5 Art Installations That Inspire Connection

When I was still teaching, I looked for ways to help students think beyond the page or canvas. One powerful approach was to introduce them to installation art. Installation art surrounds the viewer, invites participation, and sometimes even transforms the way we see the world.

The Tate Modern describes installation art as “large-scale, mixed-media constructions, often designed for a specific place or for a temporary period of time.” In other words, it’s art that breaks out of the frame. Installations can be playful, overwhelming, emotional, or deeply thought-provoking. Students are often fascinated because these works flip their expectations of what art should be.

Here are a few examples that spark powerful conversations in the classroom:

​1. Teeter-Totter Wall (2019)

Photo by Luise Torres/AFP/Getty Images

​Bright pink seesaws were installed on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border wall, allowing children and adults to play together across the divide. Same steel that separates—reimagined as something that unites.
Classroom Application: After showing your students this installation, ask them to think about the artists’ choice of materials. The teeter-totters were made of steel—the very same material used to build the border fence. How does the material itself add to the meaning of the work? As Rael explained, “Steel can divide, or it can bring people together. Same material, different outcomes.”
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2. Giants, Kikito (2017)

French artist JR installed a massive image of a toddler peeking over the border fence. Before dismantling the piece, he hosted a picnic with one long table spanning both sides of the border, complete with shared food and music. The art became both image and event.
Classroom Application: When sharing images or videos of this installation, encourage students to consider how the artwork and the event worked together. We often think of art as a finished object—a painting, drawing, or sculpture. But in this case, JR not only created imagery on the border fence, he also organized an event that brought people together to interact and reflect. How can art be more than just a product? Installations like this can help students see new possibilities for what art can be.
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3. Repellent Fence (2015)

Photo by Michael Lundgren

Native American art collective Postcommodity created a two-mile line of balloons decorated with indigenous iconography across the U.S.–Mexico border. The piece reminded viewers of the deep cultural and historical connections that cross borders long before walls did.
Classroom Application: Consider leading a thoughtful discussion on cultural appropriation. The artists of Postcommodity are Native American, drawing on their own history and cultural issues in this work. Ask students: How can artists respectfully use symbols from the past to address current issues in their own lives?

4. Border Tuner (2019)

Photo by Briana Sanchez

Artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer used giant searchlights, microphones, and speakers to let people in El Paso and Juárez talk to each other across the night sky. Technology became the medium, but human connection was the art.
Classroom Application: Students may wonder about this artist’s choice of methods and materials, especially if they’re more familiar with traditional media. How does Lozano-Hemmer’s use of technology—searchlights, microphones, GPS, and custom software—compare to an artist using paint on canvas? This is a great opportunity to ask big questions: What is the purpose of art? Why do artists create? Guide students toward the idea that art often serves as expression or a response to one’s environment. Seen this way, Lozano-Hemmer’s Border Tuner becomes a powerful example of innovation.
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​5. The Playas de Tijuana Mural Project (2019) 

Lizbeth De la Cruz Santana installed QR codes on the border fence, linking visitors to stories of childhood arrivals and deportation. It’s a powerful reminder of how technology can give voice to lived experiences. Classroom Application: This mural shows how contemporary artists use technology to tell stories—here, through QR codes that link to digital narratives. Invite students to experience the work as if they were visiting it in Tijuana. Have them scan the codes to listen to, read, and watch the stories being shared.

​Conclusion

By sharing installations like these with your students, you may see them start to imagine art as more than objects. Art can be action, community, and sometimes even protest. The materials, the setting, and the interaction all become part of the meaning.

Essential questions to ask your students:

• How can art change the way we see the world?
• How can it change the world itself?

That’s the spark installation art can bring into the classroom. ​

​What are some of your favorite art installations to share with students?