Preservation and Presentation of Installation Art

Sinclair, Ross

Journey to the Edge of the World – The New Republic of St. Kilda

1. Research Questions
2. Visualisation
3. Consolidation of Chalk Drawing
4. Slide Duplication

floor plan.pdf (pdf/27kb)
window wall.pdf (pdf/53kb)
chalk drawing wall.pdf (pdf/41kb)
Visualisation Views.pdf (pdf/106kb)

2. Visualisation (February 2005)
creator(s) Barbara Sommermeyer (conservator)
contributor(s) Jochen Moehle (plans and photography)

The visualisation of the installation forms a very important part of the documentation. When taking down or re-installing it, a plan of the layout is essential for communicating and understanding its structure and composition. The research question is, how to realise this best, using recent computer technology or measurement systems.
Because this installation is mainly made of cardboard boxes, two computer programmes borrowed from architecture and design programming were chosen. Adobe-Illustrator to draw a floor plan and an elevation of each wall; Rhinoceros was used to illustrate the three-dimensional character of the installation from various points of view of the spectator/visitor.

The resulting floor plan and wall elevations were used for documenting damages on cardboard boxes. Specifications like construction details, the position of electrical supplies, electronic media equipment or lights were also marked. Creating the plans gave insight into details of the installation. The graphic data brought out errors in reasoning of the documented set up, which could then be resolved.

Click download for PDF's.

Design: Jochen Moehle, Hamburg © Hamburger Kunsthalle/Jochen Moehle, Hamburg