Installation

The past decade has seen the proliferation of media art installations in exhibition contexts ranging from museums and galleries to international art fairs and public art sites. Media installations are works of art that situate moving-image media within specific scenarios, built structures, sites, or viewing environments. Since the 1960s, artists have been integrating media such as film, video, and slides with objects and sculptural elements; more recently, such installations also feature digital moving images and computer-based interactive devices. Because media installations are variable artworks that also require familiarity with equipment, technical issues, and video or digital media, they demand new vocabularies and practices for exhibition. Building from the single-channel video and computer-based arts sections, this section of the Guide is concerned with the conditions specific to the electronic media components of installations.

This section discusses issues relating to exhibiting media-based installations, including best practices, planning, examples of agreements, equipment and technical concerns, budget issues, and answers to basic but essential questions. Also included are interviews with artists, curators, conservators and collectors, as well as a selection of case studies and articles.