Mark Dion: Tate Thames Dig.An interactive piece reminiscent of the Cabinets of Curiosity.
The classification and arrangement of objects.I came across this work by Mark Dion known as Tate Thames Dig. The work, Displayed in the Tate Modern is reminiscent of the Victorian tradition of collecting objects and displaying the collection in purpose built cabinets often known as cabinets of curiosity. The layout is representative of Taxonomy, The study of collecting and classification. Each of the artifacts displayed here in a double-sided cabinet houses the artefacts retrieved during the Tate Thames Dig. One side of the cabinet contains items found at Millbank, the other those from Bankside. The random objects are classified according to where they are found, Size and type of object displayed in separate drawers. However, Dion has not labelled any of the objects, allowing the visitor to form their own ideas about them. I like the idea of maybe studying the classification of random objects further, Maybe by drawing objects that you wouldn't normally take any particular interest in, or by collecting objects and arranging them in a systematic order and photographing them. The work is interactive, Allowing the viewer to make decisions according to what part of the piece they wish to explore first, what drawer to open. I like the idea of a collection being contained within a collection, Maybe in the form of packaging.
