The gallery is a curious place. An interior that is devoid of the outside world, yet that holds artworks that question, challenge, and reimagine the very social and cultural conventions the gallery tries so hard to remove. Perhaps even more curious, is the behavioural change that occurs when one walks into an art gallery from the outside. A cautious and controlled demeanour is taken on as we hush our voices, turn off our phones and remove our bags from our backs.

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Moving through the gallery this behaviour continues as we come to view the artworks. The [Un]Knowing Body is a collection of exploratory work that challenges how we as viewers approach and look at art. This body of work is motivated by a curiosity on the role of the body within a gallery context, and an interest in the controlled behaviours found in the gallery. This curiosity has led the project to propose a series of situations that can bring playfulness back into the gallery setting, whilst altering the way viewers encounter and view art. In doing so, this project also activates the body through a series of spatial interventions.

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The collection of research features sketches, diagramming and collaging to visualise and contemplate the relationships between viewer and art. This proposal also includes some physical interventions and designed situations to help physicalise the ideas. Through this body of research, it has become clear that the situation leading to the encounter can influence the perspective on a piece of art. This places an emphasis on the encounter and the environment a piece of art sits in, just as much as the artwork itself.