Rounding up visitors' feedback.

Throughout the course of the summer, as well as spending loads of time chatting to lovely artists and visitors at The Old Lookout, I've also been gathering lots of data from questionnaires. Someone with a much better understanding of maths than me will be crunching the numbers and analyzing the data properly over the next couple of weeks, but I thought I'd have a quick look over myself and draw some conclusions. I'll be focusing on the visitors to the gallery who filled out surveys over the summer, as this was the biggest sample group, so can provide the clearest answers. I'll be looking at just a few of the questions, ones that I feel are the most significant. I've also rounded the percentages to the nearest whole number. No one likes decimals nowadays.

Firstly, there is the question of our demographic. Out of the 11 age groups, more of our visitors came from the 61+ category than any other, with 24%. The fewest amount of visitors came from the 26-30 group, with only 3%. What I noticed however, is that the groups of 46-50, 51-55, 56-60 and 61+ were relatively equal in terms of numbers, with only the significantly lower percentages coming from groups 41-45 and younger. Apparently we also seem to attract more females, with 60% of visitors being women and 40% being men.
One of the most interesting results for me is the question of where people who visited the gallery live. Only 30% of visitors were local, well live in postcodes CT10, CT11 or CT12 at least. There were a few from CT9, which is Cliftonville, that aren't represented in this category however. This leaves 70% of visitors coming from elsewhere in the country, and sometimes even abroad. This shows us that many of the people who live locally, particularly in Ramsgate and Margate, aren't aware of, or simply aren't visiting the gallery.
As part of this questionnaire we asked people how they found out about the gallery/why they came in today. Without a doubt the most popular response was simply through curiosity, not knowing what to expect. 44% of people said this is why they visited, which considering there were 10 options to tick is a huge majority. The next highest was through seeing the sign outside the gallery, which attracted 23% of people in.
Now, only 41% of people who visited the gallery had been in before, with 59% being newcomers. What is reassuring however, is how many people said they would come back after visiting. The scale was 1-10, with 1 being very unlikely and 10 being definitely. I think we can agree that an answer of 7-10 would suggest that the visitor may well come back again. 78% of people ticked one of these 4 boxes, with 35% ticking 10, suggesting that they will definitely come back. Something else to consider with this question is that several visitors mentioned to the artists that they were only down on holiday, so found it unlikely that they would visit again. They took the question very literally, meaning that their score on this question didn't necessarily reflect their opinions on the quality of the gallery.
A very quick note on whether people would pay to visit The Old Lookout Gallery. When asked, 73% of people said they would be willing to contribute in some way, which is more than I would have expected at the beginning of the project.

In terms of more qualitative feedback from visitors, we asked "What do you feel The Old Lookout Gallery brings to Broadstairs?" Here are some of the most common responses:

- Culture.
- A chance for artists / students to show work to a wider audience.
- Broadstairs history /  appreciation of historic building / historic qualities.
- Curiosity / Interest.
- Brings an artistic element to Broadstairs.
- Something different to do / something non-seasidey.
- Tourism.

And I couldn't resist posting up some of my favourite responses as well:
"A lovely view and a nice stop on the way to chips." (Clearly someone after my own heart!)
"Mind food."
"Better than Turner Museum."
"It is a different world."
"A space for transcendence."
"...a chance to exercise my brain."

In contrast, we also asked visitors "Please provide any further comments or suggestions about how to improve The Old Lookout Gallery." I found that actually, only about half of people wrote a genuine suggestion for things to improve, with lots of people writing many more lovely things instead. Again, here are the most common responses:

- More advertising / publicity.
- Better signage / bigger sign at bottom of stairs.
- Don't change it! / Keep it as it is! / It's great as it is!
- More exhibitions.
- Tidy up / clean up inside.

And once again, how could I not put up some of my favourites?
"Sing sea shanties!"
"Keep the faith."
"Tilt it another few degrees!"
"A lovely lovely place full of niceness!"

It's been lovely to take part in this research project over the summer, not least for the chance to speak to and spend time with lots of fantastic and creative people. I hope this interesting and artistic community continues to grow over many more years. It's been a pleasure.

Artist in Residence Week 12 - Magz Hall.

In the final week of 2013's summer season, The Old Lookout welcomed Magz Hall with her sound installation exhibition Radio Recall. As Magz describes in her statement for the project, "Radio Recall is a community interaction and micro broadcast", which began on the Friday of her residency with a recording workshop for members of the public. The aim was to both teach volunteers how to use recording equipment and also to gather a series of interviews from local people. Magz was interested in hearing people's memories of listening to the radio: their first memories of radio; the shows they listen to now; how their listening habits have changed; and what kind of radios they use. Many of the interviews were incredibly nostalgic; not only for the interviewee but for members of the public listening to them afterwards. The sound pieces were then edited by Magz, and broadcast into The Old Lookout using FM through a selection of vintage radios, old and new. Now normally I would post lots of photographs documenting the exhibition to describe it better than I can with my rambly words. I did take some photos, but seeing as this was predominantly a sound exhibition, I've made a little video to show the visual set-up alongside some of the audio from the exhibition.

Magz with one of the project's contributors, after having recorded his radio memories.

On the first days of the exhibition, only one interview was playing at a time, with all the pieces on around a 30 minute loop. This was playing from only 1 radio, all all the others mainly just for visual effect. However, when I went back a second time, Magz had decided to use a multi-channel system, with several different voices speaking at once. This used almost all of the radios that had been donated, unifying the visual and aural aspects of the exhibition. I found that when it was just one voice, it was much easier to understand what was being said. It lent itself more to visitors sitting down, relaxing and staying in the gallery for a long time, so as to hear all the interviews. When all of the radios were being used, there was a much richer, multi-layered sound. This provided more interest when considering the waves of voices, the fading in and out of interviews. Because of the way the channels were staggered, sometimes there would be only 1 voice, with others cutting in and out at various points, which created a more diverse atmosphere. Whichever way the piece was presented, it certainly created a very nostalgic feeling, with people fondly looking back to their childhood memories of radio.
In terms of the public's reaction, it seemed to me that once people understood the nature of the show, and spent a bit of time with it, they definitely did become engaged with the work. Magz did note that several people seemed to be confused about the exhibition, perhaps not quite coming to terms with the fact that the art on show was actually aural rather than visual. There were a few "I thought there was an exhibition here?" questions, but Magz was good at explaining the nature of the exhibition and directing them to a statement which gave all the details. However, in terms of numbers, Magz was happy with the steady footfall, comparing it to her previous exhibitions here and suggesting that it felt like there was a much more regular stream of visitors this year. This may have been helped by the good weather this weekend, but to have more visitors than last year is a good thing nevertheless.
This was Magz's third exhibition here at The Old Lookout, all contributing towards research for her PhD. Each of the exhibits had a very different visual identity, and unfortunately she did say that she felt that this year's was the least visually striking. She said she wished she had had more time and help in hanging the radios around the gallery in order to make the look of the exhibition as interesting as the sound. She also felt this would have been helped by having better plinths, and perhaps other ways of hanging work in the gallery. This included giving the space in the roof a bit of a de-clutter, in order to utilise this space better. Like some of the other exhibitors this year, Magz did say that she would prefer not to have to be in the gallery every day, and would have been happy leaving the exhibition with someone else on some of the quieter days. She said she did meet some really interesting people, and enjoyed the interaction, but found the day to day looking after of the work a bit tiring. She also agreed that opening at 10am is a bit too early, and being there at 11am would be preferable in the future.
Overall, Magz told me that she always appreciates how the space can be used for experimentation. There were a few issues with the tuning of the radios, given the notoriously unpredictable Broadstairs reception. However, she said that she quite enjoyed the elements of chance and not knowing quite what to expect. It also gave her the opportunity to test out the technology she is going to be using for a larger exhibition in Canterbury next year, as well as getting feedback on the work from the general public. Although it seemed that several people weren't particularly acquainted with the term 'sound art', it struck me that once they understood the concept of the exhibition, they really did engage with the nostalgic sentiments it encouraged.

Artist in Residence Week 11 - Andrew M Butler

In the penultimate week of the summer season we welcomed seasoned Old Lookout exhibitor Andrew M Butler with his exhibition Walkstares. Andrew has exhibited at the gallery every year since its opening, so knows how the space works very well. His exhibition provided an opportunity to show the results of a project Andrew has undertaken over the summer, involving walking all around the Isle of Thanet and photographing something at every mile along the way. The structured nature of the project was reflected in the way the images were hung, exhibited in the order they were taken and all at the same height along the walls of The Lookout. Andrew knew from experience that he didn't want to use frames because of the reflections caused by the windows. He therefore hung the printed images using bulldog clips and string, a simple and effective way to demonstrate the nature of the project.

Andrew had shot this project specifically for display in this setting, he noted that he had wanted to do the walk for a while and making this site specific exhibition had provided the opportunity to show his work. I personally relish the way the project has clearly come full circle, with the images starting and ending with a view of The Lookout, and now being exhibited in the same location. It demonstrates the clear local influence in the project, which again I feel really works in this space. Andrew also included a map of Thanet in the exhibition, giving viewers an idea of the kind of distance walked. He also suggested that he would have liked to have marked his route out on a map, but just didn't have time to do it in the end. There was also an interactive element, where visitors can select from a series of images from the Turner and Dickens walk and put them into frames, creating a mini exhibition and bringing another element to the show. For me, the structure and consistency of the images and hanging created a simple, relaxed and meditative atmosphere within the gallery.
Throughout the exhibition, Andrew noted that people seemed to get hooked into the images - once they recognised one location they became more engaged with the whole exhibition. He wanted there to be something in each of the images that pricks the viewer, something noticeable and interesting. The selection and hanging process clarified themes within the project for Andrew, things that he hadn't noticed at the time of shooting the project. The symmetry of repeated imagery such as towers and signs really came out once the photographs were printed and hung. He mentioned that his main aim was to get lost in the landscape, exploring it in a different way. By enforcing restrictions on the way he was shooting a fresh way of looking at the environment was encouraged.
In terms of feedback about the running of the gallery, Andrew did note that we might need to have a look at doing a bit more marketing. He suggested that it might be a good idea to look into contacting some of the listings pages in newspapers, as well as checking up on what we currently have at the tourist information stand in Broadstairs. This could also include leaving leaflets in public buildings around the town, including the library and at the station. He did mention that he noticed a decrease from the last few years in people who solely come up to look at the view out of the window, which could suggest that more people are actually aware of the building's use than in previous years. However, Andrew also suggested that some people who visited were unclear about the fact that exhibitions change on a weekly basis, with some asking about last week's and even the week before's exhibits. He also agreed that perhaps putting the opening times back an hour could be beneficial, but keeping the schedule of days of hang and tear down the same, as this means that each artist gets a clear run over the weekend.
Andrew agreed that the building should always remain a rustic and informal space, as it can help to create a more relaxed atmosphere. He also mentioned that he relished the feedback form the public, and also being able to see a project through to fruition. For me this project had probably the strongest local influence, which worked perfectly when exhibited in this location. I also feel that visitors really responded to being able to recognise locations in the images, and became engaged in the entire series. It was lovely to see the influence The Old Lookout had on the shaping of the project, and how it had come full circle back to the location where Andrew's first and last images of the series had been taken.

Local Gallery research - Margate.

As part of my research I've been looking around at what other local galleries are doing in terms of how they are run - what kinds of exhibitions there are; if there are any charges for artists and visitors; and how they advertise themselves. I am mainly looking at places of a similar size to The Old Lookout that are independently run. I also wanted to specifically look into galleries that have changing exhibitions, that either rotate weekly or monthly. There are several more commercial galleries in Margate particularly, but I didn't feel these quite fit the bill. These include The Imperial Art Gallery, Margate Gallery, Marine Studios and Outside The Square Gallery. These operate on much more of a business level, with a focus on selling the art that is featured on the gallery walls. They also often only feature one or two artists, with work being exhibited in the long term. It will also become obvious that I am not referring to the Turner Contemporary, as this clearly functions on a much larger scale. Another small gallery in Margate that I have left out of my notes is Parade Gallery, which does appear to have short exhibitions that change fairly regularly, and doesn't charge visitors to come in. However, I haven't seen much come out of Parade recently, with its website not having been updated for a couple of months. Therefore, to keep up with what is currently happening in the Thanet art scene, I haven't been digging particularly deep into the workings of this gallery.
There has also been a new gallery recently opened in Ramsgate: The UpDown Gallery. This has contributed massively to the art scene in Ramsgate and also features exhibitions that change on a monthly basis. As far as I can tell however, this space isn't available for anyone to use and exhibit in. There doesn't appear to be a way of booking the space out for personal exhibitions or as a project space. This separates it from the way that places like The Old Lookout and The Pie Factory work, basically allowing artists to use the space as they wish, whether it be for the installation of a growing project piece or for a simple residency. Saying this, being a relatively new addition to Thanet, it's difficult to see how it will compare to some of the other galleries in Broadstairs and Margate in the long term.
So, the main places I have been focusing on are The Pie Factory, Limbo Gallery & Studios and Crate Space.

The Pie Factory

 - What do they do?
Run 5 workshops/studios that are rented by creatives, a gallery and a pop-up shop, which can be used to sell work or as a separate exhibition space. The gallery itself is a quirky, rustic space, with some original elements remaining from when it was a butchers. Exhibitions are constantly changing, and usually run for 1 or 2 weeks at a time. There is an enforced hanging system that artists must use to stop drilling into walls. Generally exhibitions are fully formed shows - not often used for residency style practice, where work is made throughout the week and added to a growing exhibition. As far as I know, artists are free to sell work if they wish, but there is not a huge emphasis on this.

- When are they open?
Throughout the year. There seems to be something going on here most weeks of the year. It appears that opening and closing times are at the discretion of the artists themselves (The current exhibition is advertising 11am-8pm opening hours). It appears that, with the exception of the hanging system, the artist is free to use the space however they wish.

- Do they charge either visitors or artists?
Visitors - no. Artists are charged for the use of all aspects of The Pie Factory - studios, pop-up shop and gallery. The main gallery space costs around £250 per week, obviously with the addition of a deposit.

- How do they advertise themselves?
In terms of online marketing, The Pie Factory uses a website, Facebook, Twitter and TripAdvisor. However, it is really only the first two sites that are used regularly, with the Twitter feed not being posted on very often and only 1 review on TripAdvisor. They also have a page on the Visit Thanet website (which if I'm honest, I didn't realise actually listed art galleries) and a mailing list to keep visitors updated.
There are also flyers which can be distributed by exhibitors, and quite a big, obvious sign on the front of the gallery, which is situated in Margate's old town.


Limbo Gallery & Studios

- What do they do?
Limbo is an artist lead organisation, with artist studios to rent and a gallery/project space. This gallery appears to have much more of a varied usage, with constantly changing exhibitions and events. It can also be rented out for almost anything - corporate gatherings, private functions and public events. Limbo is situated a bit out of the old town of Margate, which is where most of the small galleries, cafes and boutiques are situated, in a renovated old substation. This gives the space itself quite an industrial feel. Their website notes that Limbo "aims to create new points of reference or entry, through which challenging and unfamiliar ideas and methodologies can be experienced and discussed." Therefore, works in progress and artist residencies are also exhibited here.

-When are they open?
Various weeks throughout the year. Most exhibitions are short term, again usually two or three weeks long. However, there doesn't appear to be a fixed schedule for shows - at the moment there is a gap between exhibitions from 18th August to 5th October. Again, it seems that opening hours are left up to the artist or group exhibiting, with most exhibitions also having private views.

- Do they charge?
Again, there is no charge for visitors. And similarly to The Pie Factory, Limbo's gallery space can also be rented out. The prices really depend on different categories - whether the exhibitor is a studio holder, member, student group, artist group or business. A 5 day period (presumably with the addition of 1 day each for hang and tear down) costs between £95 and £205.

- How do they advertise?
Again, mostly through online marketing. Limbo uses Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as their main website which includes the opportunity to subscribe to a mailing list. Their Twitter feed is well updated with what's going on both in the gallery and Margate in general. On their website there is a link to become a member of the gallery, which again suggests a way of gaining more funding. However it doesn't appear to be fully sorted out yet, but could be something which happens in the future. In terms of physical marketing, the gallery is slightly off the beaten track, tucked round behind some shops on a road just off the main high street. Therefore, you would expect that there would be some signs around the town directing people there, as it is not very likely that the public would just stumble across it. However, I couldn't see any posters or an A-Board. This may be down to the fact that there isn't an exhibition on at the moment, so when the gallery is open there may be some more obvious forms of publicity in the town.


Crate Space


- What do they do?
Again, Crate offers a gallery space and studios to rent. However, they also offer opportunities for both artists and curators, which does differ from The Pie Factory and Limbo. There is a changing programme of events and exhibitions within the main gallery space, which can also be used by artists as a project space, with a focus on experimentation and research. Crate is located in the same courtyard as Limbo, with the two galleries working together and often publicising each others events. In contrast to Limbo, Crate has also recently offered curatorial internships, supported by UCA, giving a bigger focus on education and artistic opportunities.

- When are they open?
Like the other two galleries, there appears to be various things going on throughout the year, without a fixed schedule of exhibitions. From looking at their website it is not entirely clear whether there are any exhibitions coming up and when they are, but I am unsure on whether this is the gallery not hosting shows any more or just a rarely updated website.

- Do they charge?
There is no entrance fee for visitors. Artists can rent the gallery and various spaces within Crate for prices ranging between £60 and £270 for a week. The pricing system is similar to that of Limbo, with different categories of exhibitor paying different prices. However, on their website there is also a page dedicated to a 'Crate Curatorial Bursary', which was open to applicants wanting to direct a programme of events at the gallery. The applicant is offered a £1000 bursary to develop a programme proposal and, with the help of funding bids, deliver a series of events to be shown at Crate. This is the only gallery I have looked into so far that is actually offering to pay at least one contributor to the running of the exhibitions.

- How do they advertise?
Being in the same location as Limbo, Crate may well have the same problems with attracting chance visitors. However, when I went down to have a look, they did have an A-Board on the pavement advertising, which does attract attention from passers by. Unfortunately when I went into the gallery it looked as if the exhibition was in the process of being torn down, with no clear signs of what the exhibition was or had been and no one around to ask about it. Clearly the physical marketing is there, but perhaps wasn't entirely effective on the day that I visited. In terms of online marketing, they do use a main website, with the option for visitors to register and login to the site. They don't appear to use any social networking sites, with the exception of a Facebook page created for one specific exhibition.


The main things I can conclude from looking in detail at these 3 galleries, and being aware of some of the other galleries in Margate, are as follows:

• None of them, not even the Turner, charge their visitors for entry. However, even though not all of the galleries in the town are commercially focused, all of them appear to charge their artists and contributors to exhibit.
• Most use mainly online marketing, with Facebook and Twitter being the most popular choices for social media. Mailing lists are also often used. There isn't much publicity for the galleries around the town, at least not that I have noticed. However, The Pie Factory probably has the most strong and defined image to its flyers, meaning that they are easily recognisable. Limbo and Crate don't have as strong a personality to the look and design of the websites and social media sites, which might also be said for The Old Lookout. 
• The galleries that I have looked at are all open all year round, but don't have a fixed schedule. Also, opening times are most down to the discretion of each individual exhibitor. Both of these ideas contrast to The Old Lookout, which only opens in the summer season.
• It has to be said, there just isn't as strong an art scene in Broadstairs as there is in Margate. It's true that there aren't many posters around advertising galleries, but it could be suggested that the locals of Margate don't need them. The old town has a reputation of being quite an arty area, which means that perhaps the art scene there doesn't need to be advertised as much. In Broadstairs, on the other hand, there isn't this knowledge yet. 

It's clear to see that, for the most part, the running of The Old Lookout is quite different from many of the galleries in Margate. The most noticeable differences are the charging of artists to exhibit and the fact that they are available all year round. Personally, I don't feel that charging for the use of the space would work particularly well for the ethos of The Lookout - it would at very least change the types of exhibitions we are able to show. Part of what is interesting here is the ability that artists have to show works in progress, or experimental work without fear of losing money with nothing to show for it. This means that the exhibitions can be as enlightening for the artists as they are for the visitors. It is clear that the art scenes in the two towns are at very different levels, which has to be reflected in the running of galleries. The template that works in Margate wouldn't necessarily work as well in Broadstairs. However, with the whole of East Kent's artistic reputation growing, it will be interesting to see in future years whether other towns in the area follow the model that has been created in Margate.

Artist in Residence Week 10 - Dafna Talmor

This week The Old Lookout became home, quite literally, to Dafna Talmor, with her exhibition See View. With the help of 2 lovely assistants Mick and Joe, for the first 5 days of the residency Dafna turned the space into a darkroom and camera obscura, designed to create an environment in which to both make new work, and demonstrate the camera obscura to visitors. This involved blacking the entire gallery out, making sure there were no light leaks at all, which by the sounds of it was not an easy task. After exposing on both positive and negative photographic paper, a series of work was made detailing different parts of the landscape viewed outside the window of The Old Lookout. These images were then presented in an exhibition format on the Wednesday, with a closing party that evening. I have to say that for me, this was one of the most unique exhibitions of the season, not least because of the several different uses of space: a studio, darkroom, camera obscura, exhibition space and, on a few occasions, a place to sleep.

The Camera Obscura and Darkroom

The Exhibition

During the time I spent down at the gallery, what really struck me was how, once people engaged withe ideas behind the camera obscura and the exhibition and spent time with the images, they really seemed to be interested and enthralled by them. I felt that this show in particular did need explaining to people when they came in, but once it was understood how the images were created the work did spark off conversation. Dafna and the team were all really good at getting across the exhibition's concept, which did help to get visitors more involved with the work. I also noted that if people were willing to spend 10 or 15 minutes getting their eyes used to the camera obscura, it was easy for the artists to get talking to them, making the whole exhibition more interactive and personal. This was particularly true for those who already understood the concept of pinhole photography. Dafna told me that she really enjoyed the process of interacting with members of the public and engaging in conversation about the work. I think this was evident in people's reactions to the camera obscura and images produced, along with the really good team dynamic between the 3 people working on the exhibition.
Dafna did mention to me some feedback that had been passed on to her by visitors to the gallery. Firstly, that for the most part, many people who are local to Thanet don't know that The Old Lookout is here. For visitors, the gallery is something that is easily stumbled upon, but it is many of the people who live in Broadstairs all year round that don't necessarily have us on their radar. This suggests that we might need to do some more marketing throughout the year to increase people's awareness of this artistic outlet in the town. Dafna had also been told that the poster and events list weren't particularly effective and could do with updating. She mentioned that it could just be that the design of the graphics doesn't reflect the nature of the gallery itself, so the two things don't quite match up. In terms of the space, I appreciate that for the team this wasn't the easiest space to work in, but I also think that the work that came out of the exhibition was all the stronger and more genuinely interesting for this fact.
Other than this feedback, Dafna noted that she was really happy with how the week had gone. She said that she relished the limitations of the small space and the challenges of making enough new work under time pressure. Her projects normally take years to come to a close, so creating a whole new project in under a week was something completely different. She suggested that not being too precious about the process of making work, and also the possibility of failure was interesting, and allowed a new and unusual approach to be brought to the work. In terms of The Old Lookout, the fact that we allow the artists to use the space in whatever way they would like really gave the team creative freedom to give the gallery so many different uses. I think this is definitely something that should be encouraging for artists, and should remain a key factor in the running of the space. I feel that the rustic, informal nature of the exhibition space is unique, and allows so many different installations and exhibitions to be able to flourish. For me, this exhibition was a perfect example of how The Old Lookout can be completely changed for a week, with new, unique and interesting work being produced.

Artists in Residence Week 9 - Karen Shepherdson and Nigel Breadman

In undoubtedly the busiest week of the summer season, The Old Lookout welcomed Karen Shepherdson and Nigel Breadman, with 3 exhibitions combining under the title Folk Week Photo Festival. Nigel presented images from his project 'The 56 Bus Project', Karen continued with her '100 Couples' project, and selected images from the SEAS archive of Sunbeam photographs completed the exhibition. Visitors were also given the opportunity to have their old Sunbeam 'walkies' photographs digitally archived to add to the SEAS Photography collection. Given that this week of the season falls within Broadstairs Folk Week, which always attracts hundreds of visitors to the town, there was much more of a busy atmosphere in the gallery, added to by the various goings-on throughout the week - scanning, photography, filming etc. On the final day of the exhibition the local BBC news came down to the gallery to film a short piece about the work in the SEAS archive, attracting media to the Old Lookout through the collection of Sunbeam images.

Our friend from The Beeb recording some archiving.

One of the main things I noticed throughout the week is the way all the work on show, but particularly the Sunbeam images, provoked conversation amongst visitors, encouraging them to tell nostalgic stories about childhood and take trips down memory lane. They also sparked off discussion about social history and our connection to the past. It was especially nice to hear how anecdotes about time spent near the seaside really enhanced the connection between artist and visitor. Given that there was so much happening in the town this week, Karen and Nigel decided to stay open past 4pm on most days, and found that on a couple of days there was a high influx of visitors in the late afternoon, between 3 and 5pm. This lead Nigel to suggest that it might be a good idea to really think about the opening times of the gallery. Most artists report that the morning is always much quieter than the afternoon, and particularly between 10 and 11am. Therefore, there could perhaps be scope to think about being a bit more flexible with the gallery's opening hours, maybe pushing it back to 11am - 5pm.
In terms of the public's reaction to the projects, Nigel noted that viewers seemed to really like and understand the concept of 'The 56 Bus Project', particularly those who live locally and can recognise the locations that he had photographed. He didn't want the work to turn into a kind of quiz, but most people were intrigued as to where the images had been taken. In contrast to some of his previous work, most visitors didn't seem to be as interested in the process of how the prints were made, which meant that the majority of the emphasis in the project's statement was placed on the concept and background, rather than technical details. Nigel suggested that having a local connection in his work was very important, including representing the area in a positive way and not alienating members of the community. I certainly feel that the project suited the space very well, being creative enough to carry a theme throughout the exhibition, but not so off-the-wall and difficult to understand as to create a barrier between the artist and members of the local community. In terms of suggesting potential improvements to the gallery, Nigel emphasised that he felt it should remain a very simple space - it doesn't need lots of gadgets and specialist fittings to be a successful place to show art. He also felt that the improved signage this year has definitely increased publicity.
With Karen's '100 Couples' project, she mentioned that visitors really responded to how tender the images were. The people who take part in the project are already familiar with the concept, and Karen said she felt that this year, she didn't need to justify what she was trying to show, the images speak for themselves. This was also reflected in the deliberately short statement, allowing the repetition and subtle differences within the images to be taken at face value. Spending time down at the gallery, it was great to see the way that each year the project comes full circle, both shooting new images and exhibiting older ones in the same location. The Old Lookout has really become a project site. In terms of how the gallery works, Karen kindly noted that it was great to have an intern in the team, and in an ideal world there would be another person there permanently to provide support in the organisational aspects of how the gallery is run. It was also good to see that artists showing at the gallery didn't feel that they were being neglected, with 3 people who can pop in and check everything is ok, (I promise these things were said, I'm not just blowing my own trumpet!). Karen also agreed that the flexibility of opening hours might be something to think about.
What I particularly noticed with this week's exhibition is the relaxed atmosphere that had been created. For me, the informal, non-judgmental feeling of the space seems to enhance the way that people can feel able to start conversations with the artists, and tell their own stories relating to the work. I also feel that during this week in particular, the positive atmosphere from events happening on the jetty leaks in to The Old Lookout, encouraging visitors to feel relaxed and comfortable within the space.

A Note About Vimeo.

The last social networking site The Old Lookout seems to make use of is the video sharing website Vimeo. In previous years this account was used to host the short films made by film-makers in residence, which were shot on a weekly basis to give an impression of each exhibition that had been in the gallery. Unfortunately, this year we haven't been able to make film about every single exhibition, which means that the account has not been used to upload many videos recently. For this reason, I am not going to look into the use of this website in as much detail as those we use more often, rather just note down a few of my thoughts on how Vimeo is being used.

• At the moment, our account is only really used as a place to host videos online, not to interact with the public or other artists and galleries who make sue of it. There are lots of videos on the page, but The Old Lookout is not following any other accounts, hasn't liked any videos etc. It is used purely as a hosting platform, not to make connections with others. 
• At the moment, it seems as though we are paying for Vimeo Plus, which offers more benefits then just the basic user account. There are other options for video hosting sites, the largest of which is of course YouTube. The benefits of using YouTube over Vimeo could be access to larger audience, better and more often used search features and free usage. However, it is definitely not as slick an operating system as Vimeo, which also looks much more professional when videos are embedded into other web pages, such as our twitter page or main website.
• Very few independent galleries that I have found use a vimeo account, or even make videos for promotion. This does act as a unique selling point of The Old Lookout, and provides a really slick and compact way to get information about what we do here across to potential visitors. However, The Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate, although on a much larger scale than the Lookout, do also make videos to create a buzz around their exhibitions and upload them to their Vimeo account.
  The short films they post are not actually much different from the ones we make here, with interviews and footage providing a bit of background information to the exhibitions they have on at the time. They do also use it to interact with other users much more, liking videos and following other accounts. Obviously, I recognise that the Turner are on a much, much larger scale, but I do feel that finding another gallery that makes use of this site in a very positive way is encouraging.
• The videos that are on The Old Lookout's channel have plenty of artistic worth in their own right and provide a really good way to represent the gallery positively. These short films are a lovely, unique way to show work that is done at the Lookout, and do deserve to shown off to the world. They are a huge strength to us not only in terms of publicity to the public, but also for funding bids and so on.
• I don't feel that is really worth ploughing lots and lots of time and money into our presence on Vimeo, given that it is mainly used for hosting the videos and embedding them into other pages. It's also not actually posted on very often. However, I think it is entirely necessary to have a place to house the films about the gallery, given that they are so artistically strong.

Overall, I do feel that our presence on Vimeo is perhaps not as strong as it could be in terms of using it for publicity. However, I think that it does the job that we need it to do perfectly well as it is. We don't really need to use Vimeo as a social networking site, given that videos can be linked in to both Facebook and Twitter anyway. Therefore, sticking with using the account as a slick and professional place for us to direct people if they want to see the short films I feel is a perfectly valid and appropriate use of this online tool. Our presence here probably could be improved, but I honestly don't think it needs to be. Let's stick to what we know and let the films do the talking.

Artist in Residence Week 8 - Laura Jackson-Wills.

In week 8 of our summer season The Old Lookout became home to Laura Jackson-Wills, with her exhibition Space Place. The work on show brought together the visual aspects of her Phd project about the unique space of beach huts, and how their owners use them. For this exhibition, Laura focused on presenting images from 3 coastal towns in East Anglia, one each from Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. In her statement Laura described the project as "A study of beach hutters' sensory and lived experience at the seaside." Alongside photographs taken throughout the project, handmade books documenting the progression of the project, old collected postcards from the seaside and a book of interviews with beach hutters were also on display. Themes of space, place and time were reflected in the work. Laura also presented the image that sparked off the entire 6 year project for her, bringing the work to a nice close.

Something that was great to hear was just how lovely people had been about the work. Laura did note that again some people did just come up to look at the view, but most still stayed and looked at the exhibition whilst they were there. She said that one of the most positive things she took from her time at The Old Lookout was building confidence in talking to members of the public about the work, and hearing positive comments. Whilst I was there on Wednesday we both had a long conversation with a couple whose daughter was thinking about doing a degree in the arts. Details were passed on and it was fantastic to see that seeing exhibitions such as this can really inspire people and make them think about encouraging others to get into the arts in some way. For me, the exhibition seemed like a brilliant way to round off the visual aspects of a long term project, and to hear the public's reaction as to which direction to take the work next.
On the day of the set up Laura did mention to me that she had been thinking about running some very informal workshops on book making. She knew that running formal sessions wouldn't necessarily work, but suggested that maybe if people were interested in what she was doing she would have the resources to teach them how to do it. In the end however, she decided not to go ahead with this - after having been in the gallery she said she hadn't realised what a transient space it was. People generally come in by chance, and therefore don't look to spend long periods of time there. Nevertheless, it seemed like a good idea to have something art-based to be doing whilst looking after the exhibition, to be able to take something physical away form the residency.
The only concerns that Laura suggested relating to the way the gallery is run were with the marketing and publicity. She mentioned that it would make sense to put a little bit more money into getting adverts into the free newspapers and magazines in the area, to bring more awareness to local people. She also thought that the graphics and style of the posters and flyers might need a fresh pair of eyes looking at, and felt the design was a bit too cluttered, which makes it difficult to be striking enough to grab people's attention. She suggested that it could just be because she's a graphic designer so picks up on these things more easily, but thought that it might be a nice idea to look to the Graphic and Multimedia Design courses at the Broadstairs campus to perhaps suggest some changes to the brand of the gallery.
In terms of the public's reaction to the exhibition, Laura noted that people did regard the work as a conversation starter. It was nice to hear people recognising the places depicted in the photographs, and therefore making a connection to the work. There was one particular photograph of an elderly man asleep outside his beach hut that consistently struck a chord - people saying things like "He looks like he could be everyone's granddad!". It was so nice to hear people discussing common ground in the images even if they weren't taken in Kent. Laura thought that with the location of the gallery, it attracts many more chance visitors than a larger commercial gallery might, but fewer people who deliberately come to the exhibitions, who know what to expect. However, from what I observed, many of the people who spent time with the images really did connect with the work and the ideas behind the project.

The Old Lookout's Twitter

The next aspect of The Old Lookout's online presence that I want to discuss is the use of Twitter. This is probably the site on which we have the most followers, and therefore can be used to the greatest effect for engaging current visitors or fans of The Old Lookout. Although it might not be the right tool in terms of trying to attract new visitors, it provides a great opportunity to show the personality behind the gallery and communicate with other local businesses and artists.
In an online article, Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey describes the website as "a great medium for word of mouth". He also suggests that "The more you show the humanness behind the brand and behind the small business, the more people will actually develop a fondness for it." (full article can be found here: http://www.stylist.co.uk/stylist-network/how-to-use-twitter-for-small-businesses) Ultimately, people want to interact with people, which is why I feel it is so important to use the right tone in tweets, and update the feed regularly. I feel that this is not the place to be doing lots of hard advertising, more making connections to people who are fans of the gallery and posting information to them.
I personally feel that the gallery's use of twitter at the moment is very good, and actually a lot better than some of the galleries I have been looking into. We aren't the only people doing good things on Twitter however, the relatively new UpDown Gallery in Margate also seems to be making very good use of this social media tool.
The first thing I notice is that everything on the page is consistent - from the colours of the links in the tweets, to the banner photo and background design. It really enhances the brand they are trying to portray to their potential visitors. The page seems to be updated regularly with relevant information about exhibitions and artists that are going to be showing at the gallery. They also post images of the exhibits, which is a really good way to engage with someone browsing on the internet - it's much quicker and easier to look at a photo than read a description of the exhibition. It is also clear that they often re-tweet posts from contributors saying good things about the gallery, which not only provides a sort of customer testimonial, but shows that the gallery is wanting to make a connection with the online community. For me, it is always important to see that the page has been regularly posted on, and if anything I feel there might be slightly too many tweets in one day here. However this is much better than having too few in my opinion!

Having read several articles about the best way to use twitter for small businesses, there are a few common suggestions that are important for making a connection with followers. In an article for PC Mag.com, Jill Duffy suggests: "it's very important on twitter to respond to people who at-message your account". This can enhance the aforementioned "humanness" of the business. She goes on to note that posting pictures and videos is one of the best ways to engage with viewers, and highlights "As a twitter user, I highly prefer images that are posted through Twitter's own photo features rather than those posted through another service that forces me to open a new window to view the images (Instagram being the prime example)." (Full article here: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2383408,00.asp)I have to admit that this is also a pet hate of mine when on Twitter, having to open up a new tab just to see a photo which I might not be interested in.
Several other articles stress the importance of adding some personality to tweets, and keeping the posts relevant, entertaining and informative. (See: http://www.bluecloudsolutions.com/blog/5-ways-small-businesses-twitter-effectively/ and http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/how-a-small-business-can-use-twitter-1140704)

As I mentioned, I actually think that The Old Lookout's use of twitter is very good, but, nevertheless, here are what I consider to be the strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths:

• Good tone in the tweets - not too serious and formal, but not inappropriate either. A bit of humour.
• Tone is also consistent throughout.
• Link to main website is clear and right at the top of the page.
• Artists who are conducting residencies are linked in to tweets - advertises the artists themselves as well as the exhibition.
• Good use of re-tweeting local information/events and artists in residence, keeping a connection with the community.
• 'Behind-the-scenes' type photos are nice to see, and also videos from both this season and last year.
• Tweets seem personal and have one voice - doesn't seem like a business that is trying to sell anything.
• Connections with SEAS and other CCCU projects acknowledged - encouraged to share audiences.

Weaknesses:

• Twitter standard background - not much of an injection of visual personality which is a bit of a missed opportunity.
  
• Posting of exhibition photos is not all that consistent - it is done for some artists but not others. Could have regular weekly updates with pic of poster at the start of the week and a snapshot of the show later on.
• Not many questions/opportunities for suggestions thrown out to general users.

As will be quite obvious, I don't think there are too many flaws in the way that The Old Lookout currently uses Twitter. I feel that the number of updates and how regular they are is good, and the important information that a potential visitor would need to know, although not on the page, is easily accessible on the website. A lot of articles, both online and in the NESTA 'Launch Your Own Successful Creative Business' series, suggest that it is a good idea to ask questions to the business's twitter followers in order to stimulate discussions and encourage people to voice their opinions. In theory, this would be a nice idea, but only if it was felt that it would really enhance the connection with visitors. For a business that is looking to get ideas for new products, for example, I can see that this would certainly be of benefit. In the case of The Old Lookout however, I wouldn't say it's a high priority.
One thing on the twitter page that I feel could be easily improved is its general look. It would be nice to have a background that reflected the personality of the gallery, with either images of the building, past exhibitions, or even just a logo of some sort. I don't feel that it's hugely detrimental to how the page would be perceived by viewers as it is, but the background is a very simple thing to change.
In my opinion, The Old Lookout's Twitter page is one of the strongest aspects of the gallery's online presence. It's nice to hear a personal voice, which can help make a very real connection to potential visitors. The fact that artists' personal Twitter accounts are linked in to the gallery's updates is great, and can help to drive traffic towards them and their own websites. I feel that the whole page represents the gallery very well, without being either too formal and boring, or inappropriate and unprofessional. It strikes a good balance.

Artists in Residence Week 7 - Lemon Otter and Sam Flastic Hughes.

This week, and exactly one year on from their previous residency at The Old Lookout, the gallery was home to Lemon and Sam, with their exhibition Thon Colin Land. Last year, their week comprised a constant, improvised performance piece, which was filmed and, amongst other shorts, made into an hour-long comedy extravaganza. This was then presented in the same week this year, bringing the work full circle. Alongside the film, framed stills from their other comedy shorts and lots of comfy furnishings and disco lights were included to enhance the general atmosphere of a mini bijou cinema. When the film wasn't being screened, visitors were treated to Sam's music, which I couldn't help having a little dance to when I thought no-one was looking.
Half of the Old Lookout was blacked out and converted into a comfortable and cosy screening room, with the other half offering visitors the delights of "weird confectionery", "nicetimes" and "trays" (their words, not mine) and a chance to chat to the creators of the work.

To me, this exhibition was different to everything else that has been at The Old Lookout. I loved how the gallery was transformed from a rustic, beachy, wooden building, to a cosy and welcoming space. Although everything was to be looked at with a pinch of irony, there was still a sense of creating a comfortable atmosphere for visitors once they crossed the threshold into the other half of the gallery space. In terms of the public's reaction to the film, Lemon noted that although there wasn't an enormous number of people who did stay and watch either the whole or a substantial part of the film, those who did seemed to really get into it and, most importantly, laughed. She suggested that some people had to rush off after 10 or 15 minutes of watching, but also that once people sat down and gave it a chance, they understood it and enjoyed the humour.
Unfortunately, Lemon and Sam did have a few concerns about the practicalities of how the gallery is run. Most notably, they found that actually being there and invigilating the exhibition was more tiring than expected, and thought that there should be volunteers to look after the work on one or more of the less busy days to give the artists a day off. This is an option, but it would have to be put to each individual artist to see whether they would be comfortable in leaving their work with someone that, by nature, wouldn't be as knowledgeable about it. Along the same lines, they also thought there should be comfier chairs provided for the artists to make the general day to day inhabiting of the space more comfortable, and a bit less general 'stuff' in the gallery. They did agree that it should remain a rustic space, but argued that it shouldn't be so cluttered. Lemon would also have found it useful to have a locker or secure place for them to store valuables, not overnight but just for if they wanted to pop out for a minute. Giving the space a good clear out would certainly be possible if it was felt that the things really were causing a problem for people's exhibitions. However, as a free and non-profit space, it might be difficult to address problems that involve buying lots of new equipment. Unfortunately, when asked what they thought about the week, both artists thought that it wasn't entirely successful in terms of increasing their publicity and enhancing the public's knowledge about the work. They suggested that there just weren't enough people coming through the door to spread the word. However, they did comment that the feedback they got from the people who did watch the film all the way through was invaluable in helping them decide where to take the work next.
Lemon also suggested to me that she wished she had included more information in the captions of the framed film stills, in order to stop visitors being confused when they first entered the space. The difficulty was engaging people enough to get them to watch the film. However, it seemed that blowing bubbles off the balcony of The Old Lookout was a sure-fire way to get children, and by default also their parents, involved in the exhibition and motivated to ascend the stairs!
Another idea that was suggested was that of hosting more evening events at The Old Lookout gallery. I think that perhaps having scheduled events, especially for this kind of exhibition, would bring in a different demographic of people, and offer a more structured way to guarantee an enthusiastic audience. Definitely something to think about!
Overall, the artists did admit that it was a mixed week in terms of success, but the fact that there were people who sat and watched the whole film, and laughed all the way through, did help to increase their knowledge of what people find funny in this kind of context. Without a doubt, there were lots of people who really got it, including someone who casts for comedy adverts (with whom details were obviously swapped), whose feedback was clearly appreciated.