4. The use of exhibition space to create meaning

Every piece of art has a meaning behind it and when the art is moved to a different space, or the atmosphere around it changes, its meaning and the way people see it differ.
On a blank space a piece of artwork stands out. It becomes clearer and the audiences attention is drawn only to the art. If a space is cluttered with other work your attention can be distracted very easily and you can miss understanding the concept of the art.
A gallery is purposely built to house art, a space created where these pieces can be viewed by the public. When someone arrives at a gallery they expect to see art, that is why they are there, so they give their full attention to the work.
If Picasso's 'Naked lady on a red armchair' was placed on the walls of a classroom, even though it is the same painting, its purpose and attention decreases.
It is no longer the point of attention, it is an addition to the rest of the room.
If a very famous piece of work is in an art museum there is a lot of security around it, this shows us from the beginning that it is an important piece of work even if we don't know exactly what it is or who created it. It automatically recieves attention and respect.
Every piece of art is created with a reason behind it, many artists want to portray the concept more vivedly, for instance; the shape or temperature of a room can change an audiences view of art completely.
On a recent trip to the Tate Modern i saw a piece of work by Robert Therrien, Table and four Chairs. Immediately this became my favourite piece of art, it was so simple yet so extravagant. I was immediately given the sense of feeling small, like a dog scrounging for food. Because the piece itself was something that we see in everyday life i felt at ease to touch the work. I did not feel as though i should have to be quiet to appreciate the work but that i could express myself in whichever way i wanted to. I found that the larger than life piece was exempt from the silence rule. The room in which it was in seemed small, this may have been that the Table and Four Chairs crowded the room or that this was intentional to make the piece seem even bigger.
It was the only work in that room as any other pieces would have been shadowed.
In a gallery, an artist usually has an order in which they want their work to be in. The order can change its meaning greatly. The order can be in colour, effect or the syle of mood that it is supposed to portray.
Noise has a lot of effect on the way that we see art, if some people laugh most people will laugh as well, whether to avoid embaressment of not having the same effect or they saw the art as serious and the laughter made them see it differently. Our reactions change when other peoples do even if we dont agree with it.
In conclusion, the art is what the space makes it, beit the lighting, sound, security or even shape of the room.