftheOxfordUniversityPressthathadbeenmostlyearnedthroughprintingbibles.”http://www.oua.ox.ac.uk/holdings/MU%20Introduction.pdf(Accessedon17May2016)(9)http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/media/global/wwwadminoxacuk/localsites/estatesdirectorate/documents/conservation/University_Museum.pdf(Accessedon3December2015)(10)On-lineBBCNews16February2014http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-26055962(Accessedon3December2015)(11)MembersoftheNationalMuseumDirectors”Councilfoundathttp://www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/members/oxmuseum/(Accessedon4December2015)
SourcesVestey,J,(2015)Custodians,Oxford,AshmoleanMuseumPublicationshttp://www.joannavestey.com/galleries/custodians(Accessedon3December2015)http://thomasstruth32.com/bigsize/photographs/museum_photographs_1/index.html(Accessedon4December2015)http://aperture.org/shop/architecture-of-absence(Accessedon3December2015)http://andyfreeberg.com/guardians.html(Accessedon3December2015)
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http://www.bjp-online.com/2015/08/joanna-vestey-custodians/(Accessedon3December2015)http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/media/global/wwwadminoxacuk/localsites/estatesdirectorate/documents/conservation/University_Museum.pdf(Accessedon3December2015)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-26055962(Accessedon3December2015)http://www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/members/oxmuseum/(Accessedon4December2015)http://www.oua.ox.ac.uk/holdings/MU%20Introduction.pdf(Accessedon17May2016)
