Creed, the criticisms and institutional context : A content analysis of critiques on Martin Creed’s Work No. 227: The lights going on and off

Abstract: In December 2001, Martin Creed received the Turner Prize for his artwork Work No. 227: The lights going on and off (2000). A minimalist light installation, simplistic in its effectuation, yet complicated enough to hold questions about what art is and what role the institution plays in valuing and validating art. The purpose of this thesis is to conduct an investigation of critiques in newspaper articles, art journal articles and from websites of major art galleries on Martin Creed’s Work No. 227: The lights going on and off. This will be done through a context analysis of critiques on Creed’s Work No. 227: The Lights Going On And Off published in newspapers during the days following the Turner prize announcement and critiques published in art journals and on gallery websites until written day. The results of the content analysis suggest that the newspaper articles were considerably more negative in their validations of Work No. 227. This could especially be seen in the article titles, how they chose to reference to other artists and their lesser appreciation of the phenomena of presenting an empty space. The content analysis will lay ground for a discussion on the relationship between Work No. 227 and the gallery space as well as its institutional context.