Morse's article "Video Installation Art" discusses the basic aspects behind creating an installation piece. She mentions that most Installation art requires a space which is hollowed out before setting up the actual work. She also compares video installation to other types of media within the visual art realm such as a drawing or a painting. One mentionable difference between these types of media is that installation video is defined by its space and this space is supposed to give meaning to the work or add meaning to the work within the piece. Paintings, on the other hand, can be moved from gallery to gallery, or even museum to museum, in other words, paintings and drawings are easier to sell as a commodity because they can become mobile. Video Installations also become harder to archive. Granted there are many ways to record a video installation through other mediums such as drawings, word of mouth, written description, or even a video that documents the installation. However, Morse is arguing that the actual, physical, tangible space that the installation occupies becomes just as much a part of the art, if not more than the rest of the piece.
Installation art is special because the frame of the work becomes the actual walls of the place it is projected in. The viewer also becomes the artist and in some way, part of the work because they are watching a performance they are in some way a performer within the piece. This also separates the video installation from other types of media. Because installations are often not commodifable, artists will need to get a commercial sponsor to supply the location for the work. Often these sponsors are a corporation or even a museum that has a large enough area to provide space for the installation. Having a work of art that is not commodifable is not necessarily a good thing or a bad thing but it is often more difficult to sell than a painting or a drawing.
Morse also makes the statement that installations are often similar to a film or a movie you would see in a theater in the fact that they immobilize the viewer and create an environment where a screen is so big that they can make the viewer feel as if they are in the actual environment projected on the screen. The benefit to this is that it draws the viewer into the artist's projection allowing them to project a particular feeling and narrative on to the viewer without the dangers of actually being in that place. For example the artist can present horror or adventure to their audience through this projection and the immobilized audience can safely experience the intended narrative through a particular space which can be far far away from what is captured on screen. This is important because it makes it possible for video to be commodified on a mainstream scale as well as capture the emotions and experiences the artist intended to project to the world.
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