ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Art installation

An art installation is like a big, fancy art project that artists create and put on display for people to see. It's not just a painting or a drawing, but something that you can walk through, touch, and experience in different ways.

Think of it like a big fort that you make with blankets and pillows. You might put some colorful lights inside, play music, and hang things up on the walls. Now imagine that instead of a fort, it's a big, fancy art project that artists have made with different materials like wood, fabric, metal, and more.

Some installations might be really big and take up a whole room, while others might be small and fit on a table. They might be made up of lots of different parts that all work together, or they might just be one big thing that you can walk around and explore.

People often go to see art installations at museums or galleries, but sometimes they're set up in public spaces, like parks or streets. The idea is to create something that gets people thinking and feeling something, whether it's happiness, wonder, confusion, or anything else. And through experiencing the installation, people can also learn more about the artists who created it and the message or idea that they're trying to convey.