The Big Art Field Guide
How to plan a temporary light art installation
Connect the artistic experience with an operating schedule, technical responsibilities, visitor access and a documented closing plan.
For Festival producers, cultural venues, downtown organizations, campuses and temporary art hosts
Planning guidance by Big Art Partners
Latest source review · Individual review dates are listed below.
Describe what visitors will actually do
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Pulse Park used participants’ heart-rate readings to control spotlights across Madison Square Park. The artist’s project record identifies sensors, a computer, custom software, control equipment and lighting as parts of the work. [1]
Big Art Partners recommends writing a visitor journey before discussing a technical package: arrival, discovery, participation, observation and departure. State whether people touch a component, enter a space, watch a loop or interact through a device. Ask the artist to describe the experience when nobody participates and when several visitors arrive together. Record which elements are essential to the artwork and which can adapt to the host’s setting.
Questions for your project brief
Big Art Partners planning checklist
- BAP deliverable: an artist-reviewed visitor journey and interaction description.
Agree the evening schedule and daytime presence
The National Library of Australia presented Eleanor and Giovanni’s The Page Turner as an evening building projection for Enlighten 2026. It also displayed original puppets and production materials in its foyer during normal opening hours. [2]
BAP recommends agreeing show hours, technical preparation, daily checks and shutdown time with both the artist and venue. Visit during the intended operating hours to discuss ambient light, nearby uses and the viewing position. Plan how equipment and the site will appear during daylight. Ask the host how visitors will learn that a work is closed, delayed or temporarily unavailable. Treat interpretation, staffing and daily access as part of the operating plan.
Questions for your project brief
Big Art Partners planning checklist
- BAP deliverable: a daily operating schedule covering both public and technical activity.
Give each technical interface an owner
Studio Echelman’s record for Skies Painted with Unnumbered Sparks credits separate sculpture, interactive art, engineering, projection, lighting and network teams. Visitors could influence its lighting through gestures on mobile devices during the Vancouver installation. [3]
BAP recommends a responsibility map connecting the artwork system, site power, communications, mounting, weather response and audience management. Ask qualified project professionals to define the technical requirements and approvals for the actual venue. Obtain the artist’s current installation documentation before seeking comparable supplier quotations. Record the person who can authorize configuration changes, the support available during show hours and the information needed to diagnose a fault. Do not infer requirements from a photograph of a previous installation.
Questions for your project brief
Big Art Partners planning checklist
- BAP deliverable: a technical responsibility map and a confirmed information request.
Rehearse the work with the host team
BAP recommends a scheduled trial under expected display conditions, with the artist, technical lead and venue operator present. Walk the approach, viewing and exit routes with the access team. Discuss sensory information, interaction instructions, queue behavior and a way to experience the work without using a personal device where appropriate. Ask the relevant professionals to set operating limits and shutdown procedures. Test the agreed handover and fault-reporting process, including who communicates with visitors. Record what was observed, what needs adjustment and who must approve reopening after an interruption.
Questions for your project brief
Big Art Partners planning checklist
- BAP deliverable: a rehearsal record, operating instructions and an assigned fault-response route.
Plan removal and retain useful evidence
BAP recommends confirming removal access, receiving storage and the return destination before launch. Name who inventories components, records condition, packs equipment and restores the site. Agree which digital files the host should retain and which remain with the artist, including permissions for documentation and future publicity. After closing, review attendance observations, interruptions, visitor feedback and actual operating effort with the artist. Label estimates as estimates and avoid presenting a busy photograph as an attendance count. Use this record to decide whether another presentation is appropriate, subject to fresh availability and site confirmation.
Questions for your project brief
Big Art Partners planning checklist
- BAP deliverable: a removal schedule, component return record and event review.