The Crit, Projects 1&2.

Lecture Takeaways (Reflected Through Project Context)

Engaging Audiences

• Accessibility isn’t only about physical or digital access; it’s about emotional entry points. Reframing historical artworks through new perspectives, like the female gaze, can make familiar pieces feel relevant again.
• Interactivity can invite audiences to examine women’s stories in paintings more closely. Allowing them to contribute or respond (for example, through drawing, writing, or digital tools) encourages reflection rather than passive viewing.
• Offering multiple formats (print, digital, in-gallery) makes the work inclusive and lets people connect in different ways.

Representation and Storytelling

• Highlighting overlooked voices benefits from clear, purposeful framing. Each element, colour, language, layout, should reinforce the narrative you’re revealing.
• It’s useful to show contrast: the traditional portrayal of women versus your reinterpretation. This visual or conceptual tension helps communicate the project’s message without overexplaining.
• Contextual design (placing work back in the gallery or historical setting) strengthens the connection between the past and your modern reinterpretation.

Design Communication

• Simple, striking visuals can make complex themes, like gender representation or historical bias, more approachable.
• Using familiar gallery cues (frames, labels, captions) in unexpected ways can challenge how audiences interpret authority and meaning in art.
• 3D or environmental prototypes (such as wall displays, AR overlays, or reimagined gallery guides) help people visualise how your idea could exist in real space.

Presentation and Crits

• When presenting to professionals, start by stating the issue: how women have been framed or excluded in traditional narratives.
• Follow with your design solution: how your project reframes or gives agency back to these subjects.
• End with specific questions, for instance, whether your chosen methods communicate empowerment clearly, or if the balance between critique and accessibility feels right.
• Keep visuals clear and concept-led rather than text-heavy.

Future Considerations