Installation Art

Reflect

A. What is installation art?

Installation art is art that takes over the space. “It defines the space.” – Judith Nesbitt, head curator White Chapel Gallery. Installation art is something all around you and has a limited state of permanence if any at all. Installation art is ‘the art of the moment.’

B. What materials are used installation art?

Any materials at all can be used in installation art. Some artists use earthwork to bring their work outdoors and work with primarily natural objects. Other artists use unnatural material in the natural world. Many artists use ordinary utilitarian objects in interesting ways with unusual settings.

C. Why make installation art? 

Installation art demands the audiences’ attention. It’s very trendy and controversial because there is much debate over what constitutes as art and what doesn’t. At the same time installation art can make a big bold statement.

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

I found Yayoi Kusama's Dots Obsession most interesting because it was a series of installations and looking at it really does give this sense of the artist’s obsession with dots, you can almost relate to her struggle with sanity while looking at it and it’s something I would really like to see in person. I find it interesting that Kusama admitted herself to a mental health facility and actually lives there, only leaving to see her artwork now and then.

Plan

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

I felt a connection with The Gates by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. I liked the idea of its surrealism and how it was built in such a busy, central location. This artwork to me wouldn’t have had the same effect or meaning in any other place.

B. What theme do I want to explore in my installation?

At first I wanted to explore the theme of the natural world. I am really inspired by Andy Goldsworthy and to do something in nature, using natural elements in unnatural ways would be really exciting for me. Well I was out walking around however, a new idea came to me that does relate to the environment, but also personal health and well-being. I was originally looking for a place between two trees to experiment with some string and maybe ice, but walking around I noticed and became very intrigued by the amount of cigarette butts lying around, even in the most remote locations. Sweden is a beautiful and clean place, there are seemingly garbage and recycling bins every 30 feet, and public transportation is far more popular minimizing the amount of motor traffic and pollution. Unfortunately, in a country where tobacco is cheaper than fuel (and most of the snacks at the convenient store), those pesky little cigarette butts are EVERYWHERE in an otherwise pristine environment. It really made an impact on me that I couldn’t easily find a place in nature not already invaded by these butts so I decided to take an entirely different direction. Sweden is also a very health conscious nation. Organic food is often cheaper or as cheap as the processed stuff (at home we pay nearly twice as much for things like organic jelly.) and trust me when I say it’s actually hard to find a clinically ‘overweight’ person here. They eat healthy, smaller portions and seemingly every swede is out running in the mornings here. It’s actually hard to find processed foods and if you do, they will still taste less salty or sugary than the junk we feed ourselves at home. It’s amazing to me that nearly every supermarket looks like the ‘natural’ section in Wegmans, but at the same time smoking is a part of the majority’s diet.   My installation would now be aimed towards making more of a statement than simply finding beauty in the nature around us.

C. What materials will I use?

I will use cigarette butts and a place setting for a meal. I will use a ‘pretty’ tablecloth to contrast with the disgust of the cigarette butts.

D. Where will this installation be located and why?

This installation will be located in my ‘living/dining’ room. There is a little breakfast area that I eat the healthy ‘Swedish’ style breakfast at. This means no sugary cereals, no greasy bacon, but fresh fruit, granola in yogurt, and thin slices of organic meat and cheese on fresh baked bread. I chose this location because it’s a controversial setting for the image I am going to construct there. I wanted to use the ‘healthy’ setting to contrast with the unhealthy ‘meal.’ I like that my image makes several statements. One being: ‘why eat so healthy when you’re just killing your body with cigarettes?’ Another being: ‘We don’t throw cigarette butts on the places where we eat or the floor of our homes, why do we throw them outside? That’s something’s home, something’s eating place, what makes that okay?’

 

Art Criticism: Describing and Analyzing Artwork Worksheet

Artist: Caralie Fennessey

Title of work: Healthy Breakfast

Media: Cigarette Butts, camera, utilitarian objects

Date: 3/3/2012

Size: Approximately 3 cubic feet

Source of picture (URL): http://caralieforartinquiry.blogspot.com/

Description – Describe what you see.  (Subject matter)?

I see already smoked cigarettes on a plate, the shape of a fork made with cigarettes and the shape of a knife made with cigarettes. I see a nice tablecloth, a small table and a wooden floor with cigarette butts scattered randomly.

Formal analysis – (form) What principles and elements were used and how are they used?

The element of color was used, having white and light brown cigarette butts contrast with a red and white tablecloth and a wooden floor. The element of shape was used in the actual construction of the cigarette meal and the cigarette utensils. Texture was used with the mud and suit surrounding the cigarettes on the plate. Texture was also used in the pleasant crochet tablecloth to contrast with the gross place setting. Three dimensional space was used as this was constructed on a table and the floor with real three dimensional objects. 

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

Site specific installations can hold a ‘fourth’ dimension of meaning. You have your materials used, the way in which you use them, the construction of your installation, and then the place where you construct it. It really would make a difference with my installation if I had constructed it outdoors rather than indoors, or in a bedroom rather than an eating room. I think site specific installations such as The Gates by Christo and Jeanne-Claude are more meaningful and in a way more beautiful than perhaps installations in galleries with little or no connection their surroundings. In a way installations are dependent on their sites, so artists should hone in on this notion and use it when creating their masterpieces.