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Stage 08 of 9

Present

Where and how does the work meet a viewer?

A painting on a wall reads differently than on a phone. Scale, site, lighting, sequencing, and adjacent works all shape meaning. Design the encounter, don't leave it to chance.

Prompts to sit with

  • 01What is the ideal first thing a viewer sees, hears, or feels?
  • 02How close should they stand? How long should it take to read?
  • 03What context (title, label, adjacent work) frames the piece — or should you strip that away?
  • 04Is documentation part of the artwork, or a substitute for it?

Small practices

  • Mock the install to scale, on the actual wall or in a plan drawing.
  • Print or export at final size once, early, to catch scale mistakes.
  • Photograph and film the install so it survives the deinstall.

Read alongside — in the book