Installation Art:

The who, what, when, where, why, and how

Installation Art:Essential questions

What is it?

How is it viewed?

Who makes it?

When did it first appear?

Where can you find it?

Why is it important?

Installation Art:What is it?

• Focuses on space• Made for a particular place (site-specific)• Dictated by the environment• Usually 3-D• Multi-sensory• Interactive (activated by the participant)• Unconventional materials (most times)• Has a message

Installation Art:How is it viewed?

• In most cases, a person can walk around it, through it, above, and / or below it

• You may also be able to look around it, through it, above, and / or below it

• Natural light, created lighting, dark• Sounds• Smells• Touch (in SOME cases), temperature

Installation Art:Who makes it?

• Dale Chihuly (glass)• Christo & Jeanne-Claude (fabric)• Yayoi Kusama (vinyl, mirrors, performance)• Allan McCollum (collections)• Mario Merz (neon, metal)• Cai Guo Qiang (explosives, vehicles, china)• Do-Ho Suh (fabric, plastic)• James Turrell (light, optical illusion)• Rachel Whiteread (casting)

Installation Art:Dale Chihuly

Installation Art:Dale Chihuly

Installation Art:Christo & Jeanne-Claude

Installation Art:Christo & Jeanne-Claude

Installation Art:Christo & Jeanne-Claude

Installation Art:Yayoi Kusama

Installation Art:Yayoi Kusama

Installation Art:Allan McCollum

Installation Art:Mario Merz

Installation Art:Cai Guo-Qiang

Installation Art:Cai Guo-Qiang

Installation Art:Cai Guo-Qiang

Installation Art:Do-Ho Suh

Installation Art:Do-Ho Suh

Installation Art:James Turrell

Installation Art:James Turrell

Installation Art:Rachel Whiteread

Installation Art:Rachel Whiteread

Installation Art:When did it first appear?

• 1970s• Marcel Duchamp’s “ready-mades”• Allan Kaprow’s “happenings”• Performance Art• Conceptual Art• Post-Modernist

How is installation art different than sculpture?

Kaprow staged “happenings” – the art was activated by the participants. For this happening, participants had to use

their body heat to melt the blocks of ice. He called the installation “Fluid.”

Installation Art:Where can you find it?

• Mattress Factory Museum, Pittsburgh• many other museums and galleries• public places• here?

Installation Art:Why is it important?

• You tell me.

• An installation is more about how you experience or perceive the message as opposed to a 3-D object placed for you to view alone. You become a part of installation art.

• What if I said to you: “You can turn my classroom into an installation – with a few exceptions.” Where would you start? Would you think about the environment? Would you need to measure or plan? Would you think about the materials you need?