Finally taking a new direction with the publication
I decided I was taking far too long to develop a proper concept for the publication so after sitting researching for ages and the way that still wasn't helping me understand what I should be doing with it, I have gone back to my essay and reread it again for the first time in a couple of months and an idea has suddenly come to me! I think as I want to tie the publication to the essay as well as I can, I am going to use the conclusion to my essay as a way of tightening down the concept, and I have realised that the theories I have used in my essay can actually be applied to the design of the publication.
I am going to keep the same format of the publication and the same logo, yet develop the content and design to fit the new concept. I have decided to take the advice I was given in the crit and have more fun with the content and remove more of the serious side to the subject, and following the conclusions of my essay where after the research I did, I concluded that the response to art in art galleries should involve aesthetic taste, curiosity and a viewers own exploration and interpretations of the work, I am now going to create an 'alternative behaviour in art galleries' guide. I want to bring in the theory to the booklet by talking about field and habitus in simple terms, and introducing to the reader the ideas of the 'socially acceptable codes of conduct' within art gallery spaces. I then want to look at examples of how people have responded to sensationalist works of art before, possibly using the examples from my essay, and then produce a list of suggestions of 'alternative' behaviour a visitor could do within a gallery space so that they explore and interpret the artwork on show in their own way. I'm also toying with the idea of having jokes, anecdotes and quotes within the content too, and I want as much of the imagery as possible to simply be people viewing art in art galleries.
I've also decided that one of the most important aspects of the booklet will be the design, and how I can incorporate the theory of impression management into the actual design aesthetics of the booklet. In my essay I looked into how people in a gallery space put on the act of seeming more educated to gain cultural capital, in other words implementing impression management, and therefore I am going to make the design of the booklet seem academic and serious, so that few people will read it as they are likely to ignore it, but those that do read it would find that the content inside is light hearted and basically telling the viewer to have fun and experience art in their own way. I'll have to be careful to implement this through out the design of every aspect of the booklet, and the written content will be the light hearted side, as if the content was putting on an act of seeming more educated and culturally aware. The booklet will also act like a 'joke' for those that are in the know. It would hopefully influence behaviour in art galleries, allowing people to start exploring art work in their own way. One of the things I noticed when researching my essay is that a lot of the modern art that is exhibited nowadays is all about concepts concerning self discovery and expression, and yet visitors to art galleries are supposed to understand these pieces when viewing them in a white silent room, and having to adhere to the socially acceptable codes of behaviour within that space.
The final new development is that as the booklet and its content is supposed to reach those that actually read it (it would be handed out to every visitor with their tickets upon entering any art gallery) it detracts from the concept if there are then wayfinding and labels on the walls too. I was looking forward to working with more wayfinding ideas but adding it as supporting material for the publication removes the more secretive approach to the booklet (and the idea of the impression management wouldn't work either as it would be like the content of the booklet is plastered all over the gallery and not putting on an act at all), and also reduces the number of galleries it could be used in. It's supposed to be inconspicuous and not draw attention to itself as most art gallery visitors would behave.
