New Interpretive Paradigm in Curating the Contemporary

Essay from the year 2013 in the subject Art - Installation / Action/Performance Art / Modern Art, grade: Distinction, Kingston University London (Kingston University London, in Partnership with the Design Museum, London, U.K.), course: MA Curating Contemporary Design, language: English, abstract: Curating contemporary exhibitions is now more than a profession of connoisseurship, but rather a creative and artistic venture. Due to a paradigm shift in the heart of interpretive ideology, exhibition-making is going more experimental even in museum context. One might observe that there is a changing status in museum objects, and a progressive transformation in the exhibitionary language - shifting from descriptive to fictional, poetic and novelistic. Artworks are also functioning as text initiating dialogues, while exhibition designs are no longer merely fabrications, but becoming artistic interventions that could re-contextualize the experience of space. Unprecedentedly, curators nowadays could embrace huge potentials in creating imaginative narratives for the present time, and thus, to further produce innovative museum experiences. This essay aims to examine the changing attitudes and assumptions in the new interpretive paradigm. Through three case studies, it goes on to uncover the dynamic interpretive strategies undertaken which have created various unique curatorial voices. Cases include: The Surreal House (Barbican Art Gallery, 2010), David Bowie Is (V&A, 2013) and The Concise Dictionary of Dress (Blythe House, 2010).

Margaret Choi Kwan Lam is a winner in Kyoto Global Design Awards 2023 - Design Theory, as her worldwide recognition. Margaret is an art professional working in the interdisciplinary creative field, cutting through art curating, design exhibitions and branding activities. After furthering her studies in MA Curating Contemporary Design (graduating with Distinction)- Kingston University - in partnership with Design Museum in London, Margaret has been working as a creative director and design consultant and contributing in art exhibition-making. She is particularly interested in interdisciplinary curatorial practices that involve experiential design, spatial narration, scenography, and new interpretative approaches in exhibition spaces. Combining her artistic background and multi-faceted work experience in creative industries, involving solid projects in advertising agencies and multi-media exhibition lab, she has developed overarching skills as substantial backup to pursue creative curating and exhibition-making. . CONNECT WITH ME - MY PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE: www.margaretlam.co.uk EMAIL: maglam.new@gmail.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretlamcurator