the museum of dark matter
Hello, I am a cross discipline experimental artist. In a previous life I was a Ceative Strategist for big corporations. This project is about creating a physical space for the Dark Matter of Art. Lucy and Polly, two other independent artists, are kindly helping me get this off the ground. Lucy is giving us an actual physical space for the first pop-up event; Polly is my sounding board.
The story and vision
Greg Sholette lifted the dirty blanket of the Art world when he wrote his books 'Dark Matter' and 'Delirium and Resistance'. He uncovered the truth: art that is brought to the mass market portrays only 1% of the art in existence. The other 99% is not chosen or not seen or even chooses consciously not to be part of the 1% art world - and it is specifically because of this 'surplus' of 99% that the 1% gets the attention it does.
The metaphor he uses is exactly that of Dark Matter: the universe does not exist without unseen and impalpable dark matter that ignites it and puts it into existence.
The 1% of arbitrarily privileged 'art' (with a small a) keeps on shining, aware - or not- that it does so only thanks to the 99% of non-privileged Dark Matter.
To give voice to this 99% and to give a space to all those pieces that otherwise will be forgotten and disregarded and chucked in the bin for no reason other then the choice made by a 1%, we are putting together a Museum of the Dark Matter.
And it's big: we will see all the diversity and realities and agencies behind, we will see and feature the backstage, the hidden, the forgotten, the unprivileged. And we will proudly wave at the 1% from our Museum of 99%. The lives of that 'dark matter' will become visible.
Diversity will push in from all corners, unheard voices will be loud, old pachyderms that have been there forever will sink down and leave space for the hidden forces of the art world. Because… Nobody is past their sell-by-date, nobody will be left behind.
My plan of action
With your help we can lift that very small blanket of shining stars and show the incredible universal of artwork that lies underneath and ignites them. All money raised will be used for a first pop-up Museum of Dark Matter in London, to happen for one month across June/July 2021.
At the moment there is no permanent space we can use. Creating a one month pop-up event with a physical space will give us the chance to prove the concept and promote it publicly. As mentioned, one of my collaborators, Lucy, is giving us the space for the first month in West Ham, East London - Zone 2, Docklands (the olympic dream). We hope that our pop-up will also benefit the area as it is a part of London that has suffered immensely in terms of artistic endeavour - there is not even one proper art gallery.
Hitting our minimum target will allow us to host the first one month pop-up MoDM in London by allowing us to promote, install the work and give something back to the artists and communities that will participate. It will also help us ensure the pop-up museum is Covid-compliant. It will allow us to buy a yearly internet domain to have some presence online.
If we raise above our target?
If we get additional money above our minimum target, we will be able to secure a space for up to the end of 2021. It will also allow us to have a 3-page website (rather than just one page) so that we will be able to feature more work online. We will also be able to produce a little ‘thank you’ for the artists and people who visit.
If we raise a significant amount more, we will celebrate with a one-off event to say thank you to all participants, supporters and artists. We will also print and distribute our manifesto in A2 - limited edition. We will also secure the domain for an additional year and see how much more time we can secure a physical space for. The project updates will be given on a weekly basis, on this page.
Rewards
- Special thank you email to all participants;
- Invitation to a preview, before the MoDM officially opens to all financial supporters (minimum £10 donation);
- MoDM limited edition screen-printed A2 poster (minimum £25 donation);
- MoDM patron status with a special thanks section on the website for ‘patrons' that helped us to get the initiative off the ground. To be a patron you need to financially support with £200 or more.
useful links
To find out more about the Museum of Dark Matter, please visit: http://www.museumofdarkmatter.com/
my Vimeo (so you get a feel of what my personal practice is) https://vimeo.com/user7781863the
Emil address: Info@museumofdarkmatter.com
Spread the word!
If you can’t donate personally, you can still help me by spreading the word about my project to your own network of contacts. Please share this project with anyone you think would support us - on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, by email, telephone, in person or on your blog.
By helping me promote the project, the greater chance we have of turning the Museum of Dark Matter into reality. Your support really matters. Of course if you are also able to make a small personal donation and sponsor my project, I would be very grateful.
Thank you!
