Curatorial and the mise-en-scène

The Curatorial as a form of Research in Contemporary Craft Practice

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7577/formakademisk.6339

Keywords:

curatorial, Mise-en-Scène, exhibition, craft, material culture

Abstract

This research explores contemporary craft curatorial practice as a dynamic form of inquiry. It positions the curator as an auteur and the exhibition as a site of knowledge production. By examining how curatorial direction transforms craft into material storytelling, the research draws inspiration from film theory, specifically the concept of mise-en-scène. Central to the study is the concept of kainocraft, a methodological approach that integrates performance, innovation, and collaboration to reframe craft as an evolving, participatory field. Drawing on scholars such as Bjerregaard, Niedderer, and Adamson, this research explores the concept of curatorial-as-research and its role in expanding the discourse of craft. Ultimately, the essay contributes to a deeper understanding of how craft exhibitions act as platforms for transformation, experimentation, and the production of new knowledge

Author Biography

Loucia Manopoulou, University for the creative arts

Dr (PhD)
University Arts London / University for the Creative Arts
Director Newlands House Gallery, Petworth
UK

References

Adamson, Glenn. 2018. Thinking through Craft. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts.

Bjerregaard, Peter. 2020. Exhibitions as Research. Routledge.

Cremer, Hermann. 2014. Biblio-Theological Lexicon of New Testament Greek (1872). Literary Licensing, LLC.

Gibbs, John. 2002. Mise-En-Scène: Film Style and Interpretation. New York: Wallflower Press.

Grime. Helen. 2017, Woven Space [London: Barbican Hall 26/04/2018]

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, a Greek-English Lexicon n.d. www.perseus.tufts.edu. Accessed December 15, 2023. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=kaino/s.

Kettle, Alice, and Lesley Millar. 2018. The Erotic Cloth. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Lost in Lace. 2011 [Exhibition]. Exhibited at Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery 29 October 2011 - 19 February 2012.

Maker’s Tale. 2021. [Exhibition]. Exhibited at Salisbury Arts Centre 14 September - 31 October 2021.

Millar, Lesley. “Lost in lace: new approaches by UK and international artists.” 2011.

Niedderer, K., M. A. R. Biggs, and M. Ferris. 2006. “The Research Exhibition: Context, Interpretation, and Knowledge Creation.” DRS Biennial Conference Series, November. At: http://niedderer.org/DRS2006_0120.pdf (Accessed 1 October 2025)

Olding, Simon. 2020. “‘Foreword’” in Makers’ Tale Edited by Loucia Manopoulou. Published for the exhibition Makers’ Tale at the Salisbury Arts Centre. At: https://indd.adobe.com/view/8471056b-a964-4aab-9f8e-db388caccdc1 (Accessed 1 October 2025)

Sheikh, Simon. 2013. “‘Towards the Exhibition as Research.’” Edited by Paul O’Neill and Mick Wilson. Research.gold.ac.uk. London: Open Editions. 2013.

Whalley, Harry. 2020. “‘Plangency’” in Makers’ Tale Edited by Loucia Manopoulou. Published for the exhibition Makers’ Tale at the Salisbury Arts Centre. At: https://indd.adobe.com/view/8471056b-a964-4aab-9f8e-db388caccdc1 (Accessed 1 October 2025)

Whalley, Harry. Composer of Contemporary Classical Music, interview in person at Lion and Lamb Yard Farnham, 12 October 2021

Downloads

Published

2026-11-03

How to Cite

Manopoulou, L. (2026). Curatorial and the mise-en-scène: The Curatorial as a form of Research in Contemporary Craft Practice. FormAkademisk, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.7577/formakademisk.6339

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 2 (2026): Transformation – Effect and Affect of Craft in Society

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Loucia Manopoulou

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
  4. The author(s) must manage their economic reproduction rights to any third party.
  5. The journal makes no financial or other compensation for submissions, unless a separate agreement regarding this matter has been made with the author(s).
  6. The journal is obliged to archive the manuscript (including metadata) in its originally published digital form for at least a suitable amount of time in which the manuscript can be accessed via a long-term archive for digital material, such as in the Norwegian universities’ institutional archives within the framework of the NORA partnership.

The material will be published OpenAccess with a Creative Commons 4.0 License which allows anyone to read, share and adapt the content, even commercially under the licence terms:

This work needs to be appropriately attributed/credited, a link must be provided to the CC-BY 4.0 licence, and changes made need to be indicated in a reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests that the licensor endorses you or your use.

Cited by

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC