Is it a beautiful game?
Exhibitions and Curation
2022
Believe it or not, the so-called beautiful game of ‘football’ is part of our lives. And every four-years the world’s media scramble to make sure the global population is connected—consciously or unconsciously—to celebrate a sporting mega event, the FIFA World Cup. But is everything about football so beautiful and celebratory? How does football and media manifest into a game? What is the secret to their successful relationship? This exhibition explored the multiple characters the media play when mediating football to the world. Delving into the deep and developing relationship between media and football, this exhibition encouraged audiences to discover, interrogate and participate in alternative points of view, encouraging them to explore if they think there is always another side.
Client:
The Media Majlis
Services:
Concept, Research, Curation, Exhibition Project Management, Art Direction, Interpretation
Credits:
Jack Thomas Taylor
The Media Majlis
Northwestern Qatar
Image credits:
Supplied
The summer/fall 2022 exhibition at The Media Majlis explored the multiple characters the media play when mediating football to the world. By bringing together multiple voices—the fan, the professional, the media—this exhibition shed light on many individual and shared facets of football and media, their impacts across the spectrum of ‘hero and villain’ and revealing the wider transformation power these two universal and institutional industries have locally, regionally and internationally.
The exhibition evolved through three thematic zones. The Mixed Zone, emulated a tense meeting point where journalists compete for a headline, flex their relationships with players, and footballers make use of this opportunity to increase their own public profile. Off the Pitch is another side of football which the media tends to give less attention to, unless they have an opportunity to reinforce unpleasant narratives from behind the game. And Post-Match, is when the game is complete and players, coaches, fans and the media can self-reflect—celebrating a victory or mourning a defeat.
Is it a beautiful game? explored the thorny landscape of sports broadcasting rights; how they work, how important they are to the industry’s profit-making abilities and the issue of piracy. We take a look at the impact of social media on the industry, and how it is changing it for better and for worse. We discover the extent of racism in the industry, and how this is covered in the media. We ask not just how sexist the football industry is, but also how chauvinistic the media that covers it is.