Social Curating
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Paola Antonelli, Curator for the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Our discussion centered on design curation techniques, decision making, and the future of social curation. Here follows our conversation:
How would you describe your curation style and process?
My favorite shows are usually thematic shows, less so mono-graphic shows. Thematic shows about contemporary design are more interesting. I am not overly concerned with future themes, but more about ideas from the present that inspire the future. I typically start with an idea that is not precise, or completely defined, and open with a show that is slightly unfinished. The audience finishes the show. At the beginning I typically gather too much in preparation for the show, but exhibition needs clarity; it is about communicating one idea, possibly two. A natural selection process based on quality, independent selection follows. A successful show attempts to match space, messaging with the core idea.
I never curate for only one type of public; there are always at least two. The first is my community. I need to make designers and architects feel that they are part of the show through speaking to their interests. The wider MOMA audience who come to see the Matisse, Picasso and other art are the second audience. They discover the design installations almost by chance, and find experiential joy from it in a different manner from the primary audience.
Former MOMA Design curator Emilio Ambasz (1969-1976) classified the contemporary curator as a “Hunter Gatherer”. How do see yourself?
I am a Hunter Gatherer, definitely not a conservator keeper. They have different philosophies of curating. Do you want to document the past for future access or do you want to influence the future? Innovation resides in culture more than just in technology or the financial markets. Don Norman’s latest book had an ossified approach to the origins of innovation claiming that it resides only in Technological domain. Innovation is present in cultural spheres at large, through the creative work of artists, poets, and teachers. The 900 number was in fact invented by performance artist in the 60’s. I am tired of the cultural sector referred to as less relevant in terms of innovation than the Financial, Economic and Scientific sectors for instance. Bruce Nussbaum used the Design and the Elastic Mind show as example of how innovation cannot happen without design.
How do you decide what to include in your shows and how does the natural selection or pruning process work?
Curation is an act of authorship, you do it by yourself or you can partner with others. This means that you are responsible to choose. Sometimes there is discussion with my assistant or a small advisory board. It is not a dictatorship, but very much an oligarchy or duopoly. It depends very much on how you frame and exhibition. In Australia for instance, all curators are obliged to go through a public focus group before they can go ahead with their shows. It is different from lone act of authorship. This is a similar process to a Hollywood studio. The director’s cut of a movie could be better or substantially worse than the final product.
AdAge recently reported that in 2009, most of the award winning creative work involved consumer participation. How do you participate with your audience and is there a future in “Social Curation?”
I have never attempted communal curatorship. The most interesting audience to participate with would be the general public; they are less predictable than the community. I think Social Curation has successfully happened in countries with a more critical social democracy versus our herd mentality. A couple of years before the BBC hosted a design competition where I judged products and objects with design luminaries like Paul Smith. We selected five product finalists through a process of active testing and engagement with the entries after which the public got to vote on their favorite submissions. In this case the most crucial part of the curation was done up front.
As Design curator, how do you see the value of objects changing as we see a new emphasis on Social Product Development? Can Mavericks coexist with the crowd? How do we balance elegance and function?
Design is more than elegance and function, it is also meaning. People should never discount beauty for ideological reasons. Social products should still be elegant and beautiful. Beauty is the right of every person and should not cost more than ugliness. Beauty however is relative, and those who attempt to atone for sins against the earth through ugliness are not my people.
You need mavericks, or star system to make the public focus on new issues (Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Bono all do this very successfully in the mainstream). A star system for designers is not as far-reaching, but equally relevant and inspirational. The work of Philippe Starck, Karim Rashid, Zaha Hadid to name only a few has helped. Social Product Development needs strong curation. Without that you risk adhering to lowest common denominator. A strong moderator can choose, and avoid averaging results.
How do you measure success?
You feel it, or rather you know it. It happens only when the audience engages with the show and the conversation follows. I aim to entice a future present conversation. It is the space where I am most comfortable; it is the space of current feasibility because the technology and science is real, but not yet mainstream. I don’t do science fiction. The audience completes the exhibition; their reaction is a measure of success.
Design and the Elastic Mind was the most successful exhibition to date. (We also liked SAFE and Work Sphere). Design and the Elastic Mind reached a tipping point of relevance and interpretation as the audience started engaging with the work. For the wider audience it was fun, progressive and inspirational. For the design community it was a validation of their work. Most of the participants typically fall outside the normal definitions of art or design, and they gave back enthusiastically. Mutopo liked the pieces by our MIT colleague Neri Oxman; read her interview on Material Connexion.
"Beast" by Neri Oxman
Do you track online conversation? How often do you use twitter?
Not really, only the daily press and blogs. I update very infrequently, and typically self-sensor on updates on Facebook and Twitter. I would start, then think to myself “who cares?” I would suggest that you rather follow @MuseumModernArt
Paola echoed our sentiments on the need for strong curatorship from your community managers when engaging in Social Product Development. Jovoto, Local Motors, Quirky and others are currently experimenting successfully in this space. See our current Monoski print project on Jovoto here. We will announce or next and most significant social product development competition to date, The Betacup Challenge, shortly.
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