INSTALLATION
There are many ways to install artwork. You may have a particular method that you always use for your own work, or the artists you are working with have given you instructions on how to display their work.
If they haven’t been given information from the artist, then it is worth double-checking with them. Some of the fixings have to be directly attached to the work so you want to make sure your artists agree with that before moving forward.
TOOLKIT
You may come into a space which is prepped and ready to go, other times you may need to fill holes from old screws and paint walls. A basic toolkit is really good to have for any exhibition just in case a space isn’t given to you in a condition you expected. A trusty toolkit would consist of:
SPACING
With wall-based works you are going to need to decide an eye-height. The museum standard for this is that the halfway point of the height of the work should sit 150cm above the floor.
Whilst this is an industry-standard, it doesn’t always work for every exhibition It’s a good place to start when trying to work out an eye-height but you may be in a building with really low or heigh ceilings or the works vary drastically in size.
Always start with your biggest work and see what looks good, maybe its 140cm or 160cm off the floor.
The space between works is important too as you don’t want works to be too close together so that they can’t be looked at individually but equally you don’t want them spaced far apart so that the exhibition looks empty.
You can opt to keep the same distance between each work for consistency, but you can also play around with having some closer together particularly if there is an interesting correlation with what the works are trying to say.
A slightly more irregular hang also keeps the viewer on their toes and excited to view more work.
INSTALLING PAPER-BASED WORKS
For paper-based works, a great method is using magnets. These are specific to art installing and are long-lasting and reusable. All you need to do is put a screw in the wall behind each corner of the paper, slightly in from each edge, leaving the screw out from the wall. Lay your paper on top and match the magnets up with the placement of the screws. These are being used in contemporary galleries and are proving to be a popular and professional way of hanging work.
If you're not able to drill into the walls of your venue, command strips are the best option. These should be attached to each corner of your work. Command strips are designed to not damage the wall when you remove them but they can damage the back of your work. If you put masking tape on the back corners of your work and stick your command strip on top, that will reduce the risk of damaging your work.
INSTALLING FRAMES + CANVASES
For framed works or canvases, mirror plates are another great reusable option. They are a metal bracket with three holes in. The side with two holes goes onto the back of your frame or canvas, on the two sides of the work in the middle.
Using very tiny screws, your screw these directly into the back of the frame. The side with one hole should be visible on the edges of the work if you’re looking directly at it. You can then screw this straight into the wall.
You can also paint over the visible part to match the wall colour, just make sure to carefully put some masking tape along the edge of the work so you don’t get paint on the frame.
Another option for a frame would be split battens. These are two pieces of wood or metal with a 45 degree angle cut or bent into it, one goes onto the wall and the other goes onto the back of the frame. The two battens then slot into one another.
For canvases, a simple option is to hang the work on its cross-bar or the inside edge of the top bar. Use a spirit level to mark a straight line on the wall where either the cross-bar or top bar sits and put at least two screws in to balance the canvas on. The bigger the canvas, the more screws you need, but this is where you might switch back to a mirror plate for additional support.
INSTALLING 3D WORKS
For 3D works, most artists will have a vision for how they are displayed. It might be a plinth or the floor, maybe the work needs to have enough room so that the audience can walk all the way around it. Whatever it is, the thing you need to think about is how the 3D work interact with the works on the wall behind them.
You don’t want them placed too closely so that someone stepping back to admire a painting suddenly backs into a ceramic vase, potentially damaging it.
Equally, you don’t want them to be too separated from the exhibition that it feels inconsistent. Most of the time spent in installations is placing 3D works so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to try alternative placements.
INSTALLING ELECTRICAL WORKS
For 4D works that require power, this could be a TV, projector, or a VR piece, you will have pesky cables to deal with. Ideally you want to place electrical works near plug sockets so you don’t have cables trailing around the venue as this is a trip hazard. However that might not always be possible.
To cover cables, the easiest thing to use is duct tape. This comes in many colours so hopefully you can find one to match the floor, as whilst you want people to see it so they don’t fall you don’t want it to distract from the exhibition.
For a reusable option you can get rubber cable covers where the cables slot in underneath. You can cut these to size to fit the space.
If you are mounting anything with a cable, you will want to use trunking. This sticks to the wall and you slide your cables inside it so it looks neat.
Whilst cables can be annoying to deal with, bear in mind that the audience interact with cables daily so unconsciously they don’t see them as an issue but you can definitely take steps to make the whole set up look tidy.
