Dear Rob Ray (and List),

Thanks for your detailed (and heartrending!) identification of some
key installation problems.

Some of them, I'm afraid I don't have any answers for at all, but
some brief angles are below.

I'm particularly interested in your position as "mechatronic
artist/curator" as it's pretty unusual to have a curator who has your
level of technical skills. I have a certain amount myself, but always
come up against a certain level where I simply don't have enough
knowledge (for me it was the point of sourcing a Three-Phase
Uninterruptible Power Supply and calculating humidity levels  for a
rate of BTU heat exchange!) For most curators, it's a case of finding
a good technical installation person who can also work with artists.
In the UK, they are in short supply (this month's invited respondents
being the exceptions) and I know of no university offering this
combination of training. More 'apprenticeships' are needed I think.

Due to the range of knowledge needed, it would also be great to see
more short courses to familiarise existing general gallery
technicians with new media, as well as courses for existing
exhibition designers, docents et al. Any news of these is welcome on
this List.

>- Outlet Supply/Location.
>Lack of enough (or even any) ceiling and floor outlet locations makes
>powerstrips and extension cords a neccessary evil. Handling these in an
>aesthetically pleasing/undistracting  manner is pretty tough. How are
>people handling it?

>Will we ever be able to abstract the viewing
>container from the content within it? or should we bother? if so, how?
>or is it be aesthetically immoral to do so?

I've been happiest with solutions which are at the extremes: Either
completely hidden, slick and designerly (expensive), or the opposite
approach. That is, completely open, honest, and with a certain
low-tech 'truth to materials' such as the "MacClassic" exhibition at
the Postmasters New York <http://www.postmastersart.com/>, or the
installation by RTI <http://www.lowtech.org/> at the Tate "Art and
Money Online" show, which featured metal shelving, lots of cable, and
lots of non-matching and non-colour-balanced monitors. I've also seen
nice installations made from standard scaffolding poles and joiners
which are good for running cables through. For me, compromises such
as ready-made 'kiosks' tend to have the flavour of sales points or
tourist information booths.

Often, it's the artists who come up with their own solutions,
although I've also had good ideas from places like the Science Museum
in London, who have some clever tilted round tables which enable
several tall or short, standing or sitting people to collaborate on a
single large projected 'game'.  Web sites like http://www.big.uk.com/
have some good tips for how NOT to install interactive educational
exhibits, and some of these are relevant to art contexts.

>2. Projectors.
>- Renting projectors sucks.

Yup, and I have to say that companies who make or supply any kind of
computer display equipment seem particularly unhelpful to deal with
for any kind of sponsorship in kind.

In the UK we're lucky to have the MITES section of FACT in Liverpool
(publicly funded) <http://www.fact.co.uk/>, who rent affordably to
not-for-profits and have excellent technicians. Most big UK shows
couldn't happen without them.  Is there anything in the States like
this? Maybe the Rockefeller should buy some.

>- Mounting projectors sucks.
>Many times in order to install a piece correctly you end up hanging
>projectors from the ceiling, upside down, and all sorts of other funky
>configurations. I'm never keen on buying mounting hardware for anything
>so I end up making my own... any other solutions?

Scaffolding poles, and/or black-painted boards with holes cut in,
suspended from chains, are the solutions I've seen most. There's also
the problem that heat rises, so that suspended projectors sometimes
cut out whilst ones nearer the floor are OK. And some cut out if
upside down.

>4. Networks
>- Phone Lines.

Sometimes, a small gallery with a spare  phone line is easier than a
Local Government gallery with a huge fear of internet porn!

Anyone else with War stories? Please do let us know.

Yours,


Beryl