STILL POINT INTRODUCES “ART IN CONTEXT”
In the last forty-fifty years, “Contextual Art”, has been described abstrusely as a concept that seeks to define “art” in a relativistic sphere of social and cultural ideologies and myths . In a simpler, hopefully more intelligible way, we have coined “Art in Place” to define art in the “context” of its physical surroundings; the relationship of an artist’s work to the size of the room for instance, or the arrangement of furniture, adjacent artwork, colors and placement. Much of what we do in the gallery has been to assist customers with their art selections based on their verbal descriptions of the room(s) where they intend to “place” a piece. In a tribute to technology, and to better evaluate the suitability of a work, our customers are using their smart-phones images to show us photos of their intended rooms for various art works. This is great way for us to assist in the selection process. Our assistance extends to a service that allows our customers to evaluate pieces in their homes.
“Art in Place” is our new website section that features art works (photographs, prints, paintings, sculpture, ceramics and other unique objects) purchased from the gallery as they are displayed in our customer’s homes. Over the last eight years we have kept a growing inventory of photographs from customers who have been excited to share images of their art in their homes or offices. The pictures are wonderful, not only for the transformative aspect of the art but as a contextual window into the lives and interests of people we’ve come to know.
While the iPhone has become the great “enabler”, regular camera images have also come our way and Geoff has had an opportunity to get some photographs as well. With the imminent launch (April 30) of a dedicated “Art in Place” section on our website we would like to encourage those of you who may be interested to forward photos of art you’ve purchased from the gallery. We can post these with or without attribution if you prefer to remain anonymous. The important thing is we get to share a variety of interesting scenes and inspiring ways to display art. The quality of the photographs you send is secondary; it’s the context surrounding the art, its relationship to the rest of a room (furniture, colors and placement) that is most interesting to others.
As a further incentive, anyone who has a photo published will be entered into an end of the year drawing to receive one of Geoff’s limited edition prints.