Thirteenth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

This contribution focuses on two participatory works I developed at Tate Modern in association with Tate Exchange, The Cass, AVR London and Anise Gallery. These projects, respectively entitled In Limbo and The Pecking Order, consisted in large scale live performance and VR installations, reimagining the Tate Exchange floor as a theatrical scenario. Both projects enjoyed public success, averaging over 3000 visitors in the space of six days each (an annual record for Tate Exchange). Reflecting Tate Exchange’s ethos, the pieces champion the idea of demystifying the museum space through playful and spectacular encounters, whilst at the same time ensuring multiple levels of engagement, tailored both to the broader public and to academic and sector-specific audiences with the additional curated talks and activities. If the terms theatricality and spectacle have by some been seen as potentially negative, symptomatic of an experience economy that risks dumbing down the complexity of culture by appealing to our ever-decreasing attention spans, I refer to these case studies as evidence for a new way in which the theatrical can be used as a powerful, critical tool in the museum experience. Drawing on the ideas proposed by Claire Bishop (2012, 2013) as well as the broader concept of Relational Aesthetics by Nicholas Bourriaud, the paper argues that in the post-dramatic emphasis of the pieces, these move beyond the mere drama suggested by Joseph Pine and James Gilmore in their coining of the experience economy.