SPAMM, OR HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR BLOG INTO A DIGITAL MUSEUM.

Tags: digital art, Jean-Jacques Gay, museum, SPAMM, Systaime, Thomas Cheneseau

December 30th 2011

By Thibaut Wychowanok

The SPAMM (SuPer Art Modern Museum) has been showcasing a selection of the works of some fifty international artists since mid-December, in areas as diverse as video, GIF-art, web-art, etc. We can already hear you grumble that your blog fulfills more or less the same purpose. And it’s even called a Tumblr. But the two curator-artists Thomas Cheneseau and Systaime have marketed their idea much better than this. And admit that « digital museum » sounds quite better than « personal page ». AMUSEMENT asked Thomas Cheneseau and Jean-Jacques Gay a few questions, Mr. Gay being the author of the project manifesto, an art critic and a teacher, in order to learn a few tips to perform ourselves this linguistic sleight of hands. At the end of the day, five attitudes seem essential to make your website a modern museum institution.

1. HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF COMMON SENSE

As Jean-Jacques Gay says it again, quite correctly, « a museum, in the classical sense, is a space dedicated to showcasing. » And yet, every blog is a showcasing space. One would show spectacular bad faith if one did not admit that every blog is a museum. Unless every museum is a blog… Another angle on the matter, and an important one at that, is the tricky question of the presentation of digital works of art. For Jean-Jacques Gay : « For the past twenty years, we have tried to open the doors of museums and galleries to digital art, and it doesn’t quite work. Maybe this is not the way to do it, maybe we should try to do it differently. For instance, try and take advantage of new tools, like portable devices, phones, tablets, laptops. » Since digital is undeniably better when it is… digital ! And fortunately, technology allows precisely that, at long last !

Perpetual Threshold from Sterling Crispin on Vimeo.

2. BET ON THE RIGHT HORSE

Every museum implies an idea of permance of the collections. For your virtual museum, try to avoid betting on the wrong horse. A MySpace page has little chance to endure. And even though Blogger has proved itself, Tumblr is the fast growing model. Even better than the blog, the .fr or .com is the true trademark of the institution : « unlike virtual galleries », Thomas Cheneseau explains, « we are not exclusively in the business of the temporary exhibition, we will keep the pieces long enough for SPAMM.fr to become a permanent database. The idea of preservation is important. »

Jeremiah Johnson - Partial Recollection With Initial State Uncertainty

3. PROMOTE (COMMERCIAL) EXCHANGES

We thought museums ought not have a mercantile purpose. And that their works of art were inalienable. But the creators of SPAMM have also modernized this aspect of the institution. « The idea of having an Ipad app that would allow access to the pieces seems interesting. The purchase of the app would allow not only the access but the purchase of new works », Jean-Jacques Gay explains. And Thomas Cheneseau takes up : « We’ll try and develop membership systems. For example, if somebody was to subscribe to an artist, and the artist produced a piece that could evolve, and that would be available for consultation on Ipad, on portable devices, like a smartphone… » One must move with the times.

SUCK MORE

DISTORT MORE / Reynald Drouhin - Plus

4. DARE THE – COMPULSORY – CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP

Since a museum only obtains true legitimacy through being a public institution, Thomas Cheneseau and Systaime had the good idea to twist a little the arm of Paris City Hall. By making the aesthetics of the Museum of Modern Art of the city hisown, without asking permission. That is the spirit of the web as well. By the way, why not thinking of an official partnership ? « Paris City Hall, or the Pompidou Center, that’s something that would make me feel content », Thomas Cheneseau admits. « Because of its identity of capital of the arts, Paris can afford it. New York has invested this field with the virtual Museum of New York. »

Daniel R Leyva - Fake + Gay

5. KEEP YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND.

Virtual is nice, but it will never replace a good dinner with friends. The two curators have therefore relied on La Cantine, a collaborative work space network, to promote their action. For Thomas Cheneseau : « it is very important for us to be plunged into the physical space, to meet, it goes beyond the works of art… At some point, to have an actual human rapport is necessary. Internet does not jostle everything, it’s just a parallel space. We need reality to know who the artists are. La Cantine allows us to go beyond the mere virtual exhibition. It’s a link between virtual and reality. » In the end, the success of your future blog-museum will depend upon your relationships I.R.L. So let’s get together at the SPAMM opening on January 19 at La Cantine, to weave all those ties.