Objects and environments met with the whole body, in a particular space.
Ways in
Phenomenology, visitor studies, material analysis, spatial mapping.
The longer story
Sculpture and installation occupy space differently than flat works—they have backs, they respond to movement, they shape how bodies move around them. Installation art in particular creates environments rather than objects. How do you document what must be experienced? Phenomenological approaches take embodied encounter seriously. Material analysis examines processes and substances. Spatial analysis maps how works organise gallery space. What does it mean to be in an artwork rather than facing it?