1
Large-scale artwork
An arrangement of objects that transforms how viewers experience a space.
Example
The installation filled the atrium with suspended sheets of coloured glass.
installation
/ˌɪnstəˈleɪʃən/ · in-stuh-LAY-shuhnnoun
An artistic work created by arranging objects or materials within a space; also the act of putting equipment in place.
Use installation for an immersive, often site-specific artwork or for the process and result of setting equipment in position.
What installation Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Site-specific exhibit
A work designed in response to a particular location.
Example
Her coastal installation changes as the tide rises and falls.
3
Equipment placement
The process or result of putting a system into position for use.
Example
Installation of the sensors took three weeks.
Use installation Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The installation filled the atrium with suspended sheets of coloured glass.
Her coastal installation changes as the tide rises and falls.
Installation of the sensors took three weeks.
Precision Matters
Installation overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
installation
vs.Is a particular arranged work or setup.
aesthetic
Concerns beauty or artistic form generally.
installation
vs.Names the work or placement itself.
intricate
Describes something highly detailed and complex.
installation
vs.May use ordinary materials in an immersive spatial work.
unconventional
Broadly departs from customary practice.
installation
vs.Can surround or involve a viewer without being physically grand.
imposing
Is impressive because of size or appearance.
Test installation in Context
The work arranges objects through a large public space.
1
Visitors walk through hundreds of hanging paper forms in the artist's new ___, a work designed specifically for the museum's central hall.