ITS from a different point of view
May 24, 2007
The interaction and confrontation between different art fields seems to be a direction the Art community has been moving towards over the last decades, and the intertwining of different experiences and different artistic formations, that involves the meeting of different approaches, is with just cause perceived as a chance for enrichment and evolution. Starting from this point of view, we decided to make Chantal Prod'Hom, director of MUDAC museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, some questions. Chantal was one of the guests attending the ITS#FIVE final event last year (and she will also be part of ITS#SIX). ABOUT MUDAC MUDAC (Museum de design et d'arts appliqués contemporains) opened in June 2000,and hosts permanent collections (refreshed from time to time with new installations), main and thematical exhibitions, both from Swiss and international artists. It also offers its space to "living arts" such as dance, performances and music. The MUDAC building is very peculiar as it is located in Maison Gaudard, consisting of four medieval dwelling houses joined together over the centuries. Chantal studied art history in Switzerland and USA. She has been the director of MUDAC since July 2000 after having other roles, such as the co-director of FAE Musée d'art contemporain (Lausanne) and the Executive Director of Fabrica in the late nineties. |
 Here is the report of our interesting chat... 1 What was your impression of ITS#FIVE last summer ? What did you appreciate the most during the event? I enjoyed very much those few days in Trieste last year. The gathering of a lot of interesting people involved in the fields I'm interested in was an important asset of the event and the very informal way we could meet was friendly and unusual. The fashion show was very professionally organized and stimulating. 2 With regards to the photo exhibition, what do you think of the photo projects you saw at ITS#FIVE in Trieste? I think that the selection could have been a bit more ambitious, presenting more works, since the diversity of the works didn't give a clear vision on the scope and the goals of the selection. I do believe that this section is very important for the platform and should be developed. |
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3 What are the guidelines for organizing programs and spaces for a museum devoted to (applied) contemporary arts? To be curious about what is going on in the different fields of design and the meaning (not just the interest in the form) of Swiss and internationl production is our guideline. To watch, to listen, to be informed, to collect and then to select. Being a museum means registering what is being produced and then letting some time pass before choosing to show a work. The variety of our program is crucial in order to give a voice to the many options and directions of contemporary design. Sometimes, we take a step back and organize a more historical show for our public, to understand that everything is connected and that history (even recent history ) helps understand what is going on now. 4 ITS is strictly connected to the school circuit, and MUDAC is really focused on design; what is your opinion about how design is taught in Europe? It is not my direct field of interest since we work more "down the road" when designers are educated and already have started to work professionally. I do look at the diploma works of as many European schools as I can since it's a fantastic nesting place of upcoming forces and I do accept to act as a jury member for diploma works in different design school. Of course I do follow with great interest what is going on at ECAL (Ecole Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne) since we have the privilege of seeing a lot of fascinating works coming out from this school. We have worked with ECAL several times already, presenting some of their touring shows, working (thanks to specific workshops) directly on an exhibition theme (the "camouflage" exhibition for instance) or presenting the first show of an ex-ECAL group of designers called INOUT, last year. |
