3 344 people can not understand the art, but know what they like art
ARTinvestment.RU   09 июля 2008

In New York's Brooklyn Museum hosts exhibition, «curators» which has a lot of people are not connected with the art

If you ask a hundred people, how much candy will fit in a large glass vase, very few people would answer at least a little closer to the right. However, if you calculate a simple average of all numbers, called them, then get the number to be accurate answer to the question.

This is the main idea of the American best-seller about the psychology of the masses under the title «The Wisdom of Crowds». The book written by James Surovetski, author of the column on the business magazine New Yorker. He argues that when it comes to quantitative assessment and the adoption of practical solutions, the «Joint mind» a large diversified group of people is usually better than the view of any single individual, even if it is an expert on the issue.

As it applies to art? Assuming that the public's attitude to this phenomenon can be controlled, then why not decide that the collective opinion of all the visitors put together a large museum will be more correct views of holders of degrees in art history, curators, or, excuse me, professional critics? Recently in New York's Brooklyn Museum chose to believe the theory Surovetski practices and organized an exhibition entitled «Click on the button!». «Supervisor» exhibition has become «the people». The results of the experiment can be described at best inconclusive: The exhibition turned out to be quite boring. But the interesting question of the organizers.

With the help of James Surovetski project manager and head of Information Services Museum Shelley Bernstein has developed a system for the selection of exhibits. The consultants of the project were the founder of the resource jpgmag.com Derek Povazhek and creator of the site threadless.com Jeffrey Kalmykoff.

Ms. Bernstein urged people to send the museum their photos on the theme «changing face of Brooklyn». Each participant of the project could provide only one job. 389 photographs, collected in this way, were posted on the site of the museum. Basically, the competition was attended by amateur photographers, although some professionals, too, sent their work. The names of the authors were not listed .. Visitors to the site should evaluate vylozhennye photos on a special scale - from «the most impressive» up to «the least impressive». All gave their assessment of 3 344.

After calculating the results of the survey for the exhibition were selected 78 works which are most popular with visitors to the site (a fifth of the original number of works). The photos were printed in four sizes - from 50.8 x 76.2 cm to 12.7 x 17.78 cm print size was determined by popular work. Then all the prints (no frames), hang out at random on the walls of a small space.

Most «chosen people» works - traditional urban forms, river landscapes and portraits, made by photographers and well-suited for publication in various journals. One of the most popular works - the image of girls wearing head scarves on the roller coaster in Coney Island (photographer - Donna Aseto) - looks as if just alighted from the pages of the magazine Life. These photographs in the exhibition a lot. In addition, there is work, reminiscent of works by famous artists - for example, picture a large colorful heap of garbage, made by Claudia Sorensen, and similar to the works of Andreas Gurskii. A very sophisticated black-and-white photograph of people sitting at cafe tables superimposed with their reflections in the shape of window glass (the author - Marcia Briker Halperin), permeated with the experimental spirit of modernist photographs of the mid XX century.

The exhibition marked the absence of works that are challenging the public taste, and generally accepted notions about the art of photography. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the appeal of the museum responded primarily to those photographers, to whom has not yet reached fame and commercial success, but also, perhaps, those whose views on the photo to the conservative side.

exhibition and gave no answer to the question, what works, selected a large number of people better than those that like a single person, because not clear that it is compared. You can learn more about the museum, where still lie all 389 photos sent to the exhibition, selecting the ones you'd like to check whether your opinion coincides with the choice of the majority. Interestingly, it would be if, along with selected for the exhibition showed photographs of museum exhibits, which like most professional photographers, critics, curators and art dealers - to compare their views with the view of «ordinary mortals».

But who said that the exhibition, for which selected a professional curator, got better? You can take an additional 3 344 «from the crowd», and let them choose the product. And even if the experts are compared with the first choice second choice. But the experts are not absolute, it can also be someone to evaluate. In the end, it may be better to just «method poke» select 78 works and put them in a museum? Perhaps this exhibition will be no worse than that now there is.

The main question here is: what criteria should govern in determining the correctness of any opinions? The dispute about the candy in a glass vase is solved simply: You can take them and count. And what to do with art? Number of tickets sold can talk about the popularity of the exhibition, the price of the work of an artist at an auction about the commercial value of these works. But the sales and popularity, eventually, are not indicators of artistic achievements. The most commercially successful artists are not always doing the best work.

How to apply to this experiment, if you prefer to go to the exhibition, not intended for «mass spectator», but for those who really knows a lot about the art? What if you go to museums to learn something from the experts on this long and deeply studied his subject? What if the modern art you most appreciate the reluctance to pour «mainstream», and the willingness to abrogate the popularity for innovative, yet not affected by anyone ideas?

The way people come to a consensus on issues relating to art - a topic worthy of study. It should also examine this «ill question», as the lack of professionals from the arts needs of «mass spectator», and vice versa. This misunderstanding can lead to big problems that, sooner or later, pervaded all layers of the cultural industries. It may be that the study of James Surovetski more useful to those whose work relates to the art. But those who want to see in the museums of works of great artistic value, it will be very difficult to convince that «the people» as «curator» exhibition - a good idea. The best that can be said about the project «Click on the button!», - It is a good topic for conversation.

Source: nytimes.com