In high school, I was a member of Art Forum, a club for art appreciators. Each month, we would visit a museum, gallery, artist’s studio, etc. Being on the board, I took part in selecting and organizing these trips. I really enjoyed my participation in this club because it exposed me to many unique forms of art. One type which I was particularly intrigued by was installation art. However, this style is not overwhelmingly popular and thus I did not get to view or learn much about it. I selected this book in order to do just that.
One of the things I enjoy so much about the genre of installation art is how open and flexible it is. It can be, and is, anything the artist wants. It can include any medium, recognized or unrecognized as being “art.” Sculptures, videos, music, paintings, photographs and even people all grace this art form. Installation art is a fusion of so many other art forms, and is really about how all the different pieces work together to evoke feelings and emotions in the viewers. This is a large part of what makes it so exciting; you never know what to expect.
However, as different as installation art pieces may be, they all share common characteristics that tie them together. I believe one is the use of space. Because installation art is often constructed on a much larger scale them other art forms, it tends to really take over a room. Thus, something that absolutely must come into consideration while an artist is creating a piece is the location in which it will be displayed. That is not to say that works are created exclusively for a specific space, though this is not uncommon, but whether installation art is intended to be installed in just one space or many different ones, the artist must have a concept of these spaces. A piece created for a large open room will not do well in a smaller more confined one, and vice versa. This is unique to installation art; a painting, for example, can be displayed in either room with not much problem. What makes installation art arguably even more interesting is when the artist is not just aware of the general limitations and guidelines placed on the piece due to its intended display location, but goes a step beyond that and incorporates the characteristics of the location, using them to shape the piece. It is important that the artist is familiar with not just the shape of the location, but the tone of it. Having always been interested in the “feelings” of various spaces, I am always conscious of qualities like coloring and lighting, especially natural light coming through windows, and what sort of impact these may have on a space. Because of the very nature of installation art, these characteristics are very important to keep in mind when creating a work.
Another controlling factor of all art but which is especially important in installation art is the audience. Art is generally not created to sit in a basement or attic by itself, unseen by human eyes. Rather, it is made to be seen, and reacted to by others. In installation art, this is particularly important. When viewing this style of art, the audience is often sucked into the environment created by the piece, making the viewing experience very different than studying a two-dimensional work hanging on the wall, for example. In fact, installation art is often built around the viewers, using them as a key component of the work. The way in which they interact with the art is all part of the way in which the piece works. Maybe the art is set up as a sort of maze to wander through or there are different areas and rooms that can to be explored. These are things the artist must consider when designing the work in order to achieve the goal of creating a mood or emotion for the audience to experience.
I really enjoyed reading this book as it gave me a wealth of information on a topic I was intrigued by but previously knew little about. An important part of this book is all the photographs of various installation art pieces. Because of the nature of installation art, it is often difficult to describe accurately or explicitly in only words. Thus, the pictures are a key component of understanding more about what installation art really is and the many unique forms it can take. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about a truly unique form of art.
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