Thomas A. Clark, 'Some Alternatives to The White Cube' (Little Critic #11, 1996)
a space flooded with natural light
a space where many acts of attention
have contributed to the stillness
a space where things come and go
where people come and go
a space of change
a space which has been ordered
and re-ordered many times but where
no order is thought to be absolute
a space where risks are taken
a space having specific dimensions,
a history, a politics, a poetics
an alert, warm, accesible space
a space within parenthesis
sheltered from the world
exposed to fresh experience
a practical space,
a good space to work in
a space where it is comfortable to be
for short or long periods of time
a space in which things are allowed
to be themselves, as simple or difficult
as they need to be
a space flowing out into other spaces
a serious, unsolemn space
a space in which ownership
is first established through
understanding and imagination
a space for participation
rather than appropriation
a space which seems to expand or contract
according to the nature of the events
taking place within it
a space in which thought and feeling
are indistinguishable from
form, colour, light
a small, awkward, lovely space
a space without distractions
where for a time we can leave
confusion behind
a space in which we can find
an adequate response to whatever
is presented to us
a space like a clearing in a wood
a space in which we relinquish
everything we know, in favour of
anything we may encounter
a space in which we make sense
of information, or penetrate farther
into a mystery
an exemplary space, where we acquire
a taste for freedom and adventure
a space flooded with natural light
a space where many acts of attention
have contributed to the stillness
a space where things come and go
where people come and go
a space of change
a space which has been ordered
and re-ordered many times but where
no order is thought to be absolute
a space where risks are taken
a space having specific dimensions,
a history, a politics, a poetics
an alert, warm, accesible space
a space within parenthesis
sheltered from the world
exposed to fresh experience
a practical space,
a good space to work in
a space where it is comfortable to be
for short or long periods of time
a space in which things are allowed
to be themselves, as simple or difficult
as they need to be
a space flowing out into other spaces
a serious, unsolemn space
a space in which ownership
is first established through
understanding and imagination
a space for participation
rather than appropriation
a space which seems to expand or contract
according to the nature of the events
taking place within it
a space in which thought and feeling
are indistinguishable from
form, colour, light
a small, awkward, lovely space
a space without distractions
where for a time we can leave
confusion behind
a space in which we can find
an adequate response to whatever
is presented to us
a space like a clearing in a wood
a space in which we relinquish
everything we know, in favour of
anything we may encounter
a space in which we make sense
of information, or penetrate farther
into a mystery
an exemplary space, where we acquire
a taste for freedom and adventure
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