THE STATE OF ART - INSTALLATION & SITE-SPECIFIC #2

Installation art can be broadly defined as work which is three-dimensional and is produced in order to transform the perception of a space. In the past, this term was primarily meant to describe the hanging of pictures and other objects within an exhibition, in more recent times the term has come to signify work which deals directly with the space, the artist often creating mixed media assemblages designed for a temporary period of time. Site-specific work is closely related to Installation art in the sense that it is usually composed of objects ,installed at a location. Where the two may differ is that in a site specific work the artist is often dealing ,with the history, folklore, geography or social issues of a particular place, and in that sense the work ,can only exist at that location. In addition, because the work relies on being placed so specifically, ,many site-specific works are located outside of the gallery in, often unconventional, public spaces._,