Refracted cubes : designing a virtual gallery to extend street art engagement

Abstract

Street art is a medium that uses the urban environment as a blank canvas, appearing in the everyday and engaging audiences outside ‘white cube(s)’ (O’Doherty, 1986) of formal institutions and galleries. These surprising artworks, can change the experience of traversing the city, capture the attention of audiences who are shocked out of their mundane thoughts and, as a type of visual megaphone, demand interaction with the imagery. These moments evoke a disruption, a jolt in thought processes, a turn of the head, creating a moment when a viewer crosses the ‘threshold’ (Heidegger, 1927/1962). What is often missing from artworks in the urban environment is the information that is provided within the white walls of the gallery – the context of the creative process as well as the political, social, and cultural background – something this thesis addresses. Employing a mixed methods approach, with a focus on artsbased research and ethnography, the creative component Refracted Cubes, was developed. A curated digital gallery that focuses on female artists that use the medium of street art, specifically murals, as a form of expression, shaping the environment and community in which they operate. Refracted Cubes is a digital gallery to provide context for audiences to explore more about the medium of street art and continue the conversation with the artwork and the artist.

Date of Award	2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Western Sydney University
Supervisor	Rachel Bentley (Supervisor)