I have been going to museums and galleries for about ten years now [I'm only counting the past ten years as before that I can guarantee you I really wasn't paying attention] and I am continually fascinated with other spectators. Whenever I got the chance in university I would write an essay on the role of the beholder in art and I'm still very into that. The experience is a bit different when you are on the other side of things - as I am now @ two art institutions [just because I don't get paid doesn't mean I'm not working]. As someone who works there you are not quite a beholder...or at least you are in a different category - one that up until now I've never given much thought to.
One aspect I've always been very aware of is the security forces @ work in museums/galleries. They always wear dark colours and attempt to be unseen [though with the stark walls of like 85% of galleries, this is a bit counterproductive]. It seems that in Canada they are extra vigilant, even though the art is generally not as renowned. Tonight I got to join their illustrious ranks as I served as security personnel in an art gallery. I was "securing" just one piece - a new sculpture by Simon Starling, commissioned by The Power Plant. The sculpture has a lot of rust and also mussels on it as a result of being submerged in Lake Ontario for some time. I was warned that people would try to smell it and there were no ropes or string things [like the AGO had] to block people from getting up close and personal. Why you would want to smell rotting mussels is really beyond me. Unfortunately I didn't get to tell anyone to back away/stop smelling the art - though people did get quite close. People also looked at me. I think maybe that the security people are an important part of the beholders experience.
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