DEFINITION
An
explanation of the way a work is meant to be seen or has been
displayed.
SUBCATEGORIES
GENERAL
DISCUSSION
The orientation
or arrangement of the work may be important to understanding
its meaning and context. Current arrangements, as well as
intended or former arrangements, may be noted.
In certain cases, particularly with abstract or nonrepresentational
works, it is difficult to know how the artist intended the
work to be oriented or arranged unless this is explained.
Opinions about the arrangement of a work may vary, or a work
may have been assembled indifferent ways for different installations.
Each variation should be described separately.
Specificity
A
precise description of arrangement and orientation enables
the researcher to visualize the object and aids in the understanding
of its composition and subject matter. For complex multi-part
works, arrangement and orientation may be known for each of
the parts, for example for contemporary installations in the
so-called "stations format." Multi-part works are often quite
complex in their physical composition: a description of their
arrangement and orientation makes it possible to understand
how the parts relate to each other and ensures that the work
will be seen in the appropriate sequence. For single-part
works, noting orientation ensures that the work will be installed
appropriately.
A
full statement of the arrangement of a work is critical for
installations and other large works, which are often stored
in parts. This enables an accurate reconstruction of the work
when it is exhibited again. Information about orientation
and arrangement can be used to connect works of art with similar
orientations, such as all hanging scrolls or all paintings
of a particular type that had a horizontal orientation. In
addition, information about the arrangement of objects in
reference to one another is of interest, whether as parts
of a whole, as in the arrangement of the Elgin Marbles,
or as works arranged together in a particular context (e.g.,
the juxtaposition of sculptures by three generations of Calders
on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia).
Sources
The
source for the arrangement of a work of art may be the artist
him- or herself. Other sources may include visual documentation
of the work in situ, or descriptions of the work when
it was exhibited. There may also be information carried within
the work itself, such as the place-numbers assigned to works
within a portfolio, which indicate their sequence. Orientation
and arrangement may also be derived from a direct examination
of the work itself.
RELATED
CATEGORIES and ACCESS
For archival arrangements, instead use DESCRIPTIVE NOTE - ARRANGEMENT DESCRIPTION.
The
parts of the work of art or architecture should be recorded
in OBJECT/WORK - COMPONENTS. Part/whole relationships are
further articulated in RELATED WORKS. Information regarding
the work's dimensions and format should be recorded in MEASUREMENTS.
Any inscriptions on the work that provide information regarding
its arrangement should be transcribed or described in INSCRIPTIONS/MARKS.
A work may be arranged differently when it is installed in
various locations. A work's exhibition history is provided
in EXHIBITION/LOAN HISTORY. An arrangement or orientation
may be related to a work in a particular context. This should
be recorded in CONTEXT- ARCHITECTURAL. Visual images that
provide information about the work of art should be cited
in RELATED VISUAL DOCUMENTATION.
12.1. Orientation/Arrangement
Description
DEFINITION
A
description of the way the work of art is meant to be seen
or has been displayed.
EXAMPLES
-
hung horizontally
- Three projection screens form three walls and a two-way mirror
forms the fourth wall of an enclosed space, using 3 channel-video projection
and two folding chairs set up in the center of the room facing the mirror
- The polyptych was formerly arranged differently. In
the upper tier, an earlier reconstruction placed Mary Magdalene
on the outside left and St. Catherine on the outside right
(while they are currently in reverse positions). In the
lower tier, the earlier reconstruction placed St. Bartholomew
to the left of the central St. James Major, and St. John
the Evangelist to the right of James (while the current
reconstruction has swapped the positions of Bartholomew
and John) [Figure
2]
-
"the miniature Nude Descending a Staircase was painted for Carrie's
dollhouse, where it hangs today, between the ballroom's great Renaissance
fireplace and its silver-and-ivory grand piano." [1]
-
Chandelier is suspended from rosette in the center of the ceiling; glass
bowl at bottom of piece was designed to hold goldfish [Figure
4]
-
Terrestrial and Celestial Globes stand on corners of the carpet, on
either side of a double-form desk [Figure
3 and Figure 10]
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record an explanation of how the
work is meant to be displayed, or has been displayed in the
past.
Form and syntax
For short entries, use phrases in lower case. Capitalize proper
names. For other words, use lower case. Avoid abbreviations.
Provide directional descriptions for architecture, sculpture,
and other three dimensional objects (e.g., for a building,
view from the east, or for a portrait bust, left
profile). Do not capitalize cardinal directions (east,
west, etc.) Note special lighting conditions (e.g., raking
light).
For longer statements, use sentence case and complete sentences
or phrases.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free text: This is not a controlled
field. Index the subject in INDEXING TERMS.
Describe the placement, construction, or reconstruction of
the work, including the the intended arrangement of a multi-part
display or installation, the sequence of works within a series,
or the arrangement of pages within an album. If available,
a diagrammatic indication or drawing of how a work in several
parts should be arranged may be cited in CITATIONS.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Maintain consistent capitalization, punctuation, and syntax
where possible.
12.2. Orientation Indexing Terms
DEFINITION
Terms indexing the orientation or arrangement of the work
EXAMPLES
- vertical
- horizontal
- hanging
- open
- closed
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: Use controlled vocabulary to index how the work is meant
to be displayed, or has been displayed in the past. Use lower
case.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled list: Control this subcategory with
a controlled list: vertical, horizontal, hanging, prone,
open, closed, etc.
12.3. Remarks
DEFINITION
Additional notes or comments pertinent to information in
this category..
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record a note regarding the orientation
or arrangement of the work. Use consistent syntax and format.
For rules regarding writing notes, see DESCRIPTIVE NOTE.
FORMAT/TERMINOLOGY
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Use consistent syntax and format.
12.4. Citations
DEFINITION
A reference to a bibliographic source, unpublished document,
or individual opinion that provides the basis for the information
recorded in this category.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the source used for image.
For a full set of rules for CITATIONS, see RELATED TEXTUAL
REFERENCES - CITATIONS.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Authority: Ideally, this information is controlled
by citations in the citations authority; see RELATED TEXTUAL
REFERENCES.
12.4.1. Page
DEFINITION
Page number, volume, date accessed for Web sites, and any
other information indicating where in the source the information
was found.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: For a full set of rules for PAGE,
see RELATED TEXTUAL REFERENCES - CITATIONS - PAGE.
FORMAT/TERMINOLOGY
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Use consistent syntax and format.
EXAMPLES
Orientation/Arrangement Description: Screen
should be placed on the pedestal in an open position.
Indexing Terms: open
[when a description is not necessary]
Orientation/Arrangement Indexing Term: horizontal
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