Context

Context can effect the meaning, the situation and - to put it bluntly - is something in something. This can't be any truer when it comes to galleries and the work they display, whether it be photos, sculptures or paintings.

If we take The Graves, in Sheffield, for example. Overall the gallery is quite traditional, the type of gallery you would expect to exhibit more dramatic pieces. For example, when we went to view the gallery Fay Godwin's work was up and due to the dramatic landscapes that she took, the high contrast, it fitted in well with the over all mood of the place as did the deep red walls it was displayed on. The Graves was also exhibiting paintings, primarily of landscapes and regal figures which added to the more upstanding, posh feel to the place. The somewhat elaborate and gold plated frames of the paintings also added to this as well as the towering doors and walls.

Another gallery in Sheffield would be the Site Gallery which is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to gallery space. Where The Graves has wide open spaces and the colours of the walls often reflected or added to the mood of the art on display, deep red for Fay Godwin and a mild green for the portraiture, the walls in the Site Gallery are just plain white. Moreover the Site Gallery exhibits pieces of work on canvas and projected onto the walls - such as short films - which is more modern and almost more down to earth.then The Graves.