Showcase

White Walls

Caitlin Powell-Page

Profile picture of Caitlin Powell-Page

Im a creative thinker, researcher and designer exploring institutional spaces and human behaviour through research methods, publishing and curation. My design practice evolves around questioning and challenging different societal systems and how these systems and spaces influence human experience.

Im a creative thinker, researcher and designer exploring institutional spaces and human behaviour...

A series of publications exploring the relationship between public art gallery space and human behaviour. Each volume addresses thoughts, ideas and issues on public art galleries, questioning their societal role as institutions and with considerations of the social, political and economic landscapes found within these spaces.

Final work

White Walls: An Insight into Public Art Galleries and Why They Need to Change

White Wallsis a series of publications exploring the public gallery space through three different lenses: Observation, Intervention and Projection. Each volume within this series of publications, aims to address thoughts, ideas and issues on the institution of the public art gallery. Observation (Volume 1) explores the origins and histories of how these institutions were founded and developed. From research into the initial emergence of major public galleries in the West, to the ideas and development of the modernist White Cube aesthetic found in many of our galleries today. Intervention (Volume 2) develops enquiry into how the public art gallery could be reimagined as a space to harness more creativity, and explores research around the racial, social and political activism which has/is taking place to tackle issues within the infrastructures of many of these institutions. Lastly, Projection (Volume 3)sets out to surface questions on the systematic infrastructures and narratives within public art galleries. Drawing upon research and people who are pushing for change in the social, political and economical backgrounds within these spaces. These collective insights aim to highlight an array of thought, reports and conversations that speculate the future of public art galleries and collective hope for structural progression and change that is needed within these spaces. 

  • A photograph of a chapter page in the publication. The chapter page is a bright yellow with black text.
  • A photograph of the introduction text of the publications, printed onto a transparent paper. This text folds in the front of the book.
  • A photograph of a chapter page in the publication. The chapter page is a bright yellow with black text.
A photograph of the 3 publication covers. The Covers read "White Walls" with their specific volume number underneath.

Human Trace

The research throughout these enquiries question the phenomenon of the White Cube aesthetic , conventions of modernist gallery space and proposes ideas around intervention of these established aesthetics. The sterile whiteness of these covers aim to encourage tactility, show human trace, interaction and use.

  • Photograph of a double page spread in, showing the work by Olafur Eliasson and text.
  • Photograph of a double page spread in, showing a full-bleed image of a statue with its face covered by a hand.

Share this project

White Walls

A series of publications exploring the relationship between public art gallery space and human behaviour. Each volume addresses thoughts, ideas and issues on public art galleries, questioning their societal role as institutions and with considerations of the s...

A link to this page has been added to your clipboard

Browse related work