My first public exhibition of Riparian has gone very well and has highlighted some critical areas for development.

During the film showing a total of 31 people attended, a mix of ages and backgrounds, but all notably part of the local community.

I was encouraged by this as I had not expected so many to attend. The following is a film about my opening introduction:

I also managed to capture an image of the audience just before the film started. Due to the film being shown with no lights on, it meant it was not possible to get shots of the various stories and audience interaction as the film played.

Figure 1

As a first screening, the film was well-received, with some very positive comments given to me after the exhibition.

The main feedback was focused on the length of the film, with many feeling the work was too long, and some of the visuals were onscreen for longer than needed. This was felt appropriate, but as the films were part of my FMP, they had been created with that in mind, so it was anticipated that the audience may not always fully connect with some of the work.

Positively, three people advised me after the screening that the more emotive films had made a significant impact, with one audience member relating to the river as a healing source for herself.

I took great confidence from this work and the feedback. Interestingly a number of the audience had attended thinking the film was about local wildlife, so the initial opening of the piece caused some confusion. However, after the first five minutes, it was recognised what the film would entail. This, again, was seen as positive as it means the work can stand up as a single exhibition piece.

Overall a very positive yet exhausting night, with some technical problems meaning I was unable to gather images of the exhibition for my FMP. However, I do have another screening in a few days, so I should be able to gather the required images then.

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References

Figures

• Figuuer 1: Jones, Rob. 2019. Riparian Audience. [Photograph]