Collective traces
Brown, C. 2006. Collective traces. University College London 22 Mar - 05 May 2006
Brown, C. 2006. Collective traces. University College London 22 Mar - 05 May 2006
| Creators | Brown, C. |
|---|---|
| Description | A ceramic installation within a museum context which developed ideas about the overlap between archaeology and psychoanalysis by exploring the relevance of archaic objects to a contemporary artist and the significance of the emotional attachment that humans project onto objects. This project engages with current debates within both the broad spectrum of visual culture and, more specifically, the discipline of ceramics, about the relationship between the artist and the museum and the use of installation within the discipline. Brown’s response to the everyday nature and intimate scale of the Petrie Museum’s collection of Egyptian artefacts resulted in an installation of small-scale clay figures placed on everyday kitchen chairs surrounded by grave goods which were inspired by contemporary amulets such as teddy bears and mobile phones. These comprised 8 ceramic figures on chairs, 300 ceramic, wax, faience and bronze amulets. These were accompanied by a group of appropriate Egyptian artefacts in order to emphasise the continuity between past and present. Brown visited the collection regularly for two years making records through drawing and note-taking prior to making the artworks. Through this methodology she developed a conceptual approach to the representation and presentation of her ideas through casting processes and installation. The Petrie Museum is a key international research resource and Brown’s project is one of several artists’ responses to this unique collection. Others include Mark Karasick, Magdalene Odundo and Sarah Beddington. Brown’s Collective Traces project was supported by an AHRC grant (£5000). It was subsequently adapted for the Egyptian galleries at the Manchester Museum in an intervention entitled ‘After Life’, where it will remain until 2009. The catalogue text for ‘Collective Traces’ was written by curator and former Egyptologist, James Putnam, who was a key speaker at the well-attended seminar held during the exhibition. Brown’s paper from this event was published in the Australian magazine Ceramics Technical (No 23, 2006), thereby establishing the research in an international context. |
| Year | 2006 |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 2006 |
| ISBN | 0954104412 |
| ISSN | 1324-4175 |
| Output media | Catalogue |
| Journal citation | 23 |
| Journal | Ceramics Technical |