Experiential Art: Immersing you into a space
As humans, we are very visual people; our understanding is often facilitated by our ability to visualise a concept. We have grown up learning through visuals. As such, art has come to play a key role in our environment. The importance of art, be it art installations, paintings, sculptures or window displays, can all be related, not just to the visual impact they have on a space, but also the emotional and psychological impact they have on us as viewers. The effect of art on human beings is multifold, it visually binds a space together but more importantly, it evokes a plethora of emotions within us, be it through its color, the subject it represents or the material.
Colours tend to have a profound effect on us. We respond to different colours in distinct emotional and psychological ways. Due to this, interior designers often use paintings as a finishing touch to tie-up a space and complete the décor. While it is most commonly used purely for aesthetic purposes, paintings have a deeper impact on how we experience the space. For instance, paintings often liven up blank office walls and boring commercial spaces, creating a fun environment. Given that we spend over eight hours in offices (and now locked in our homes), adding a fun piece of art adds some depth and excitement to an otherwise mundane environment, it makes one feel connected to the space. That’s the power of art, it is often that missing piece of the puzzle that makes you feel complete.
While the impact of paintings might be limited to colour and the visual space, art installations create multi-sensory experiences. These installations range from a wall piece to a freestanding sculptural and in recent times have expanded to the most intriguing of them all, digital art installations. All of these add another dimension to how you experience this form of art. Installations call for viewers to immerse themselves in the space, and sometimes to interact with it, be a part of it, thereby creating a multi-sensory experience. Not only can you see it, you can touch it, feel it, hear it or even smell it. This lends a certain uniqueness to each experience you have with a single installation. Installation art is centred around the viewer, more so than the artwork itself, in determining what the experience would be like. That’s where the beauty of installation art lies, in making you a part of art without you even realising it, leaving you with a long lasting memory of that particular moment of your day.
Art Installations alter spaces, playing with light and movement, leaving space and time as the only two constants. Renowned artist Lucio Fonata once said, “We have renounced the practice of familiar art forms and are working to develop a kind of art based on the unity of time and space… We think of art as a sum of physical elements: color, sound, movement, time, and space, brought together in a physical and mental whole. Color, an element of space; sound, an element of time; and movement, unfolding in space and time. These are the foundations of Specialist art.” This speaks to the idea and purpose of installation art.
If you ever get a chance, we recommend you look up or, better yet, visit (and experience) the work of these famous installation artists such as James Turrell (one of the earlier artists, known for his work with light and space), Robert Irwin, Yayoi Kusama and TeamLab. They weave their artwork around the viewers creating a unique engagement and dialogue. You will be sure to come back with a unique experience; an unforgettable one.
