[Nettime-bold] SFMoMA - credit problems

[officegallery <office_gallery@yahoo.com>]

This is from a friend of mine who experienced problems
accessing the recent "010101" show at SFMoMA.  I
thought you would appreciate it.

-------

Dear Friends:

I am writing to express my concern regarding the
obstacles I confronted on a recent visit to the
SFMOMA.

During this visit I was denied access to both Janet
Cardiff's piece in the "010101" exhibition and the
handheld educational device in "Points of Departure"
because I did not have a credit card.  With our ever
increasing dependence on costly  technology it is
understandable that the museum is concerned for its
equipment's safety.  

But  the credit card deposit is more than protection
for renting a video camera, it serves to reinforce the
notion that art is for an elite group.  This credit
card restriction is both an age and a class issue.

Certainly an educational tool is present to increase
accessibility to the art work for the museum's
audience.  It seems antithetical to offer this tool
only to a select group of museum goers.  While I am
not completely familiar with security systems, it
seems likely that there could be a magnetic sensor on
the camera to protect it from theft.

------

Good call.  This is the kind of casual oversight we've
all come to expect from the populist expanse of the
institutionalization of art. I'm actually surprised
this didn't come up before, and I'm anxious to hear
your responses.



=====
Sean Fletcher, resident of the office/gallery
resident@officegallery.org
check out our website at:  www.officegallery.org
fax/vmail:  (801) 218-1913     direct:  (415) 733-6574
The office/gallery is a by appointment only location for work by contemporary artists operated covertly in the San Francisco offices of a National Insurance and Securities firm.

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