The Common Sense
What would you pay to feel? Melanie Gilligan’s dystopian drama "The Common Sense" (2014) is set in an eerily familiar future. Over 15 short episodes it tracks the impact of a new immersive technology, The Patch, which allows users to communicate their emotions with others in real time. Worn on the roof of the mouth, it has transformed not only social contact but every aspect of society and relationships; with the Patch students can even give their tutors performance feedback during lessons.
This video work raises pressing questions about the impact and influence that technology already has on our lives but also deals with wider themes of privacy, work-life balance, and inter-personal relationships.
The Project
The Common Sense is the first acquisition for the University of Edinburgh’s Contemporary Art Research Collection. Its purchase has been generously supported by The Art Fund and includes upcoming plans for its displays on campus. The project funding will be used to support the installation and exhibition of the work.
Fristly The Common Sense will be part of a major exhibition for the Edinburgh Art Festival 2018 programme. Specifically, it will be on display from July 26th until August 26th in ECA's West Court. A modular display of five episodes from this work will also be exhibited in Codebase near Argyle House from March 29th until April 27th 2018. This exhibition is presented by students from the Collections and Curating Practices - MSc by Research programme at ECA.
Contemporary Art Research Collection
The Contemporary Art Research Collection is the newest addition to the University Art Collection. In comparison to the rest of the collection, which is linked in one form or another to the University either by artists, sitter or collector, the Contemporary Art Research Collection focusses on research and teaching. Specifically, this collection is being built with Dr Kirsten Lloyd around the School of History of Art's research on social reproduction and globalisation.
A Collections Development Group was set up in 2013 to oversee the rationale of this collection; this is a group made up of academics, curators and, crucially, students. As well as signally a new direction more generally the Contemporary Art Research Collection offers a unique learning experience for students. As the collections evolves, students will be involved at every stage –including research, development, and the acquisition process itself.
For the first time, artists are connected to the University by subject and not necessarily by geography. As well as incorporating the Art Collection into the academic fabric of the institution, this allows us to broaden the international scope of the Collection. As the University operates on a global scale, so too should our collections.
More information:
http://www.maxmayer.net/artist/melanie-gilligan/
https://www.eca.ed.ac.uk/event/two-way-patch
http://www.fabric.eca.ed.ac.uk/university-edinburgh-contemporary-art-research-collection/
Current project status
| Report Date | RAG | Budget | Effort Completed | Effort to complete |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2018 | GREEN | 0.0 days | 0.0 days | 0.0 |