Tutorial: make a DIY art installation | How About Orange

July 11, 2013

Tutorial: make a DIY art installation


If you're tired of the accessories and artwork in your home, why not transform them into a sculptural art installation? This simple project will refresh the look of any room. Flat planes and geometric shapes echo your room's architecture, while carefully selected found objects add visual interest.

Materials needed:
An apartment full of stuff
Empty boxes
Packing tape

Instructions:
Place your belongings in boxes and seal each with tape. Stack the boxes in piles, varying the height of each column to create visual rhythm. Add a few focal points to draw the eye. Here, I've added a green suitcase to break up the field of beige. I pulled in a few additional elements— plastic tubs and artwork— to complete the composition.

This is a simple, low-cost project any home owner can execute, and the result is a dramatic transformation. Fabulous!

40 comments:

Melanie said...

Heh. I have a similar installation coming up next year. There are already plans to showcase it in an additional location as well.
These will be time limited displays, eventually dismantled in the second location. The dismantling will take years, changing from month to month until there is nothing of the sculpture left.
This promises to be an amazing showcase and commentary on our ever changing consumer society.

;)

Grandma G said...

Haha! Tired of packing, are ya? ;)

Wish I could help....

Love,
Mum

P.S. Looks like you're doing a nice, neat job. :)

Cindy deRosier said...

My all-time favorite post of yours.

Krista (A Bite Abroad) said...

Hilarious!

We're moving into our very first home next month, and have a similar installation in the works in our dining room as we speak! ;)

Good luck with everything!

Anonymous said...

Too funny!

Anonymous said...

Very funny!

Jessica Jones said...

Melanie, what a coincidence! I, too, plan to recreate this installation next week in a new location. That's the beauty of these modular sculptures— they're easy to dismantle, transport, reinstall, and reimagine.

Krista, great minds think alike.

annie dee said...

this always works well at the other "end" (in the new place). you can then designate it as a "traveling exhibit" with (hopefully) a limited engagement.
keep your chin up! you're doing great!!

Windsor Grace said...

I'm doing something similar right now at my house! Also, see piling things together so they look a garage sale pile

Kim said...

Haha, too funny! Temporary art installation, I hope!

Anonymous said...

Ha...my home office looks like that right now! Glad to hear I'm not the only one experimenting with "installation art!"

Susan@Organized31 said...

ha, ha, ha, (now crying). This is what my entire house currently looks like!

Jessica Jones said...

Excellent! Your home is truly a showpiece. You could charge admission.

Lisa E said...

Love it! Good luck on your move.

kansasgirl1 said...

Love how you've used your orange wall as the "grounding" element for your new artwork! Love!

nylonliving said...

LOL. I like the sculptural balanced element.

Kristin said...

Fabulous! I love the idea so mch, I have room after room of it. I am now slowly improving into my postmodernist phase and deconstructing my installation. Hopefully I can achieve a pleasingly minimalist aesthetic eventually.

Jessica Jones said...

All artists evolve.

Celebrate Green said...

Love it! I have an art piece made from packaging material that a chair came wrapped in. It's kraft paper with holes in it, looks like a snake skin. My husband thought I was nuts to put it on the wall, but it makes me smile and people seem to love it when they see it.

Michellem said...

Funny! Way to go turning lemons into lemonade!

Naturally Carol said...

He he!!!!

jintyoo7 said...

Funny!!

Annie said...

If you're feeling especially creative, throw in some assorted shoe boxes and other unconventional containers. Colorful and a dash of shabby chic! Also, constructing your installation such that it obstructs doors and walkways is sure to act as a conversation starter on the nature of the obstructive nature of too much "stuff" in our lives.

Jessica Jones said...

Those are some great tips, Annie. Thanks!

RevAnne said...

:)
I have done similar work, too. It's a work in progress, progressing toward minimalism as the box/tub elements are removed, and plans are to take that minimalist space and add elements such as wall art and furniture to gradually warm the space. We're calling it "home".Good luck on your move!

Lora said...

haha this cracked me up! Good luck on the move!

Bobbi said...

Hilarious:) We've been discussing a possible move, but the idea of packing makes us just change the subject quickly!

Seward Alaska Fishing said...

This is great! I think I might try your DIY art installation on my girls' room!

Meri said...

Fabulous...however I see no trace of your signature color...what's up with that? Perhaps a little colored packing tape is in order!
(I hope I was not the only one that actually was scanning for how the "artwork" was going to be arranged!) Too funny!

Jessica Jones said...

Unfortunately the Uhaul store did not have orange packing tape so I had to make do without. Tragic.

Beky said...

Funny and clever.
I really liked how you placed that plastic storage box, it reflects the light so well from the window. :-)

Amanda said...

After moving last month, I have three of those installations. My favorite is the one that showcases the vacuum ;)

Auntie Kris said...

Seriously funny, Jess! Hope your upcoming move goes well. We'll be thinking of you here in MN.

Jessica Jones said...

Thank you!!! XOXOXOX

Anonymous said...

I currently have a very similar installation on the go in my place. I like to pretend I'm building a box fort.

Unknown said...

I had to read the comments just to see if this was for real! lol. Seriously funny...when bloggers go batty lol.

Juliet W said...

You are hilarious.
I currently have a similar piece installed in a warehouse. Other "artists" are displaying too, all of us in our own 5 x 5 and 10 x 15 enclosed galleries.

Jessica Jones said...

Well, that sounds beautiful.

Hung said...

Fantastic!

Paul said...

It would be nice to have something like that, but I prefer to buy :)