The Rooftop Collective Edition V

It always astonishes me how much influence a curator can have on an exhibition.

I effectively curate my own shows most of the time, so I know how important it is for images to flow and communicate with each other. Photographs can communicate constantly with each other when correctly placed in an exhibition. The energy between them should flow unashamedly.

But I have never had to do this with a mix of work by other people.

So to see the wonders that Amy Caiger, from Caiger Contemporary Art, worked on the Rooftop Collective Edition V show was fantastic.

I know everyone’s work extremely well, but the way it was hung for this show, the way such a diverse selection of work communicated was wonderful. It was subtle and natural and worked on so many levels. The visual nuances were incredibly satisfying. Even after sitting in the gallery for days I was still picking up on shapes echoing each other from opposite sides of the room in unexpected ways. Tonal similarities flowed around the space in a vortex, crossing the paths made by various textures, all reaching out for one another. The room swirled and flowed and buzzed as images chattered away with each other.

And the wonderful thing about this is they did it in a non distracting way. In the background, subconsciously, in ways that few people would pick up on.

Everyone of us, all strong willed, proud photographers wanting the best for our work, was completely happy with the work Amy had done on the show.

Of course the fact that the Clerkenwell Gallery is such an amazing space helped. And the people who came to see the show – both the private view and during the entire run – was down to the background work and organisation of Susan Mumford – who, by the way suggested Amy curate the show in the first place.

And yes, the work of the photographers should not go unmentioned:

Chris King, Constanza Isaza Martinez, Mireia Guitart, Paul Clifford, Sue Roche and Tom Owens and of course myself all had work on show.

Please have a look at everyone’s websites and please come along to the next edition of the Rooftop Collective‘s show.

Or if you are a photographer and would like to consider joining, drop Susan a line via the Be Smart About Website and say hi.

The exhibition looked wonderful and was the collectives best show yet.

Until the next one of course.