An Open Letter to Nottingham Contemporary.
Dearest Nottingham Contemporary,
I do not know where you received your training in curatorial practice but I was taught that when an object is removed from exhibition, it is necessary to clearly post an official notice regarding the removal. Ideally, the notice should explain that the object has been temporarily removed for conservation purposes. If the object is on loan to another collection/institution, the notice should detail the disposition of the object’s whereabouts as well as the length of time on loan.
Here is the image of Weber’s
Large Dark Chimes as displayed in your guidebook:
Here is the image I took during a recent visit:
I realise the image is not of the best quality but as you can fairly plainly see, the
Standing Naked Man portion of
Large Dark Chimes is not present in the current exhibition space and there is no explanation for his absence;
Standing Naked Man has simply ‘gone missing’. Now while I can appreciate that an exhibition of this nature must take significant curatorial maintenance, there really should be some sort of posted notice placed within the exhibition space, clearly explicating the reason for a valuable object’s absence—in this case a notice saying (for example):
“
Standing Naked Man is currently on display in our café as
Seated Naked Man Eating His Lunch. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused to your visit. Thank you.”
(Or you know, something like that; obviously, the particulars would be somewhat variable.)
I tell you, it is
quite fortunate that Nottingham Contemporary's general reputation for excellence in display practice stands on its own merits! Yet it must be said: without the considerable strength of the visiting
If you leave me I’m not coming & already there exhibit (an assemblage organised by Weber) and without the provocative worth of the thematically associated, general exhibitions in the Small Exhibitions Room (which include the work of Ruth Clax
ton and Andrew Wilson), I would be very, very disappointed in you. Again, I do commend that you are taking the responsibility of conservation of your objects seriously but really, it is a matter of professionalism.
Thank you and best wishes,
Kirstin James, Investigative Museologist.
Postscript: I do understand the pressures involved in the display of valuable objects. Have you actually lost or misplaced Standing Naked Man? Has he been stolen? If it is some such complication and you fear for the insurance costs, I know of a good solicitor that may be able to help you through this time of crisis. Best wishes and good luck with the recovery of your lost object!
