Site specific interventions in contemporary art

• Main Author: Lu, Shih-Yun
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: University of Leeds 2008

Site-specific interventions in contemporary art are still a relatively new area of study. The relevant disciplines include site-specific art, cyberspace, new media art and interdisciplinary art, and installation art. In addition to practical experimentation the work draws upon literature and practice from these disciplines in order to create a theoretical framework. In response to the emerging practical and theoretical framework, site-specific installation works were created in contrasting locations that presented both internal and outdoor spaces. The frameworks created through theoretical investigation have been used to analyse both the creative process and the art work itself in relation to both physical space and cyberspace. An experimental art method approach was used in order to gain a deeper understanding of the issues relating to spatial concepts. The analysis uses a wide range of documentary material such as video and photographic recording, as well as the visual interpretation of the art work through exhibition and creative practices. This investigation explored site-specificity in both physical and virtual space in three distinct parts; projects in physical and virtual site-specificity, projects in physical site specificity, and Net art projects. These projects have been analysed from the perspective of spatial concepts theories and Zen philosophy within the framework provided by the four elements - space, time, media and practice. This research examined the value of site-specificity in both physical and virtual sites through the results of the creation of art work in `interdisciplinary art'. This led to the principal conclusion from this research: namely, that physical sites can be duplicated and documented by using emerging digital technology and then be transmitted as a particular mix of physical and virtual sites using the Internet as a medium. This research is an exploration of the under-examined area of site-specificity within contemporary art.