INSTALLATION ART AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ART FORMS: TECHNOLOGY AND INTERPRETATION OF TIME AND SPACE IN CONTEMPORARY ART

Abstract

This academic article aims to examine the evolution of installation art as a three-dimensional, site-specific practice situated within gallery or public spaces, as well as the role of technology in shaping its transformation within Thai society and broader Asian contexts. The study analyzes key works by Thai and Asian artists from the late twentieth century to the contemporary digital era in order to elucidate how technology has influenced changes in form, conceptual frameworks, and audience perception. It further poses the question of how contemporary technologies affect creative practices and the perception of installation art in Thai and Southeast Asian contexts, reflecting an interest in the relationships among art, media, and sociocultural conditions in the digital age. The research focuses on the transition from traditional artistic practices to technology-based forms, such as virtual reality (VR) and immaterial or dematerialized art, which foster deeper participatory experiences between artists and audiences. Technological developments have contributed to a paradigm shift in installation art, moving from purely physical spaces toward digitally mediated interactive environments. In Thai and Asian contexts, technology functions not only as a creative tool but also as a medium intertwined with social, religious, political, and local identity issues-for example, through the use of digital media to reflect shared historical experiences or to critique structures of power. The findings indicate that technology not only transforms modes of artistic presentation but also reshapes interpretation and the relationships between time and space, resonating with Buddhist concepts of contemplative awareness, while enabling more diverse forms of audience interaction. In this regard, technologically mediated installation art emerges as a key mechanism driving contemporary art and reflecting the conditions of society in the digital age.