MAC microsites bring the exhibit to you
The museum introduces Patrick Bernatchez and Dana Schutz to the small screen: your computer.
Floor plan for Bernatchez's exhibit
This month, the Musée contemporain de Montréal launched two microsites for their current featured exhibits – Les temps inachevés by Patrick Bernatchez, and the eponymous Dana Schutz exhibition – bringing the museum to our screens. Obviously, there is nothing like seeing art in person, but the MAC’s microsites allows the audience to get a glimpse of the exhibits before venturing into the cold streets of Montreal, or even take a deeper look at them after their visit. I did the latter.
Homepage of the MAC’s Bernatchez microsite
The microsites not only feature images and descriptions of the work you’ll see at the MAC, but also interviews with the artists and recorded commentaries on the pieces. Schutz’s microsite holds images of all the pieces on display at the museum, while Bernatchez’s includes videos and a selection of images (there are just too many works on display to include them all on the website!). They also have a tab featuring the floor plan. Have a favourite? Check out where it’s located on the microsite and you can head straight for it on your visit!
Homepage of the MAC’s Schutz microsite
My favourite part about this is that I often leave a museum with a couple different pieces in mind: things I want to look up, images I would like to save for inspiration, or just works that I thoroughly enjoyed. By the time I get home, I can’t remember any of their names. And if I do, I need to start a Google search quest to find them. All I’m left with are tiny, usually crooked images with odd light reflections, on my phone. Having visited the exhibit quite a while ago, I can now go back to these microsites and search up everything my heart desires.
Dana Schutz and Patrick Bernatchez’s exhibits are only up until January 10. That may seem like a while away, but between the holidays and the food comas, it’ll be take-down day before you know it! Schutz’s exhibit is colourful and dirty. There is a playfulness in her composition and colour, but don’t let that fool you. These pieces are not innocent! The more you look, the more there is to discover. Bernatchez’s world is black and white, monochromatic. It is sound and light and time. Surrounded by sound and video, I felt small and self-aware. It was an interesting experience.
If I were you, I wouldn’t miss either of these exhibits! And don’t forget to check out the microsites.
