Curating new media art and other stories: An audio interview with Karen Gaskill
Karen Gaskill is an independent curator, researcher and artist based in Manchester, UK. In this interview Karen discusses her role as curator of Interval, an artist led organisation which acts as a platform for artists working in digital media in the North West. Through her curatorial practice she explores the ways that artists create sociality through their use of technology: the interview investigates how two of her projects, Turnstile (2007) and Fast and Slow Networks (2006), have dealt with these issues through creating innovative exhibition formats.
Lucy Gibson
Part 1: 'What and who is Interval?'
An introduction to the artist led organisation Interval, its motivations and how it works.
Interview with Karen Gaskill: Duration 2 mins 20 (mp3, 2.13 MB)
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I am One
Live Performance
Duration 1 hour
March 2006
The Victoria Baths, Manchester
Photo: John Hartley
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Simon Blackmore,
'Player Printer', 2006
as part of Becoming Electric at The Lower Turks Head, Manchester
December 2006
Photo: John Hartley
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Fast and Slow Networks
2006
Bridgewater Canal, Manchester
Photo: John Hartley
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Part 2: What do you consider to be the role of a curator? And what is new media art?
Karen discusses how she sees curating as something which should be looking forward and creating contexts for work; particularly with new media art where a curator is constantly challenged in how the work is displayed. How can we still use the term 'new' with technology that has been around for a considerable length of time? Karen discusses the issues that arise when working with an ever evolving medium.
Interview with Karen Gaskill : Duration 3 mins 15 (mp3, 2.88 MB)
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ScatterProjects
March 2007
The Media Centre, Huddersfield
Photo: Joe Turner
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Ruth Pringle
'Born Free'
2007
as part of Turnstile Day 1 - Successful Failure featuring Katherine Behar, Marisa Olson, Ruth Pringle
The Holden Gallery, Manchester
July 2007
Photo: Emma Rose
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Turnstile Day 2
Outside of Parallel featuring Rose Butler, Rebecca Lennon, Joe Duffy & Eimer Birkbeck, Brass Art, Jenna Collins and Jane Brake
The Holden Gallery, Manchester
July 2007
Photo: Emma Rose
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Raven
'Diorama'
2006
Duration 20 mins
as part of Turnstile Day 3 - Portable Rest featuring Neil Webb, Neil Grant, Raven
The Holden Gallery, Manchester
July 2007
Photo: Emma Rose
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Part 4: It could be seen that through establishing the exhibition as a social space the audience are as much the work as the art on display. Would you agree with that?
Through the case studies of Turnstile and Fast and Slow Networks Karen examines how the audience have reacted to being part of the social situations that have been created and how she has positioned the exhibitions in terms of the audience's role in them.
Interview with Karen Gaskill: Duration 4 mins 30 (mp3, 4.1 MB)
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Fast and Slow, Networks
July 2006
Bridgewater Canal, Manchester
Photo: John Hartley
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Part 5: Following a discussion in the Digital Art and Curating Forum on Dialogue in April 2008, I asked Karen to share her thoughts about the role of the public in selecting artworks and if Interval has considered involving the public in this way.
Interview with Karen Gaskill: Duration 4 mins 43 (mp3, 4.31 MB)
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ScatterProjects,
March 2007
The Media Centre, Huddersfield
Photo: Joe Turner
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Full Podcast of interview with Karen Gaskill
Duration 19 mins 32 secs (mp3, 17.88 MB)
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Further Information and reading:
Karen's Axis Curator profile
Digital Art and Curating Forum on Axis Dialogue
Interval interval.org.uk
Bandung New Media Collective
Ultimate Holding Company uhc.org.uk
Sound Network soundnetwork.org.uk
DIWO furtherfield.org/diwo_networking.php
ScatterProjects scatterprojects.org
Futuresonic futuresonic.com
Huttner, Per, (2005), I Am a Curator, Foreningen Curatorial Mutiny Amazon link
Lucy Gibson 2008
