'Thomson & Craighead work to be acquired'

 The Harris Museum & Art Gallery in partnership with folly are delighted to announce that Thomson & Craighead’s piece 'The distance travelled through our solar system this year and all the barrels of oil remaining' (2011) is to be acquired for the Harris' permanent collection.
 
 
The work was selected by an expert panel, including Paul Hobson, Director, Contemporary Arts Society; Sarah Fisher, Chair of Axis and Chair of FACT; Gavin Delahunty, Head of Exhibitions and Displays, Tate Liverpool; Taylor Nuttall, Chief Executive, folly; and Alex Walker, Head of Arts & Heritage Preston City Council.
 
The work consists of two wall based gallery projections that dynamically display the number of remaining oil barrels left in the world alongside the distance the earth has travelled this year. By juxtaposing something global (the statistic streams) against something local (a visit to a gallery and contemplation of an artwork), the piece allows a poetic connection to be made between the individual and the world at large.
 
Alex Walker, Head of Arts & Heritage, Preston City Council says;
 
“We are delighted to acquire this piece by Thomson & Craighead. The work is a completely new departure for the Harris Museum & Art Gallery. It’s very much of the 21st century and could only be produced now. It makes use of live stream from the internet, and also deals with the big issues of the environment which are of concern to everyone. It may not initially have obvious connections with the Harris’ collections, however, artists have always been concerned with helping us to understand and relate to the world we live in. Through the Current selection process we have acquired a piece which is both experimental and innovative.”
 
A public debate will be held on 24th May 2011 to analyse the experiment and share findings and best practice on collecting digital art. 
 
Current: An Experiment in Collecting Digital Art, is a real-life case study that will follow an innovative experiment, in the Collection of New Media within museums 
 
The project includes;  
 

• A public exhibition of new media artwork to be held at the Harris Museum & Art Gallery. 
• An acquisition of one artwork for the museum's permanent collections. 
• A public debate. 
• Evaluation of the project to inform future collecting of new media at the museum.