Site and Science

Artworks that exist outside of a museum or gallery often exist in those spaces for a reason. Whether it’s a traditional monument to commemorate an individual or an event, or a contemporary artwork or even art event, these artworks are almost always designed for a specific location. Some artworks rely on their location for the concept or even the location to fulfill the artist’s intent. Projects of this scale always involve multiple people and, increasingly, multiple artists.

For this assignment students worked with a partner to pick a location and an idea borrowed or dependent on science to create a proposal for a large-scale, site specific artwork. The projects include visuals like concept drawings or models and a written statement describing the ideas, materials, and location. Students were asked to be as practical or as whimsical as they saw fit when thinking about their site.