Reimagining the Monument: Butterfly and Horse Project by Artist Clare Strand and Students of Sotheby's Institute of Art
A monument can be a memorial, a work of art, a physical object, or something entirely different, with its significance evolving depending on the audience and era, as discussed in the article Two Perspectives on Monuments from the University of Chicago's Division of the Humanities. Monuments encompass a broad spectrum and can be deeply personal, influenced by individual experiences. W. J. T. Mitchell, an art history scholar, notes that “monuments are born at a certain moment, and then they live through history, they try to recall something from history, and then they have a history of their own. Sometimes they don’t start out as monuments.” [1] This perspective is central to the Reimagining a Monument project for 2023/24, in which a group of Sotheby’s Institute of Art students have spent the past year exploring and redefining the concept of monuments. [2] Together with Clare Strand, a conceptual artist working with photography, we have created both an analogue and an AI darkroom experience. This project will serve as a monument to the complexities of the photographic image and its central role in our everyday lives.
We invite you to join us from September 20th to 22nd at the Victoria & Albert Museum in Seminar Room 2 in the Learning Centre at Level 1 (Cromwell Road SW7 2RL) for an interactive experience that delves into tour captivating theme. We look forward to seeing you there!
A Butterfly and a Horse, Clare Strand and Sotheby's Institute of Art Poster. Photo Courtesy: Clare Strand
What does Monument mean to us?
This question has been central to our reflections throughout the "Reimagining the Monument" project, and we have explored it from various angles. During an interview with Clare Strand concocted by Annette Fernando and myself in a Brighton studio in late June, Clare described monuments as “markers in history, representing a supposed ‘consensus’ of significant moments and values.” She proposed that photography could also be viewed as both testimony and monument to a moment in time. Clare further discussed how AI could also be considered a testimonial consensus, where visualisations of the world are harvested, flattened, and then averaged out. However, she challenged us to critically examine both of these ideas. Does photography truly offer an unbiased view of the world? And is AI fair, ethical, and consensual?
Our diverse team, composed of students from both Art Business and Contemporary Art MA programs of Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London, provided a wide range of perspectives, linking monuments to archives, photography, and memories, which guided our decision to collaborate with Clare Strand. Anastassia Taylor views monuments as “odes to remarkable events that transcend time, offering honour, contemplation, and evolving interpretations.” Sandra Nikusev sees the project as a chance to “explore visual culture and technology's impact on our perceptions and memories.” Alessandro Manetti considers monuments as “nostalgic emblems that connect past and present, guiding future reflections.” Jimena Sancho Beltrán describes them as “timeless guardians of memory,” highlighting their role as “silent storytellers that bridge past and present and invite us to reflect on their historical context and ongoing relevance.” I see monuments as “archives of collective thoughts and memories,” bridging past and present to foster deeper connections and mutual respect across cultures and generations. These perspectives have fueled our fruitful collaboration between the artist and emerging art professionals, sparking meaningful discussions in the art world.
Visit to Clare's Stand studio in Brighton, June 2024. Photo Courtesy: Michalina Franasik
About the Artist
Clare Strand is renowned for her conceptual works that engage and activate audiences. An example of this is her interactive, fairground stall, All That Hoopla currently showing at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, Germany as part of the outdoor show Interaction The Fairground installation is designed to provoke thoughtful reflections on the mechanisms of the art market. The provocation is to either pay 5 Euro for three hoops to try and win one of her photographs or buy at full price from the museum.
Clare Strand, All That Hoopla, 2022 . Photo Courtesy: Clare Strand
Strand also draws inspiration from glitches and noise in image-making and information transference. She explains that her interest lies in how imperfections and random variations can affect the uniqueness of images. This is evident in Strand's work, The Discrete Channel of Noise, (2018) which explores image transmission and the impact of glitches and entropy within the circulation of imagery.
Clare Strand, The Discrete Channel with Noise: Information Source #9. Photo Courtesy: Clare Strand
A Butterfly and Horse Project
For the Digital Design Weekend hosted in the Victoria & Albert Museum, Clare Strand explores the history of the electronic image. In 1800 the scholar, Sheflord Bidwell experimented with transmitting an image using electricity. To do this Bidwell transferred 2 images, one of a butterfly and one of a horse. This is the starting point for the project. Strand trained Ai on her back catalogue of work and produced 2 images of both creatures. Supplying her old darkroom enlarger, Strand invites the public to print these images in a pop up darkroom. These images are then physically developed by Strand and posted back to the participant. The recipients are then encouraged to share their image to the ‘Butterfly and Horse’ Instagram page. By having everyone print from the same negative, Strand aims to highlight individuality within a seemingly uniform process, emphasising how each print can possibly have unique qualities. She is also looking at different modes of image circulation and the crossovers and conflicts between the networked, the analogue, the digital and the generative image.
Firefoot the rocking horse bought for Talbot's daughters in 1840. Photo Courtesy: Talbot Collection, British Library
Insects Wings: seen through the Solar microscope Henry Fox Talbot 1800-1877. Photo Courtesy: Collection of National Media Museum
AI in the artistic practice
The conversation around AI and photography gained momentum in 2023 when German artist Boris Eldagsen used his entry for the Sony World Photography Awards to spark debate about AI-generated images in the art world. His award-winning black-and-white photograph, featuring two women from different generations, highlighted the growing intersection of AI and traditional photography.[3] Today, many photographers, like Dutch artist Sander Coers, are exploring this blend of mediums, creating works that “verge the lines between documentary and fiction.”[4] Coers, whose work was showcased at Photo London with Open Doors Gallery, was nominated for the Photo London x Nikon Emerging Talent Award this year. Clare Strand’s exploration of AI and digital imagery is rooted in her fascination with the history of image-making. She reflects on early digital experiments from the 1800s that used simple images of a butterfly and a horse to test electronic transmission. Strand sees these pioneering images as foundational to the evolution of digital imagery and believes they continue to shape contemporary discussions on digital media and AI.
Visitors experience
Attending Clare Strand’s exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum will immerse visitors in a uniquely engaging experience. The space is an entirely dark room, illuminated by Strands personal collection of red lights. As guests enter, they will navigate the darkened environment guided by invigilators. This setup creates a striking contrast with the outside world, fostering a deeply immersive atmosphere. Participants will not receive their prints immediately; after making their exposures, they will place their images in envelopes with their addresses, which will be sent to Strand’s studio for development. The completed prints will be mailed to them later. Strand’s project raises intriguing questions about the history of image transmission, such as whether butterfly and horse images were among the first to be transmitted electronically and how they might have looked then versus now. Reflecting on W. J. T. Mitchell’s view that “a monument at its best evokes public memory without settling its meaning, leaving it open for reinterpretation,” [5] Strand’s work emphasises the physicality and delayed gratification of traditional image-making, exploring how imperfections and delays shape our understanding of both digital and physical media.
As the Reimagining a Monument project for 2023/24 concludes, it has been a year of profound exploration and reinterpretation for us at Sotheby’s Institute of Art. The project’s interactive nature, inspired by early digital experiments and historical imagery, reflects the rich discussions we've had throughout the year. We invite you to experience the culmination of our efforts and engage with this unique exploration of monuments from September 20th to 22nd at the V&A in South Kensington in London. We are excited to share our work with you and look forward to your visit.
Footnotes:
[1] Tableau. “Two perspectives on monuments,” University of Chicago. Accessed on September 14th. https://tableau.uchicago.edu/articles/2018/05/two-perspectives-monuments.
[2] Sotheby’s Institute of Art. “Monument for Now,” June 29, 2023.
[3] Grierson, Jamie. “Photographer Admits Prize-winning Image Was AI-generated.” The Guardian, April 18, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/apr/17/photographer-admits-prize-winning-image-was-ai-generated.
[4] Sander Coers, “POST,” Accessed on September 15th. https://sandercoers.com/post.
Please visit A Butterfly and a Horse’s Instagram for further details. The Reimagining the Monument project will run from September 20th to 22nd 2024 in the V&A.
Michalina Franasik
Contributing Writer, MADE IN BED
