1a) Explain in your own words, the meaning of ‘Installation Art’
“Installation Art” refers to a piece of artwork, usually in 3 D form and is placed in a specific place. It allows people to walk around or through it, literally, to observe the piece of art from different perspectives in that place specific area. It also allows the viewer to have a sense of total experience. “Installation Art” is often an assemblage of found materials and it rejects concentration on a single object.
b)Describe the subject matter by Montien Boonma, highlighting the significance of the materials used
The subject matter depicts 2 buffaloes, each made up of a filled-sack and a stool, both of which are brown in colour, which symbolizes the colour of the buffalo. The 4 legs of the buffalo are represented by the legs o the wooden stool, and appear to be lean and thin. The body, and perhaps the head of the buffalo, are collectively represented by a fully filled-sack and is stacked upon the stool, giving the impression of a sturdy buffalo’s body, The 2 buffalos are placed side by side close to each other. One of it depicts a dark-brown buffalo horn coming out of the sack. This represents the direction of where the buffalo is facing. The other buffalo shows a long, curved and brown structure coming out of the sack, which may represent the tail of the buffalo. It appears to be made of dried organic material. The materials used to depict the subject matter are mostly associated in the more rural areas, such as the wooden stools used to represent the legs, the sack for the buffalo’s body, as well as the horn and tail. The choice of materials, which are also the more “natural” and “organic” ready-mades, could symbolize how the subject matter–the buffalos–are closely linked to the more rural areas.
c) With Reference to another work by the artists, explain why the subject matter appeals to you as an installation, as opposed to a painting
Another work of Montien Boonma is ‘Lotus sound’, an installation art done in 1992. It is made up of many terracotta vessels shaped like bells and stacked together to form a circular wall. Gilded terracotta leaves are attached to the walls to suggest falling leaves of a lotus flower.
Here, we can observe the subject matter –the lotus flower–from different perspectives–high, low, angular, and so on. There is more room for imagination and exploration, and the viewer can choose his or her own perspective. One moment I could be towering over the installation, and the next I could be squatting next to it, and the buffalos now towering over me. However, we can only observe a painting at a single point of view physically, of what the artist has chose to show. Besides, installations are more interactive. Paintings can only be viewed with our eyes while we can touch, feel, smell and even listen to installations (e.g. the sound of lotus in Lotus Sound).
