Tuesday, 28 March 2017

Study Task 4: Concept and Research

From concepts in essay 1, I want my concept to focus on the every growing mergence of highbrow and lowbrow culture in the modern world, as a result of the growing dominance of popular culture.

Extract from essay 1 that forms the basis of the idea:
“Hancock expands on Danesi’s point stating that the distinction between Warhol’s audiences simply depends “on the venue in which his work appears”. Hence, Hancock reveals how consumerism can determine the statute of art; for example Warhol’s work on clothing being sold at a high-street shop compared to a piece hanging in the Gagosian Gallery, paradoxically differentiates and merges pop culture with high art.”

Similar example for understanding:
science museum – high brow in context and academic structure however free and accessible to all, various populist activity or nights held, a free for all branding

Concept:

Art galleries – rebrand to make more accessible to general public
Most are free however considered elitist in personality
Hostile environment – don’t play music – silence -

The rebrand will make it:
-       less formal
-       more playful
-       populist art
-       bright colours

Rebranding an art gallery so that is more appealing to a mass market rather than an elitist few

GAGOSIAN GALLERY
-       bland online website and shop compared to existing more populist galleries
-       is a chain of gallery spaces – marketing point
-       dull branding

Consider:
-       what attracts the general public
-       how can it look colloquial but still attractive for artists
-       how can art be marketed for people who might not understand it
-       logo, magazines, where it is advertised, website

Response:
-       interactive map – as it has a few locations – maybe like a game on the way – brand as a chain – very popular culture
-       t-shirts / badges / posters
-       be loud and colourful rather than smart
-       famous people endorsing it

Case study – Saatchi:
Really big space
Free to enter

IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS THE SAATCHI GALLERY PRESENTED 15 OF THE 20 MOST VISITED MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS IN LONDON (The Art Newspaper's International Survey Of Museum Attendance 2016)

Findings –
Saatchi is already there on a commercial scale
‘worlds no1 museum on social media’ – is colourful and focusing on ‘TRENDS’ in contemporary art
Saatchi store online – selling prints

Focus on trends in the brand
-       fashion trends - High street versions of couture 

-       colour trends - reference to PANTONE

Tate modern – redeveloped more commercial and open to everyone, curved more informal type, bright colours for advertisement posters – tourist attraction
Most recent – Robert Rauschenberg – uses Kennedy (populist imagery and characters to appeal to a mass audience rather than educated few)

Look into selling work printed on glasses cases, postcards, t-shits, coasters etc – evident in the Tate Britain

New branding –

LOCATIONS – ‘High Street Kensington’
Most galleries are in prestigious and expensive areas of town  - could look at relocation? The Tate is in a tourist spot – more open to anyone and everyone – brand as a free gallery for the people


Client background:
Very high end - the Gallery in 2011 a survey of dealers in The Wall Street Journal estimated that Gagosian Gallery's annual sales approached $1 billion, and in May alone, roughly half he works for sale by the major auction houses in New York were by artists on the gallery's roster. In other words, they are an acknowledged and wealthy institution. This isn't to say that by dumbing down the art they could lose these investments - on the other hand they target commercial art which is usually the art worth so much (as it is well known) and thus target wealthy people would recognise art by price over 'creative concept'. 

Competitors:
Existing big scale art galleries who are interested in popularity over status – money making schemes who don’t have big contributors / funders

Zabuldowicz Collection – very unique in its choice of exhibitions and uses social media in an informal and inviting way

Industry: 
May be considered judgemental (to some extent) and formal, a particular style - respected institutions, target those with a certain understanding within the industry - doesn't really seek to advertise apart from in other galleries - tight nit community to some extent

Scene and Culture:
High class educated – antiquated idea? Creatives versus more of a culture of visiting art galleries as a hobby

Modes of communication:
Phone, email, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat – social media outlets will attract a wider youthful and vibrant audience if marketed in a colloquial way as to be invites of a mass audience

Target Audience:
Relevant information about demographics – sex, age, job, class, location
Psychographics – gender, sexuality, personality, tastes, interests
-       As popular culture is all inclusive it is important that the audience is not limited – despite evident subcultures within, it could be branded more as a fun day out – less specific allows for a wider sense of attraction – it should focus on being about trends and thus what’s in and what isn’t within the art world and thus adhere to populist visual communication 
-       It is important to not that this route has the ability to turn away the subculture it usually attracts however this is the ideal of popular culture – being promoted for everyone rather than a few
-       ‘too tacky’ or ‘too common’ is the exact thing that separates these formal institutions from the commercial art world (t-shirt design, band branding, album work) – a space that is intimidating to the everyday person ‘clueless’ of art who forms their tastes on the basis of if it looks good to them,
-       Contrasting to the studied appreciator of art - separates from the more conceptually taught viewer.

The general stigmas of a gallery, only has this status due to its history, and how art before the pop art movement was heavily orientated around the upper class and social hierarchy. Despite still being evident, art has come a long way and the majority of galleries themselves are free to everyone, thus it is important to create a contradictory campaign to break these barriers and highlight the merging of high and low brow culture through popular culture, as well as to acknowledge the prominence of design and art in our everyday contemporary society.  There has been a huge shift in art and it’s place in commercial gains – high art is printed on furniture, bags, purses, glasses cases, mugs, plates – essentially anything

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