1.

Make sure to check out James Kalm's walk through tours of some of the best of the NYC scene!.

A quick moment of reflection:

how would you, as an artist, feel about someone walking through your installation with a camera. A further question: what is lost in seeing an installation in a mediated format (i.e. on a computer scene as opposed to in person)?

To me, as an artist, an installation is to remind us of the primacy of sight in real life over that in a mediated experience. I am absolutely convinced (and I don't think this is controversial) that the mediated experience lacks in some way or other when compared to an unmediated experience.

It takes away an artist's right to surprise or to keep the viewer guessing. Think of anytime you have gotten angry at someone for telling you the ending of a movie without first giving you a "spoiler alert."


That being said, there are positive effects of Kalm's videos.

Celebrity. People know what you look like because James makes sure to talk to you in the video.

Exposure. Given the reality that most people find out about art shows/ artists through the internet they risk the possibility of having missed some free exposure (which installation art is really in need of)/ building a base for your art

$$$. Increased exposure means an increased base for your work.

Consider, finally, the following about installation art when considering the role of a funding base for installation art:

if you make installation art 1) you are not selling something immediately commodifiable and 2) it is necessarily resource heavy (7 rooms for two months in new york plus living expenses of two artist also dwelling in NYC).


What is an artist to do?