Jeff Koons Imminent…

I’m starting to really love Mondays, when Brighton Museum is closed to the public and much quieter than normal. There’s something magic about the atmosphere of a large museum or gallery space when it’s empty. There are still staff around obviously, it’s just nobody wanders the floors except security, so it has this clichéd dusty, peaceful, timeless vibe.  Anyway, two or three weeks ago, I was here for a planning meeting that got postponed. I was about to leave, when Program Manager Helen Grundy took pity on me and spent a few minutes showing me some early prep for the (very high profile) upcoming Jeff Koons exhibition.

The Jeff Koons doesn’t open until May 11 but planning has been going on for many months: one of the most dizzying aspects of museum and gallery life is how far ahead these teams start organising each project – I’ve already sat in meetings where events and exhibitions scheduled for 2015/16 are being discussed.

At first glance an exhibition like the Jeff Koons might seem straightforward: a handful of individual works by one single artist. But he’s such a world-renowned name and these aren’t simple portraits, they’re complex installation pieces, so it quickly becomes a massive exercise in co-ordination. Crucially for Brighton Museum, one of the pieces will hang from the ceiling, so on this particular Monday morning, a crew was here moving all the displays carefully to one side, in order to set up a full size scaffold platform. From there, they were testing out the eaves and inserting a brand new horizontal joist, to enable the building to safely carry the load.

I’ve never given much thought to the transporting of large art pieces before but it’s like paradise for an Ikea-fetishist, or the best Lego ever. I’ll try to watch the pieces arrive and get photos (no promises though, they may not let me in).

Sometimes when major installation works arrive, they’re actually flat-packed and re-assembled on arrival, either by a team attached to the artist, who’ll travel with the work, or by a team of experts from the host gallery, who follow detailed written instructions. I can’t wait to see this.

The next day, I came back and sat in on a meeting with The Koons Collective – a kind of Baker Street Irregulars for Brighton Museum; they’re a team of student volunteers, recruited from previous museum projects. Facilitated by freelancer Lindsey Smith, Brighton Museum is challenging them to develop their own ideas for merchandise lines – taking specific inspiration from the Jeff Koons works that’ll be displayed here – to see if they can turn a profit in the museum shop.

Now this was a fascinating meeting: the Collective was presenting their ideas. Like business execs with a massive flipchart, they proposed three merchandise routes for shop products and I’m not giving away what they’ve come up with (I promised I wouldn’t) but all the ideas are flippin fantastic. At least one of the ideas deserves to make the project a fortune.

There was a great moment when Buying & Merchandise Manager Nicki’s eyes lit up: suddenly she was no longer just helping out with a young peoples’ project, instead genuinely excited about the sale possibilities. On the evidence of this meeting, the Koons Collective brings exactly the right energy and creative, out-of-the-box thinking to a major exhibition. I’ll interview them during one of their workshop days in the next week or two – and as soon as I’m allowed, I’ll tell you more about what they’ll be selling. Anyway, you’ll probably be able to grab some of it within a few weeks.

Chris T-T, Blogger in Residence

Work Experience

When considering where to go for my work experience placement I thought of Brighton Museum & Art Gallery for many reasons. Not only was I interested in art and other features the Royal Pavilion and Museums had to offer but also because it had a variety of departments, where I would be able to learn a variety of skills for the future. I am pleased to say that the week has been really enjoyable and I could not have chosen a better place.

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Pavilion Gardens

On my first day of work experience at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery — after waving at the security guards to be let in! — I visited the Exhibitions department and started out on my first job which was to do some admin for letters regarding a past exhibition. I learnt that it took a lot of time just to do things such as making labels and addressing letters but found it fun to do all the same! Later that day, I visited the Foundation department downstairs to get started on my next job, filing! This was also very enjoyable (despite the smell in the office and the songs of Jack Johnson!!)

Drawer of beetles at the Booth

Tuesday, I assisted Michael from the Education department in an under 5s drop in session, where I helped to set out a variety of activities for the children to explore and also was able to handle the skeleton of a swordfish — I think that I was more excited than the children! Later on, I visited the Booth Museum to deliver some stuffed animals that we had picked up from a school beforehand and was surprised to see the amount of animals that they had in storage behind the scenes.

Wednesday, I visited the Marketing department and sat in on one of their meetings. I was astounded by the amount of work put in to produce one of their regular booklets and how every detail was thought about.

Royal Pavilion Banqueting Room

Later on, I got to have a look around the busy Royal Pavilion. Whilst noting down the signs throughout I was able to marvel at the decorations that covered the inside.

Thursday, the penultimate day of my work experience, I visited the Retail and Trading  department of the Pavilion and all of its affiliates. This also gave me a chance to work in the gift shop and the first time that I’d ever had a chance to work in any shop before! I was amazed at all the different products it sold and also how hard the till was to work! I was also able to sit in on a meeting with someone pitching a new product to be sold, and learnt just how many things had to be considered when choosing what goes in to the shop.

Friday, my last day at my placement, seemed to have come round so quickly! I was given the opportunity to sit in on a meeting between the Exhibitions and Design department, which showed me just how many constraints were involved surrounding the final showcase and how detailed and planned it was, resulting in the brilliant outcome at the end!

I’d just like to say thank you to everyone that helped me throughout the week and a thank you to Jody for looking after me and organising all the activities that I have taken part in!

Florence Dennis,  Davison High School for Girls

Small objects by Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva

Ladies Purses by Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva

From 29 May until 30 July, the Maker’s Cabinets in the Brighton Museum shop will host a number of small pieces by a local artist, Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva.

Hadzi-Vasileva creates ambitious sculptural works and site-specific installations. She was born in Macedonia, and now lives and works in Brighton. Her work has been extensively commissioned and exhibited nationally and internationally. Elpida works with materials that are unusual, precious, ordinary and ephemeral, from organic materials and foodstuffs to gold leaf.

Hadzi-Vasileva graduated from Glasgow School of Art with first class honours, BA in Sculpture in 1996 and obtained an MA in Sculpture at the Royal College of Art, London in 1998.

Recent commission include: St Bede’s Catholic College, commission as part of Bristol’s Building Schools for the Future program; Southgate Project, Bath; Public Room, Skopje, Macedonia; Spitalfields Sculpture Prize, Allen & Overy, London; Motectum, Gloucester Cathedral.

Exhibitions include: Pied a Terre, a Two Michelin Star restaurant in London; ‘Compulsive, Obsessive, Repetitive’, Towner Contemporary Art Museum, Eastbourne; ‘me, you & them’ at the 51^st Venice Biennale; ‘Butterflies in the Stomach’ at L’H du Siege, France; ‘Time Stands Still’ at Kilmainham Gaol Museum, Dublin.

She has taken part in a number of European residency programmes including ArtSway, Gloucester Cathedral, Irish Museum of Modern Art and Berwick Gymnasium Fellowship.

Hadzi-Vasileva aims to develop works which resonate with the particular place, both inside and out. This stimulates her to develop new methods using unusual materials which are linked to the specific environment (e.g. butter, fish skins, chicken skins, rice, trees, fir cones, watercress etc.).

Underlying all of Hadzi-Vasileva’s practice is an interest in exposing that which is not normally encountered. This concern with light, darkness, colour, texture and smell has produced a series of works that explore their symbolic nature and intimacy whilst also attempting to expose the importance of the material to its place.

In exploring these un-encountered spaces or places Hadzi-Vasileva aims for a resonance with fable or fairly story, a suggestion of promised Arcadias or Utopias which are unattainable, hoping to encourage a sublime experience for the visitor.

The work exhibited here is a special opportunity for Brighton residents and visitors to purchase unique pieces that have been carefully developed and are hand made by the artist.

Hadzi-Vasileva is also showing work at the Royal Academy Summer Show in London from 4 June – 12 August 2012

Please enquire at the Museum shop or contact the artist direct at

elpihv@me.com    http://www.elpihv.co.uk