Planning and setting up an exhibition under the theme of ‘Respair’ was an enriching process. It was the first time that our class worked together as a group towards a large collaborative project. There were a couple of hiccups along the way, people under-performing, not contributing or managing time efficiently. But we overcame these obstacles and managed to set up a successful exhibition in the process. I do admit, I could have managed my time better by finishing the production on my film earlier — but I was facing my own struggles with my health as well as not living in London. The only issue I had during the hanging process of the work was the low audio levels in my film — it was an easy fix in Premier Pro, where I normalised the audio peaks of both the films that were being looped. I am proud of the work I exhibited as it fitted the exhibitions theme, ‘Respair’ perfectly — depicting aspects of the mental health journey I have experienced over the Corona virus lockdown period. My peers also responded to the theme well, as all of us have very creative and talented bent of mind. My favourite work present was a tree where you could write messages of hope on cards tacked on to the tree branches — it was an amazing interactive artwork and a novel way to approach the theme.
All in all, curating an exhibition has taught me a lot about myself and my peers. Some of that includes — developing group working skills and being able to stick to schedule while managing your time efficiently. This would not only be useful when studying at the university, but also when working as a professional. I know there will be many unexpected hurdles in the future where I have to adapt, compromise and make my own decisions — so this was a perfect taster to learn for the future. Also it was a great way of bringing the course to an end. I respect my peers more now as I was able to see the quality of work that they produced during this process. There was a great turnout on the opening day and it was amazing to receive positive feedback from the public and as well as my peers. My mum also came to see the exhibition and it was a great opportunity for her to meet my classmates and tutors, and to see their works live. The only disappointment was that some of my classmates who I worked with through the year could not show up for the opening night to celebrate the occasion together. But all in all it was a wonderful evening and a fitting end to the course.
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