This was by far the worst exhibition I have ever seen in fact. I went with a friend to the gallery and I have always been a large advocate of the space but I was embarrassed of what I took them to see. I have heard rumours from people in Liverpool that they have had large cuts in arts funding, I don't know whether this is true or not, but it does not excuse the poor finish within the exhibition. The floor reminded me of the old TK Maxx that has recently been closed down. It looked a mess. On the second floor they had some nice prints on from memory what I remember to be tiles, however the nails keeping these tiles in place were bent and crooked. There were many other floors but I think these were bad enough to get the picture.
My other qualm was the work. Im getting bored of Thompson and Craighead. Two LCD monitors placed side by side with a bench and headphones is just boring. It didn't convey what I believe to be fundamental to the work - the nature of global information and user generated content collectively forming new narratives. This mode of display sparks little interest from the viewer and lacks imagination. A better example of a global snapshot of communication would be a work like 'listening post' by Ben Rubin and Mark Hansen as this mode of display triggers a more emotional response to the nature of technology. Thompson and Craigheads installation is a much weaker piece than their previously installed 'Beacon' in presentation and content.
LISTENING POST 2009
My other complaint was the selection of putting Phil Collins 'they shoot horses' into the exhibtion. This work has been around so many galleries in England I think people are getting bored of looking at it. Surely there are other artists working around the themes of sociual networking that would have been a wiser or even braver selection for the curator. This isn't to say I dont like the work, I just dont want to see it again for a while.
