The Perpetuation of Site-Specific Installation Artworks in Museums: Staging Contemporary Art

Site-specific installations are created for a specific location and are usually intended as temporary artworks. The Perpetuation of Site-Specific Installation Artworks in Museums. Staging Contemporary Art shows that these artworks consist of more than a singular manifestation and that their lifespan is often extended. This book provides an in-depth account of the paradoxical situation when site-specific installations are being preserved and put on display in a museum context. Tatja Scholte offers a conceptual framework for scholars and professionals in order to better understand the transformative nature of site-specific installation art and to support decision-making in museums as to conserving and presenting these artworks over time. The case studies provide insight into the diversity of artistic production over the last forty years. They explore how site-specific installations gain new meanings and forms in a museum context, and, vice versa, how these artworks become agents for change of professional routines and museum strategies.