Chain Link Clichés

Visitors don’t expect to find raw, unfinished building materials like chain link fencing, raw plywood, or unpainted concrete blocks in an exhibition.

So when we use them raw to construct exhibitions on relevant themes —  say, incarceration, military action, or construction itself — they can create memorable emotional impact.

Of course, these materials have another advantage: affordability. When the most effective choice for the story just happens to the most economical too, high fives all around.

But.

The ubiquity of these materials in past exhibition projects with certain themes can make them cliché (e.g. a lot of past temporary exhibitions about the Holocaust period). 

However, even then the stereotype can still be subverted through innovative use of shapes or unexpected applications. Just be aware you’re designing to avoid the cliché.

Important note: if you’re going to use one of these inexpensive materials, do make sure to budget some basic finishing. Safety can’t be ignored. Make sure chain link tips are out of reach, and plywood is clear-coated to avoid splinters.

Here’s the thing:
Sometimes, the most appropriate raw material for a project is also the most economical. Just watch out for clichés. And splinters.

Warmly,
Jonathan

P.S. The list, by the way, is basically endless. A few more to consider for temporary shows: string, paper, wire, and cardboard. 

P.S.S. 100% Human-Written, Never AI: This note, and every one of the hundreds of past MtM emails, was written by a genuine human (me). Any email like this should either make the same promise or admit otherwise.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

MtM Word of the Day:
NAGPRA. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act is a 1990 U.S. federal law that requires museums and organizations to return (repatriate) Native American human remains and sacred items to their tribes.