Projection Art

Artists use projection to place moving images and light onto physical surfaces, allowing existing objects and environments to become part of an artwork. Across Creating New Spaces, Craig Walsh projects portraits onto trees so their forms become temporary public monuments, while Bego M. Santiago experiments with liquid screens that give projected images a fluid physical presence. Georgie Friedman and Yizhen Li also explore relationships between projected imagery, materials, and space. In these works, the projection and the surface combine to create an experience that could not exist on a conventional screen.

Projection can create immersive and site-specific experiences by changing how audiences perceive and move through a space. Artists consider the scale and position of projected imagery, the qualities of the projection surface, surrounding architecture or landscape, and the audience’s relationship to the work. Craig Walsh’s projections respond directly to particular trees and communities, while Georgie Friedman uses large-scale moving imagery to create immersive environments. Projection can therefore connect digital imagery with the physical characteristics and meaning of a particular place.

Creating projection art for outdoor and public spaces requires artists to work with both creative and practical conditions. The surface, viewing distance, ambient light, scale, equipment and characteristics of the site can all influence how the work is developed. Craig Walsh’s Monuments demonstrates how projection can be adapted to different trees, locations and communities, while Ariana Gerstein and Monteith McCollum explore the broader challenges of presenting media art in public spaces. These works show how projection art develops through a relationship between technology, site, content, and audience.