MA FINAL PROJECT

Art Basel: OVR (Online Viewing Rooms)

In an effort to establish a precedent for the development of an outcome, I had recently been examining current events such as Art Basel, and Art Basel Miami.

As part of the response to the impact of the pandemic, the organisers of the event had decided to pivot and to focus on the respective festivals digital presence.

Notes on the platform: Considering user-experience.

Accessibility: The platform gives the public access to previously unseen works, many of which have resided in long-held private collections.

As is the case with such online platforms the viewer is encouraged to engage with the works present in the various collections, with the functionality of the platform seeking to serve this interaction. This is perhaps where such digital tools excel, with the platforms role as a tool for learning elevated by the multi-faceted functionality, in-turn allowing for a much richer learning experience.

The provision of high-definition images allows the viewer to examine each work, in great detail. -This too, adds to the experience of the user, particularly that of the student.

Close quarter examination of each of the exhibits encourages a desire in the viewer to engage, further. This adds to the user-experience and provides somewhat, of an immersive learning experience.

Extensive resources: Gallery profiles, which includes links to each of the collections that is being exhibited by the respective gallery, accompanied the relevant catalogues and profiles of those artists featured, all add to the wealth of material that is available, for public consumption.

Insights & Considerations:

The Art Basel online presence was tonally, in-keeping with that of the art fair and provided a wealth of content, that had stimulated the viewer and elevated the user-experience.

As part of that experience, the consumer is presented with a broad array of viewing rooms, in which is to be found an eclectic range of exhibitions, that provoke a myriad of emotions and encourage the viewer to engage with the wider discourse, pertaining to the respective exhibits.

The virtual event makes good use of the digital platform, with navigation of the site conducted with both ease, and intuition. The layout of each sub-section is clean and as a consequence the viewer is not at any point overwhelmed by the volume of information, before them.

In my opinion, this limited time event succeeds in providing access to otherwise inaccessible collections, and in-so-doing allows members of the general public to access a wealth of information that provides context and insight, into the broader conversation around the world of Contemporary Art.

Art Basel, (2021). OVR: Pioneers [online] ArtBasel.com. Available at: https://www.artbasel.com/ovr [Accessed 24 March. 2021].