Step 3: Reflect


A. What is installation art?

Instillation art is art that is in a specific space. The art is everything in that space, including that space. Some installation pieces had been created for only one specific place and when they were taken down, they were never installed for viewing in any other location (a one-time deal). The viewer enters the space, and gets to enter, explore and experience the artwork.

B. What materials are used in installation art?

Anything/anyone can be used in installation art. There can be items specifically purchased to make the art, materials/objects found lying around or abandoned, or the artist who created it or people recruited to be a part of it.

C. Why make installation art?

Because it lets the viewers come into a space and interact and examine the art from different angles/viewpoints. Something you may see from one end of the space the installation art is in may not be visible from the other end of the space. I think installation art lets the artist incorporate more than they would be able to in any other art form. Installation art has a lot more space for the artist to work with and express their thoughts/ideas than more traditional forms of art as well.

D. Which artist/installation did I find most interesting?

I found Ann Hamilton’s mantle installation art as well as herself very interesting. I thought it was really unique that she incorporated herself into her installation art, I had never seen anything like that and thought it was so interesting. If I was at that art gallery viewing this installation, I don’t think that at first I would have realized she was a part of the art and would have felt awkward staring at her wondering what she was doing before realizing she was a piece in her own art. I also think it shows how dedicated to her art she is by putting herself into it like that because while it was on display she had to be there when the art was being viewed or the installation wouldn’t be complete.



Step 4: Plan

A. From the material reviewed, is there an inspiration piece that I feel a connection with?

I felt a connection with and took inspiration from the Frida Kahlo. The inspiration I took from Frida Kahlo is actually kind of the opposite of her feelings about her self-portraits: she painted many self-portraits after a terrible streetcar accident that left her body irreparably broken in a way that made her unable to have children and caused her severe pain for the rest of her life. Like Kahlo, I have undergone a transformation, but instead of a tragic one, mine is one that I am very proud of: my dedication and hard work to changing my lifestyle by choosing to eat healthy and making exercise a daily habit helped me transform myself from being over 200 pounds at my heaviest to being within 5 pounds of my goal. I have lost 53 pounds (and counting…almost there!) since the beginning of this February. Like Kahlo, I wanted to express my experience.

B. What theme do I want to explore in my installation? Refer to your textbook if youneed to review Themes of Art. (chapter 3 in text) (Nature, Environment, Self, Mass Media, Consumerism, etc.)

The theme that I want to explore in my installation is a mix of history and the here and now.

C. What materials will I use?

I will use my gym bag (which always has workout clothes in it), my running shoes, my yoga mat, hand weights, measuring cups, my water bottle, cupcake,

Where will this installation be located and why?

This installation is located in my living room because it is where I started my workout journey: I began with DVDs in my home and progressed up to a gym with a personal trainer when I felt comfortable and knew that this time I was really sticking with it.

Describe your installation. Be sure to use the worksheet from Project #3 as your guide.

In my installation, there are many of my typical home health and fitness items that surround me on a daily basis. Off to the side on the ground, there is a cupcake. It is off to the side by itself in the dark, and my workout stuff is over toward the light because it is where I am now. Not saying that I don’t indulge every now and then, but that kind of junk food used to be a part of my daily life and now it isn’t and all the things gathered with my gym things are.

Analyze your installation. Be sure to sue the worksheet from Project #3 as your guide.

In my installation, the principles/elements I used are asymmetrical balance (the pile of things on one end and the lone cupcake on the other), mass (the different objects), and unity (all the objects, like my work out equipment, running shoes, gym bag, measuring cups are all part of health/fitness scene).

What are your thoughts on the planning and creation of a site-specific installation?

I think that site-specific installations are fun to plan and create because they let your imagination run wild of different ideas and objects to incorporate. As soon as I had an idea of what I wanted my installation to be about, I started getting so many different ideas of different locations I could use for my installation, but each location that I thought of had a different set-up and incorporated more items or less items than the place I chose in the end (either because of space, or because I thought simplicity worked best in a different area, etc.).