Usually we post photos of our finished professional art hanging projects. Today we have rare shots of the process as it’s unfolding. Here’s Jack working with this collection of Damien Hirst spot paintings. First, he lays out this salon style installation on the floor where he can work with the pieces like a jigsaw puzzle to find the most appealing arrangement. He’s paired up some similar pieces by spot size and frame size, and will place many pieces with an equal amount of space between frames to create consistency. Yet there are some pieces that defy these rules, proving that this installation is a work of art requiring a designer’s eye to make it sing.
(DIY pro tip: do try this at home. Laying out your pieces first allows you to play with different arrangements without damaging your walls.)
Next up, Jack carefully installs the pieces he’s prearranged. As you can imagine, this is much more difficult than it looks. There’s tremendous technical skill involved in transferring this design from the floor to the wall. This includes accurate measuring, drilling, and leveling to maintain the integrity of the design, plus handling the pieces properly as they go up on the wall.
Ta da, flash forward to the final gorgeous installation! Of the Spot paintings conception, Hirst explains: “To create that structure, to do those colours, and do nothing. I suddenly got what I wanted. It was just a way of pinning down the joy of colour.” And this arrangement pins down the joy of an art installation job well done.