Written by Alexandra Bischoff

With this post we’re kicking off a new series where we ask our current interns to write about their experience with us and some of the things they are learning. We’re starting with our regular Saturday docent, Alexandra Bischoff.

For the first three weeks of my internship at the rennie collection, I was gluttonous for information. Rebecca Warren and Glenn Brown’s works are savory and rich in content; there seemed to be endless amounts of layers to peel back, more and more references to discover. I read articles, book excerpts, and exhibition catalogues to prepare myself for both interviewing the artists and giving tours thereafter.

Suddenly I found myself brimming over with this knowledge. But there is a profound difference between researching an artist’s practice and looking at their work. Paradoxically, I want to be able to look at their work without this background information informing my experiences of looking. The way that my eyes indulge in the material of the work is after all the reason why research is enjoyable. The practice of getting lost in an artwork is the reason why I wanted to become an artist.

The trouble then, was firstly figuring out a way to compound all of my newfound knowledge into a bite-sized snack. This consolidation is a practice of digesting and writing — Emily Carr University has prepared me for this initial challenge. But cultivating a method of engaging others in the act of looking together is the most rewarding challenge in giving tours.

Everyone looks at art differently. Some people prefer to talk while they move through the work, while others need silence. Some would like to learn the title before they look, and others want to look first then learn after. One tactic that I have adopted is to ask questions immediately after approaching a painting or a sculpture. The simple “what do you see here?” or, “who is this figure?” and sometimes, “do you notice anything unusual about the presentation?” are catalysts for conversation. They might be innate: these are the kinds of questions one would inwardly ask oneself while looking at an artwork. But these are auditory cues to culture specific kinds of conversations, where knowledge is built both by my initial research and the tour-member’s inquisitions.

Both Glenn Brown and Rebecca Warren want their work to be accessible to many publics: the art-historically informed and more casual art-lover alike. Giving tours has taught me volumes regarding the sharing of information. Since my first tours, I have learned to yield somewhat in my automatic speech, and leave space for contemplation and questions. The act of looking informs my tours, and I must be responsive to this looking and organic in my sharing. The most memorable tours are those which share, because we are all looking together and so we can revel in this looking by sharing our unique perspectives with each other.