Whether temporary or permanent, “installation art” refers to mixed-media constructions crafted in an expansive form and often tailored for specific locations or themes. These artworks, intended for a fleeting existence, are occasionally labeled as ‘environments,’ requiring the viewer to walk up close and into the artistic piece for full audience engagement.
Upper School students in the Winter Term course “Installation Art” enjoyed the unique experience of creating their own environment, an exhibit entitled Lost & Found. Much like some of the most popular and exciting works in contemporary art museums today, the installations included 2D art, sculpture, video, and audio elements.
Led by Upper School Arts Teachers Patrick Huber and Dr. Kevin Slivka, students first studied recent installation works by artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Christo, and Olafur Eliason. Then, using the resources of the Upper School Architecture and Digital Design studios, students designed and built their installation to create a unique, immersive experience and completely and temporarily redefined the Vincent Price Black Box Theatre space.
Dr. Slivka taught the first three days of the course, which oriented students to contemporary artists’ practices and helped them develop their initial sketches. “Through video, students identified and defined characteristics, processes, materials, and experiences that constitute installation art. Then, students worked to define an understanding of the theme, ‘Lost & Found.’ The ideation process and sharing generated five student working groups,” he said.
Once oriented and with groups and sketches formed, Huber worked with the students on the build and install using the Seldom Scene workshop, which spills into the Price Theatre.
Brooke Bernstein ’25 enjoyed both of her art-related Winter Term courses as an exploration into a field she is interested in. “I’m exploring as much of the art industry as possible because that’s more of what I’m interested in in the future. This is a more hands-on art class, and I like that I’ve been able to take our ideas and not only make something but also go through the process of building it into a finished result and have others experience it. Our piece is a dark hallway, making the viewer feel lost, and we used light bulbs and mirrors to help you find your way,” she said.
Dhruv Avirneni ’27 chose this class because it stood out among the others. “I’ve seen installation art before, and it’s not like regular forms of visual arts. There is a lot more building and hands-on work involved. It also takes a lot more time, and the finished product is much more satisfying,” he said.
Smoke and Mirrors: Brooke Bernstein, Alexander McCarter, Kaviya Senthilkumar Materials: Incandescent light bulbs, wood panels, music stands, fabric, portrait mirrors “Smoke and Mirrors” interprets the theme of “Lost and Found” and an immersive experience for the viewer. The installation first makes the viewer “lost” with darkness and confusion using the passageway’s shape and the various fabric drapes. It then allows them to “find” the exit through a series of four mirrors. Each mirror has four suspended light bulbs where each set has one more light lit than the previous, progressing from one to four. This progression directly reflects a journey one may face in life, beginning as lost and then finding their way forward.
Paper Wall: Sahar Bhutto Quote by J.R.R. Tolkien and Selected by Dr. Kevin Slivka The artist curated specific articles – not necessarily well-known ones – that fit the “Lost & Found” theme. The quote is both bold against the news and lost amongst the words in the background. The wall shows a loss of childhood innocence when we grow up to see the reality of our world, as well as found successes when they’re sought out.
Paper Wall: Sahar Bhutto Quote by J.R.R. Tolkien and Selected by Dr. Kevin Slivka The artist curated specific articles – not necessarily well-known ones – that fit the “Lost & Found” theme. The quote is both bold against the news and lost amongst the words in the background. The wall shows a loss of childhood innocence when we grow up to see the reality of our world, as well as found successes when they’re sought out.
Paper Wall: Sahar Bhutto Quote by J.R.R. Tolkien and Selected by Dr. Kevin Slivka The artist curated specific articles – not necessarily well-known ones – that fit the “Lost & Found” theme. The quote is both bold against the news and lost amongst the words in the background. The wall shows a loss of childhood innocence when we grow up to see the reality of our world, as well as found successes when they’re sought out.
Two Doors: Arissa Alpaslan, Gwen Benson-Reschke, Felipe Ferreira, Tara Sadasivam, Ian Sims Materials: Furniture, lighting, sound, and animation Measurements: Doors – 32″x82″, Piano – 19″x56″, width of space 142.5″ height 161.5″ Our installation represents the concept of lost and found. We did this by dividing it into two rooms then a center walkway with a curtain and a mirror. The left door represents the concept of found. The inside is a piano, and on it sits a smaller mirror and a flower; these show calm as in the viewer is finding a calm in themselves. The other side has a skeleton, which shows the lost side and represents a struggle with health.
Two Doors: Arissa Alpaslan, Gwen Benson-Reschke, Felipe Ferreira, Tara Sadasivam, Ian Sims Materials: Furniture, lighting, sound, and animation Measurements: Doors – 32″x82″, Piano – 19″x56″, width of space 142.5″ height 161.5″ Our installation represents the concept of lost and found. We did this by dividing it into two rooms then a center walkway with a curtain and a mirror. The left door represents the concept of found. The inside is a piano, and on it sits a smaller mirror and a flower; these show calm as in the viewer is finding a calm in themselves. The other side has a skeleton, which shows the lost side and represents a struggle with health.
Two Doors: Arissa Alpaslan, Gwen Benson-Reschke, Felipe Ferreira, Tara Sadasivam, Ian Sims Materials: Furniture, lighting, sound, and animation Measurements: Doors – 32″x82″, Piano – 19″x56″, width of space 142.5″ height 161.5″ Our installation represents the concept of lost and found. We did this by dividing it into two rooms then a center walkway with a curtain and a mirror. The left door represents the concept of found. The inside is a piano, and on it sits a smaller mirror and a flower; these show calm as in the viewer is finding a calm in themselves. The other side has a skeleton, which shows the lost side and represents a struggle with health.
Two Doors: Arissa Alpaslan, Gwen Benson-Reschke, Felipe Ferreira, Tara Sadasivam, Ian Sims Materials: Furniture, lighting, sound, and animation Measurements: Doors – 32″x82″, Piano – 19″x56″, width of space 142.5″ height 161.5″ Our installation represents the concept of lost and found. We did this by dividing it into two rooms then a center walkway with a curtain and a mirror. The left door represents the concept of found. The inside is a piano, and on it sits a smaller mirror and a flower; these show calm as in the viewer is finding a calm in themselves. The other side has a skeleton, which shows the lost side and represents a struggle with health.
Two Doors: Arissa Alpaslan, Gwen Benson-Reschke, Felipe Ferreira, Tara Sadasivam, Ian Sims Materials: Furniture, lighting, sound, and animation Measurements: Doors – 32″x82″, Piano – 19″x56″, width of space 142.5″ height 161.5″ Our installation represents the concept of lost and found. We did this by dividing it into two rooms then a center walkway with a curtain and a mirror. The left door represents the concept of found. The inside is a piano, and on it sits a smaller mirror and a flower; these show calm as in the viewer is finding a calm in themselves. The other side has a skeleton, which shows the lost side and represents a struggle with health.
Two Doors: Arissa Alpaslan, Gwen Benson-Reschke, Felipe Ferreira, Tara Sadasivam, Ian Sims Materials: Furniture, lighting, sound, and animation Measurements: Doors – 32″x82″, Piano – 19″x56″, width of space 142.5″ height 161.5″ Our installation represents the concept of lost and found. We did this by dividing it into two rooms then a center walkway with a curtain and a mirror. The left door represents the concept of found. The inside is a piano, and on it sits a smaller mirror and a flower; these show calm as in the viewer is finding a calm in themselves. The other side has a skeleton, which shows the lost side and represents a struggle with health.
The Archive: Sophia Cernicek, Margot Crowley, Suchitra Thapa Materials: Wood, cardboard, books, found items This exhibit portrays the narrator’s story of his life and his lost objects. The viewer becomes the narrator as they begin making meaning of the objects, which can make them find a deep connection, feeling, or memory. Sometimes, we must look at the details of something big to find something that is lost.
The Archive: Sophia Cernicek, Margot Crowley, Suchitra Thapa Materials: Wood, cardboard, books, found items This exhibit portrays the narrator’s story of his life and his lost objects. The viewer becomes the narrator as they begin making meaning of the objects, which can make them find a deep connection, feeling, or memory. Sometimes, we must look at the details of something big to find something that is lost.
The Archive: Sophia Cernicek, Margot Crowley, Suchitra Thapa Materials: Wood, cardboard, books, found items This exhibit portrays the narrator’s story of his life and his lost objects. The viewer becomes the narrator as they begin making meaning of the objects, which can make them find a deep connection, feeling, or memory. Sometimes, we must look at the details of something big to find something that is lost.
The Archive: Sophia Cernicek, Margot Crowley, Suchitra Thapa Materials: Wood, cardboard, books, found items This exhibit portrays the narrator’s story of his life and his lost objects. The viewer becomes the narrator as they begin making meaning of the objects, which can make them find a deep connection, feeling, or memory. Sometimes, we must look at the details of something big to find something that is lost.
The Archive: Sophia Cernicek, Margot Crowley, Suchitra Thapa Materials: Wood, cardboard, books, found items This exhibit portrays the narrator’s story of his life and his lost objects. The viewer becomes the narrator as they begin making meaning of the objects, which can make them find a deep connection, feeling, or memory. Sometimes, we must look at the details of something big to find something that is lost.
Toy: Druv Avirneni, Cam Cozad, Lawrence Lee, Sam Matisziw Materials: Wood beams, LED panels, fabric, miniature columns, images generated by Adobe Firefly (ink on paper) In a world of possessions, each one holds a different amount of sentimental value to each possessor. This value is never determined by the material worth of the object but by the memories and experiences presented by it. Toy unravels the interlaced intricacies of the memories and hidden values that are discovered after the Lost is Found.
Toy: Druv Avirneni, Cam Cozad, Lawrence Lee, Sam Matisziw Materials: Wood beams, LED panels, fabric, miniature columns, images generated by Adobe Firefly (ink on paper) In a world of possessions, each one holds a different amount of sentimental value to each possessor. This value is never determined by the material worth of the object but by the memories and experiences presented by it. Toy unravels the interlaced intricacies of the memories and hidden values that are discovered after the Lost is Found.
Toy: Druv Avirneni, Cam Cozad, Lawrence Lee, Sam Matisziw Materials: Wood beams, LED panels, fabric, miniature columns, images generated by Adobe Firefly (ink on paper) In a world of possessions, each one holds a different amount of sentimental value to each possessor. This value is never determined by the material worth of the object but by the memories and experiences presented by it. Toy unravels the interlaced intricacies of the memories and hidden values that are discovered after the Lost is Found.
Toy: Druv Avirneni, Cam Cozad, Lawrence Lee, Sam Matisziw Materials: Wood beams, LED panels, fabric, miniature columns, images generated by Adobe Firefly (ink on paper) In a world of possessions, each one holds a different amount of sentimental value to each possessor. This value is never determined by the material worth of the object but by the memories and experiences presented by it. Toy unravels the interlaced intricacies of the memories and hidden values that are discovered after the Lost is Found.
Playground: Joy Chen, Will Fendler, Emerson Pook Materials: Wood, metal, paint, fabric, child toys We created a small playground that is made up of primarily wood and metal. The bright colors and the structure itself mimic the first that we would construct when we were young. This represents Lost and Found because we were thinking about how we lost this part of our lives as we grew up but can find this joy again through our siblings, when you’re a parent, or your kid’s experiences. Also, thinking about light, we incorporated warm lighting that would mimic a fond memory of playing on the swings or monkey bars.
Playground: Joy Chen, Will Fendler, Emerson Pook Materials: Wood, metal, paint, fabric, child toys We created a small playground that is made up of primarily wood and metal. The bright colors and the structure itself mimic the first that we would construct when we were young. This represents Lost and Found because we were thinking about how we lost this part of our lives as we grew up but can find this joy again through our siblings, when you’re a parent, or your kid’s experiences. Also, thinking about light, we incorporated warm lighting that would mimic a fond memory of playing on the swings or monkey bars.
Student docents lead guests through the exhibit.
On the final day of Winter Term, student docents provided student and faculty tours on an Upper School “Gallery Walk,” guiding guests through the experiential environment and through Lower Messing Gallery for the “Cut, Press, Print” printmaking class showcase. Each installation piece had a small description of the work, its connection to the Lost & Found theme, and the artists involved.
Some installations were taller than the viewer, and some could only be observed gingerly from a doorway due to their fragility; others could be walked through, around, and under, all of which created a unified experience for the traveler within the exhibition space.
Huber smiled and added, “Creative imagination was the most important asset in this process!”
