Waikato Museum virtual exhibition first of its kind

Unused public and back of house areas of Waikato Museum are being brought to life in a real-time, virtual exhibition believed to be one of the first of its kind in the world.

The exhibition ‘Intraspace Project: Interventions with Waikato Museum Non-Gallery Space’ sees well-known local, national and international contemporary artists create temporary, low-cost works in unused non-gallery spaces which have little to no foot traffic – such as walls, corridors, stairwells, loading bays, cupboards and office areas. Each installation or performance is then photographed, filmed or captured via existing surveillance security cameras and made visible to global audiences online, through Waikato Museum’s website (www.waikatomuseum.co.nz) and social media sites and by appointment through the curator.

The exhibition developed and curated by Waikato Museum concept leader visual arts Leafa Wilson, features works by artists who make their works available by email or via instruction and the curator as the proxy.

Waikato Museum Director Kate Vusoniwailala said Intraspace Project is believed to be a first of its kind for museums and puts into practice the idea of surveillance and virtual reality as a strategy for contemporary curating and exhibiting.

“The Intraspace Project is a response to the recession as a whole, enabling the ongoing visibility of contemporary art at Waikato Museum at little to no cost to the museum, artist or viewer,” she said.

“It enables the entire Waikato Museum building to act as a site for installation to occur, meaning it does away with the formality that is associated with gallery spaces such as insurance, design and aesthetic concerns. It also allows the artists the freedom to work to a non-specific timeframe as works do not have to be installed prior to a specific date and can last anywhere from a minute to a month.”

The exhibition has an indeterminate lifespan, with Waikato Museum’s website and social media sites to be updated directly after each intervention occurs.