Art Installation Research Articles

Installation art of Dies Natalis as the Visual Identity of the Institute of Informatics and Business Darmajaya

Campus promotion played an important role in establishing the positive image of the institutions. Visual media could be utilized to convey emotionally appealing messages, fostering a deep connection with the audience. This research centered on the campus of the Institute of Informatics and Business Darmajaya. The crafted artwork took the form of an installation encompassing the visual identity and philosophy of the campus, curated for the 26th Anniversary celebration (Dies Natalis) with dimensions measuring 1 x 1 x 1.8 meters. This study applied the 5W+1H as a research method, addressing the What, Who, Where, When, Why, and How questions. The distinctive form and layout of this artistic creation served as pivotal factors in rendering it an effective promotional medium. This unconventional installation art had the potential capacity to capture attention and leave a lasting impression on the targeted audience, especially prospective students

Exploring the Educational Potential of Immersive New Media Art in Urban Commercial Spaces in Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China

Contemporary Chinese art has witnessed a transformative evolution in the realm of installation art, particularly in the context of immersive new media installations within urban commercial spaces. This study explores the educational potential of immersive new media art in urban commercial spaces in Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China. The research journey spans various stages of Dalian’s installation art development, from its early emergence in the 1980s to the prosperous period in the 1990s and its diversification in the 21st century. Key themes explored include the evolution of artistic expression, the impact on education, and the integration of new media in urban commercial spaces. The research site primarily focuses on Dalian’s cultural and commercial landscapes, with a spotlight on the Xiongdong Street project. The study employs a qualitative research methodology, combining field research, interviews, multimedia elements, and data analysis to offer comprehensive insights into the subject matter. Key informants include artists, scholars, and experts within the field of installation art. The research results reveal the dynamic evolution of Dalian’s installation art, its educational significance, and its integration into urban commercial spaces. The study suggests that immersive new media art has the potential to enrich art education, engage the public, and foster cultural and commercial development.

Finding the conditio muliebris in Postmodernism: Mimetic exploration and aesthetic understanding of female nature


 
 
 The paper addresses the exploration of women’s nature, intended as a peculiar conditio muliebris, focussing on woman artists that reflected on the female body with Postmodernist artistic means. Starting with an analysis of the theoretical propositions of Art Feminism practitioners such as Lucy Lippard, Valie Export, and Mary Kelly, who highlight the alterity of female nature and, thus, of woman’s art, the paper later discusses three art installations addressing bodily explorations by woman artists belonging to different generations: Mary Kelly’s Post-Partum Document (1973- 79), Mona Hatoum’s Corps étrangers (1994), and Sondra Perry’s Wet and Wavy Looks—Typhon coming on (2016). The paper argues that these installations substantiate the mentioned theoretical propositions and form a thread of bodily awareness that allows woman artists and the wider public to ascertain female nature by means of a fully aesthetic mimesis. The relationship between art and nature thus becomes one of mimetic exploration of the female body that leads to the acknowledgment of a gender-specific corporal feeling.
 
 

Space shaping in the design process for creative coding: a case study in media multiplicities

ABSTRACT This paper describes the design process for The Mind at Work, a light and sound art installation using networked devices, as a case study in working creatively with complex and unknown technological systems. The art installation evoked the development of a reusable framework for making scalable, re-configurable, audiovisual systems, while creating a specific artwork for a gallery exhibition. The development process was observed systematically to understand how creative coders navigate the challenge of integrating the technical and aesthetic considerations simultaneously. Building on existing design literature, the research is centred on an activity we call space shaping: setting up an environment to create tools for exploration. We consider critical points in the design process which affect how space shaping takes place.

From social issue to art site and beyond – reassessing rural akiya kominka

ABSTRACT Akiya or vacant houses are often perceived as threats to their neighborhood, as socio-political problems for local communities, and as objects of difficult decisions for their owners. However, recently there has been a reappraisal of their forgotten qualities and a revival in interest in such houses, especially when considered as sites of a special character suited to different types of cultural events. This article explores the implications of the use of akiya in rural communities in Japan, tracing the trajectory of change from irritating nuisance to local (touristic) attraction and art site. Furthermore, it analyzes how this shift has the potential to lead to their reassessment as valuable resources not only for the revitalization of local communities but also for private choices in everyday life. The article analyzes three specific art installations created within the framework of recurring art festivals and staged within the walls of old vacant dwellings, and the artists’ thoughts behind them, which hint at incentives for akiya use inspired by the sites. The artworks offer opportunities for interactions between residents, artists, and visitors, influencing insider and outsider perceptions of the local community, and they function as innovative playgrounds for local citizens’ and newcomers’ individual choices. Examples from the field show that the artist’s role as yosomono (outsider) ultimately has the potential to pave the way towards a more diverse and creative view of these community assets, changing the perception of the vacant house from being a bothersome and useless legacy into a resource.

Archives as forms of resistance

ABSTRACT This visual essay explores a number of artistic and curatorial practices in which the archive acts as a primary tool for rereading histories. Contemporary art reveals a growing interest in the use of archival material and in the formation of new archives inside and outside institutions. Considering the archive as a series of documented and preserved knowledge, one motivation for such attentiveness could be the merging of artistic productions with curatorial practices. Building my argument on Irit Rogoff's analysis of curatorial practice as an “epistemic structure”, I examine how archives have the potential to produce knowledge against historical forgetfulness. Furthermore, the process of sustainable changes within the museums, as discussed by Peter Osborne, is studied here as another motive for the increasing use of archives in contemporary art. This is done by focused examinations of a research-based exhibition, Karnameh: Visual Culture of Iranian Children (1950-1980); two curatorial projects (one temporary and one ongoing), respectively Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art's Poster and the Archaeology of the Final Decade (AOTFD) and lastly an installation art piece, Documentation. Through these examples, I argue how working with archives, especially in conflicted places, is crucial to help with recovering erased histories and accumulating shattered memories.

Plastic pollution and environmental education through artwork

Abstract Plastics have benefited society, but their environmental impact has caused concerns since the 1970s. By the year 2050, plastic production is predicted to reach 26,000 million tonnes and generate 13,000 million tonnes of waste. Plastic in the environment impacts living organisms with short to long-term consequences. To address this, governmental policies, advocacy and recycling have been implemented with varying success. Environmental education plays an important role in mitigating some impacts of plastic pollution. Upcycling discarded plastics in artwork supports that endeavour. The art installation “Regulated Exhibition – The Plastic Human”, a collaboration between BACKLIT gallery, Joshua Sofaer and the Environment Agency, brought the artworld and environmental advocacy together, to inspire discussions on the narrative of plastic pollution. To bring the project to life BACKLIT gallery was turned into a factory where audience members could explore and interact with the installation. The exhibition was free, open to all and accessible to diverse demographics within Nottingham. The interactive exhibition provoked visitors’ senses and provided a feedback mechanism. The “Plastic Human” reflected the impacts of plastic pollution in our environment. Addressing plastic pollution is thought to cause a philosophical and/or ethical burden on humans. The measured and qualitative impact of this could impact our daily lives.

The Museum of the Old Colony: An Art Installation by Pablo Delano ed. by Laura Katzman (review)

The Museum of the Old Colony: An Art Installation by Pablo Delano ed. by Laura Katzman (review)

The Artistic Installation as a Form of Transmitting of Socially Significant Meanings

The connection between art and society presents the main subject of the article. Briefly touching upon the causes of this phenomenon, which stem from the high level of communicative activity of the modern context of our lives, the author shows the connection of these processes and the need of art to absorb the vital problems of our existence — war and peace, ecology, a healthy lifestyle, the role of art, etc. Many artists today think that the absence of that connection leaves art beyond the boundaries of its relevant and called-for forms. One sign of that global tendency is the special interest in the documentary artistic practices, as well as the drifting of art outside of its traditional environment of museums and concert halls. The result is wide dissemination of the performative forms of presentation of socially significant artistic concepts, one of which is installation. While characterizing the environmental side of the issue and tracing the key points of the historical development of the art of installation, the author observes that it is genetically determined to reflect the socially significant problems. Considering the different examples of installation artefacts, the author points out their predisposition to the synthesis of arts. Introducing music to the broad palette of expression means that it not simply intensifies this influence, but, because of the processual nature of music, it possesses the effect of theatricality that manifests itself in the process of exploration of artistically organized environments on the part of the audience. Analyzing the examples of installation constructs that are situated in urban landscapes from this perspective, the author arrives at the idea that the natural consequence of the aforementioned processes is the emergence of artistically presented installations. One of the possible examples is the installation by Heiner Goebbels Everything that Happened and Would Happen based on texts from Europeana: A Brief History of the 20th Century by Patrik Ourednik. The main aim of the analysis of all the examples is to identify some of the new forms of involvement of audiences in the process of perception. While traversing through the liminal state, it is involved in the meaning-generating process and in the process of search and comprehension of the meaning, the audience acquires the chance to understand profoundly the difficult problems of modern social life.

IMMERSIVE TEXTILE ENVIRONMENTS. ESCAPE INTO THE AIR

Installation art became an important phenomenon in the 20th century. In the 21st century, installations become immersive and involve the widespread use of participatory practices and increased physical contact with the viewer. One of the new trends in contemporary art that emerged in the first decades of the 21st century was the creation of floating, large-scale immersive textile structures or soft “environmental sculpture.” The objects are multivariate “walk-in” labyrinths, knitted or woven from fiber materials. The first steps in creating lightweight mesh structures were mastered by architects in the 1960s. Based on the bold decisions of their predecessors, contemporary artists Toshiko Horiuchi Macadam, Ernesto Neto, Tomas Saraceno, the group “Nume/For Use” and others laid the foundation for immersive textile installations - cyclopean webs of different types of structures and compositional solutions. The purpose of this study is to analyze modern textile immersive “walk in” labyrinths. An attempt was made to understand the reasons for the appearance of these artistic objects, their features and fundamental principles of execution were identified. The antiquity and reliability of textile practices, the properties of the fiber and the wide range of its aesthetic qualities have made textiles indispensable in the creation of installations of this kind. The deep metaphorical nature of the material evokes multiple connotations among the participants involved in the artistic process, enriches the range of their experiences, and awakens the intensity significance of meanings. In addition, the viewer gets the opportunity to have a unique experience and gains personal and subjective experience. Immersive textile installations have become a space for artistic expression and reflect a wide range of contradictions in the modern world.

The role of experiential marketing in shaping brand identity within the fashion industry: A case study of Gentle Monster

This study examines the role of experiential marketing in building and communicating brand identity, using Gentle Monster as a case study. In the highly competitive fashion industry, brands must continuously differentiate themselves to attract and retain customers. Experiential marketing offers a strategic approach by building emotional connections through immersive customer experiences. Gentle Monster, a South Korean eyewear brand, utilizes innovative retail spaces and artistic installations to create unique shopping experiences. This study explores Gentle Monster’s use of spatial storytelling, varied global themes, and advanced technologies in its offline stores. The findings reveal that these strategies effectively enhance the brand’s identity, resonating with its target audience of trend-conscious millennials and Gen Z. The study concludes with suggestions for deeper customer engagement and managerial implications for other fashion brands, emphasizing the importance of aligning brand identity with experiential marketing. Ultimately, the integration of such immersive experiences can drive brand loyalty and long-term business growth.

Digital-based Design Research on Interactive Installation Art--Taking the Ecological Diversity Development of Coral Reef as A Case

Surpassing traditional communications, interactive installations in the digital era prefer a sophisticated integration of sensing technologies and programming languages, so as to provide viewers with more profound experience. In this study interactive installations are taken as media to explore the ecological development of coral reef in further digital process through Arduino and Touch Designer programming. In this way, users can have immersive experience by two-way interactions with the device, thus expanding the understanding between humans and the natural environment. In addition, the innovative use of interactive installations in advancing ecological researches and potential new solutions to environmental problems through the art of programming are also discussed. Therefore, this study inspires new ideas from the harmonious coexistence of humans and the nature, providing insights into coral reef conservation and its sustainable ecological diversity.

Феминистское инсталляционное искусств в современном Китае

Feminist installation art in contemporary China is one of the most dynamic and controversial trends in Chinese contemporary art. It reflects the complex processes of social, political and cultural transformation that have been taking place in China in recent decades. Feminist installations express critical attitudes towards traditional gender roles, national identity, environmental issues and globalization. However, feminist installation art in contemporary China has not received sufficient scholarly coverage and analysis in domestic and foreign literature. Existing studies are often limited to describing individual works or female artists without considering the historical, cultural, and social contexts in which this trend is formed and developed. In addition, many feminist installations have a complex semiotic structure that requires a deep and multidimensional interpretive approach. The expected outcome of the article is a comprehensive and multilevel study of feminist installation art in contemporary China, which will allow for a better understanding and appreciation of its significance.

Factors Affecting Visit Decision Through Visitor Satisfaction at M Bloc Space Jakarta

This research aims to determine the influence of tourist facilities and attractions on visiting decisions through tourist satisfaction at M Bloc Space Jakarta. The research method used is path analysis with a quantitative descriptive research type. The population is all visitors who visited M Bloc Space Jakarta from June to August 2023. The sample taken was 100 visitors who were determined based on the Slovin formula. Sampling was carried out using the Accidental Sampling technique. Partial research results show: (1) Tourist facilities and tourist attractions have a significant influence on visitor satisfaction; (2) tourist facilities, tourist attractions, and visitor satisfaction together have a significant influence on the decision to visit; (3) Tourist facilities and tourist attractions also have a significant influence on visiting decisions through visitor satisfaction. Good tourist facilities and attractions not only directly influence visitor satisfaction, but also have an impact on their decision to return to visit M Bloc Space Jakarta. M Bloc Space managers are expected to (1) establish partnerships with the local creative community and collaborate with local artists, startup companies and music groups to increase the attractiveness of M Bloc Space as a center for creativity, while providing added value for visitors. (2) In addition, they are expected to create interactive experiences at M Bloc Space through exploratory art installations, interesting selfie areas, and creative stations that allow visitors to create their own works. This experience encourages visitors to share with others, strengthening M Bloc Space's appeal as a unique and interesting destination.

Building with Butterflies: The Role of Design and Art in Co-creating New Identities for Services

The workshop will build upon and explore the design approach that was developed through a collaboration between Trindlemoss Day Opportunities for people with learning disabilities and two interns from the Glasgow School of Art (GSA). It will involve the interns and the service delivery team sharing their process and learnings and demonstrating some of the key engagement methods from their work, and encourage reflection on the role of art and design in reshaping services.
 In North Ayrshire, our learning disability day services underwent a situational change, involving a merging of 2 separate building-based services within a new site. Along with this physical change, we recognised a need for a change in practice and ethos, moving away from a rigid, building based, model of provision, to a much more community oriented/distributed model, integrated with a variety of service and third sector partners. For individuals and staff who had been accessing and working within the services for a long time, this presented a profound shift in thinking and practice. 
 Engaging customers, their families, and staff in an ongoing conversation about this process was critical but we tended to default to traditional methods of doing this. Working with interns from GSA provided an opportunity to take a creative, design led co-creation approach to engage with customers and staff. The brief was to deliver artefacts which captured the journey so far and hopes for the future, in a form shaped by the conversations they had, and thereby create a foundation for change. Recognising the need for flexibility to support engagement with customers with a wide range of abilities and communication preferences, the interns developed a variety of approaches including gamifying conversations through the use of physical board games. These are approaches which are best experienced, rather than described.
 The work led to a variety of outputs, including a visual identity for the centre to be used in branding; on-site art installations which reflected themes of growth and empowerment; and value and vision statements which underpin all aspects of the work, and which will be core to the identity of the service going forward.
 As a hands-on exploration of design-led approaches to co-creation, the workshop will have relevance for anyone seeking to engage service users from marginalised (and other) communities in ways that amplify their voice in an authentic and joyful manner. The theme of integration will be central to the workshop: pursuing integration with new collaborators; integrating customers and staff in shared conversations; integrating notions of external community identity, reversing the frequently inward facing service discussions; and integrating the personal and collective resources of individuals within creative activity.
 Workshop structure:
 Presentation: Introduction to Trindlemoss Day Opportunities: our change journey – 5 minutes
 Presentation: The work of the GSA interns: new perspectives, new tools – 15 minutes
 Activity: Using design based tools – small group activity for workshop participants – 20/30 minutes
 Open discussion: Design based thinking and practice as a lever for equity and integration – 15 minutes
 Summary and close – 5 minutes

Fight, Flight, or Freeze: Stilling the Moving Image in Bruce Nauman’s Contrapposto Studies, i through vii

This article examines the ways in which Bruce Nauman’s art installations provoke audience experiences analogous to those felt during traumatic events. A central assertion of the present study is that the looping mechanisms of Nauman’s video artworks produce a theoretical stilling of the moving image that is reflective of the fight-flight-or-freeze response to a highly charged incident, which often entails a temporal shift as time appears to slow to a halt. Whereas in the past, the human response to acute stress was typically prompted by a physical threat in the natural environment, today an evolutionary misfire occurs when this survival mechanism becomes prompted instead during everyday situations. Throughout human history, the experience of viewing an artwork has developed into an act of aesthetic appreciation involving a search for meaning. However, in this case, the sensory overload triggered by Nauman’s artwork purposefully impedes neuroprocessing, highlighting the adverse effects of mediation saturation in contemporary society; therefore, a stilling of the moving image in essence functions as a biological adaptation strategy in an attempt to come to terms with the puzzling nature of these artworks. By applying French philosopher Roland Barthes’s theories of the image, this article expands Barthes’s thought from the image to the performative as a reflection of human adaptation to technological advancement.

Today's Cultural Work

Today's cultural work is a dynamic and multifaceted phenomenon that reflects the evolving nature of contemporary societies. This abstract explores the diverse aspects of cultural work in the present context, encompassing art, media, technology, and social dynamics. Cultural work in the 21st century is intricately tied to the intersections of technology and creativity. With the advent of digital platforms and the democratization of content creation, individuals have become active participants in shaping cultural narratives. From viral social media trends to independent digital art projects, the landscape of cultural work is characterized by unprecedented accessibility and inclusivity. Artistic expressions, a vital component of cultural work, have transcended traditional boundaries. Today's artists leverage a spectrum of mediums, including digital art, virtual reality, and interactive installations, challenging conventional artistic norms. The fusion of technology and art not only expands the creative toolkit but also invites audiences to engage with cultural works in immersive and innovative ways. The media landscape plays a pivotal role in shaping contemporary culture. The proliferation of streaming services, podcasts, and online publications has transformed how information and narratives are disseminated. Cultural work within media extends beyond traditional entertainment to include thought-provoking documentaries, investigative journalism, and online platforms fostering dialogue on critical social issues. Moreover, cultural work reflects the ongoing dialogue between tradition and modernity. Communities around the world engage in preserving and revitalizing cultural heritage while adapting to the rapid pace of global change. This negotiation between the old and the new is evident in diverse forms, from heritage conservation projects to the reinterpretation of traditional art forms in a contemporary context. Today's cultural work is a vibrant and dynamic tapestry woven from the threads of technology, art, media, and tradition. It mirrors the ever-changing landscape of society, offering a kaleidoscopic view of the diverse expressions and conversations that define our contemporary cultural experience. As technology continues to advance and societal values evolve, cultural work will likely remain a key driver in shaping the narratives and identity of our rapidly changing world.

Cerrucha's "Trinchera". A Feminist Artistic Response to the War Against Women

In 2020, 66% of Mexican women endured physical abuse, and 70% suffered psychological trauma (ONU Mujeres, 2021). Despite the strong legal framework available since 2007, which Mexican legislators have built up to combat the scourge of violence against women. Rita Laura Segato’s claim: “There is a war against women” (2016) gains clarity when authorities are complicit or perpetrators. With this in mind, Mexican artivist Cerrucha called her most recent installation Trinchera (Trench). This street art installation appropriates the public space to send the message that women travel safely when they confront patriarchy together. I assert that Cerrucha’s Trinchera encourages women’s resistance against violence while embodying some of the main demands of the Mexican feminist agenda. By classifying Cerrucha’s work as artivism, we appreciate the intersection of art and activism, vital in addressing gender-based violence. Contextualising her creation within the feminist movement unerscores the urgent need for women’s protest in Mexico. Cerrucha’s art actively calls for women to unite, amplifying the feminist agenda’s core principles.

Communicating environmental data through art: the role of emotion and memory in evoking environmental action

Innovative approaches to environmental communication are needed to transcend existing scientific knowledge, challenge individual value-action gaps, and engage more people in science. Within a co-created community science project, a case-control study was conducted to determine whether data visualization type could impact participant scientific learning, emotional response, behavioral outcomes, and environmental action. Two novel data sharing types were designed to communicate roof-harvested rainwater data to environmental justice communities: (1) A static booklet and (2) An interactive environmental art installation called Ripple Effect paired with a booklet. Our results indicate that environmental art can not only communicate complex scientific data effectively, but can also overcome barriers associated with traditional science communication by affecting people’s emotion and memory—which increases the likelihood of changing their behavior or taking new action in their environment. These results are consistent with the environmental psychology literature; however, we have successfully captured the role of memory and long-lasting impacts of environmental art on pro-environmental health behavior. This research further paves the way for others to create innovative environmental communication formats to communicate environmental health.

More-than-human ‘rhuthmanalysis’ in Mónica Giron’s art installation Ajuar para un conquistador

This paper explores the relationships between humans and more-than-humans through the analysis of the rhythmic elements of the contemporary art installation Ajuar para un conquistador. An interdisciplinary approach bridges Art Studies and More-Than-Human Geographies to examine Ajuar and its environmental concerns, including the relationships between human and non-human worlds. Through ‘rhuthmanalysis’ – a new concept and word developed in the paper – textual and image analysis, and conversations with the artist, this study examines the social, cultural, and ecological meshwork of rhythms articulated within and by the art installation. ‘Rhuthmanalysis’ expands upon Henri Lefebvre and Catherine Régulier’s rhythmanalytic project by incorporating Indigenous knowledge and an ecocritical standpoint while redefining the understanding of rhythm. The analysis explores how Ajuar, concerned with the endangerment of Patagonian birds, promotes a performative understanding of the artwork’s capacities in the context of the interplay between the affective dimensions and politics of the creation of the Argentine nation-state. The paper argues that Ajuar participates in the social and political production of space and place, opening new forms of being together and challenging colonial narratives through a rhythmic lens. Moreover, this study seeks to offer a singular perspective on how approaching art as a rhythmic configuration of an intricate choreography of coexistence can provide unique insights into space and the environment. The paper concludes that ‘rhuthmanalysis’ is a privileged tool to address the need for a transdisciplinary methodology capable of giving account of the mutual unfolding of human and non-human existences and decolonising posthumanist geographies and rhythm studies.