Installation Art

INSTALLATION art

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CONTENTS 4 What Is It? 5 History 6 Sculpture v/s Installation 8 Various Types 9 On tours 10 Examples Installation Art | 3

What Is It? Installation art involves the configuration or “installation” of objects in a space, such as a room or warehouse. The resulting arrangement of material and space comprises the “artwork”. Installation is a form of conceptual art - a genre in which “ideas” and “impact” are regarded as being more important than the quality. Installation art is influenced by developments in computer art - such as software developments in video and film projection, as well as techniques used in avant-garde theatre and dance. Installation Art | 4

History Emerging during the 1970s, Installation is associated with Concep- tual art and can therefore be traced back to artists such as Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) and his modernist readymades such as his controversial urinal called Fountain (1917). Depending on their fashions and arrangements, in a setting that has its own dynamics, the installations use traditional media such as painting , sculpture , photography , but more often more recent media such as projections (film, video), sound, lighting. Installation Art | 5

Sculpture ‘Sculpture is something you bump into when you back up to look at a painting.’ – Ad Reinhardt The art of making two- or three-dimensional representative or abstract forms, especially by carving stone or wood or by casting metal or plaster. Over the centuries sculpture has evolved to encompass a myriad of different forms – reliefs, monuments, tombs, busts, carvings, effigies, ceramics, found objects, assemblages, static or kinetic, earth arts, abstract forms, figurative. Installation Art | 6

Installation ‘Installation art effectively inverts the principles of sculpture.’ Installation is a form of conceptual art - a genre in which “ideas” and “impact” are regarded as being more important than the quality of a finished “product” or “work of art”. The viewer enters a controlled environment featuring objects as well as light, sound and projected imagery. The formalism of the composition remains of secondary importance - it is the effect on the spectator’s spacial and cultural expectations that remains paramount. Installation Art | 7

Various Types Installation art ranges from the very simple to the very com- plex. It can be gallery based, computer-based, electron- ic-based, web-based - the possibilities are limitless and de- pend entirely upon the artist’s concept and aims. Almost any type of material or media can be utilized, including natural or man-made objects, painting and sculpture, as well as recent media such as film, animation, various forms of photography, sound and audio. Installation Art | 8

On Tours Some installations (site-specific) are custom-made for a particular space. Installations tour as part of a touring exhibition, examples being: the kinetic light environments of the Groupe Recherche d’Art Visuel which toured Europe; Earth Room (1968) by Walter De Maria (b.1935) which toured America before finding a permanent home in New York Installation Art | 9

Installation Arts Varying Themes Installation Art | 10

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