Art Installation Project

This week I finally figured out what installation art is; a work of art that has been arranged in a place by the artist or as specified by the artist.  The work may be site-specific or not, and can be indoors or outdoors.  Installations may be temporary or permanent.  Most installation pieces are 3D, therefore, many of the materials used are 3D as well.  Ultimately, any material can be used for art installation.  Artists make installation art in order to convey a message or create a feeling in the viewer.  I was very interested in Untitled (Paperbacks) by Rachel Whiteread, which I found on the ArtLex site.  The work gave an impression of a negative cast of the interior of a library.  I related this work to the fact that libraries may be dying out because of the internet.

After reflecting on all we have learned about installation art, I began planning for my own piece.  I remember feeling a connection with Matthew Ritchie’s work at the Albright-Knox, which involved an art installation in conjunction with a wall painting.  The artist had ideas about the complexity of the universe.  So I also wanted my work to connect with a larger idea.  From there, I decided on a theme to explore in my installation.  I chose consumerism and its relation to environmental degradation.  I wanted to install my piece outdoors to emphasize the connection with the environment.  I finally decided to create a “snowman” out of waste and recyclable products that would convey the message of how the American lifestyle is essentially trading in snowmen for landfills via climate change.  The materials I used were a garbage can full of garbage, many plastic bags, duct tape, marker, and aluminum cans.  See the final product below:

I am entitling my work Garbageman.

You could describe my installation as an artwork made from what others might see as garbage.  Speficially, it is household waste and recyclables in the shape of a snowman with dollar-signs for eyes. 


The primary principles in this piece are variety and unity; various related materials were used to ultimately become a unified piece with a distinct message.  This work also involved the elements of form, space, and space. 


Overall, I thought creating an art installation was fun!  I had many ideas, so it was hard to pick just one.  I thought I chose a pretty decent day to do it, but it turned out to be more difficult than I thought due to the wind - the plastic bags were flying everywhere.  After this project, I definitely give a lot of credit to artists who do large-scale works such as art installations.