Museums & Galleries
Briefing an AV Company for an Artist Commission
What a production company needs to know before they can quote on an artist commission, how to communicate a technical vision that may not yet be fully resolved, and how to manage the relationship between artist, curator, and supplier.
AV company artist commission exhibition
01
Why artist commission briefs are different
A corporate event brief describes a format, a room, a number of guests, and a date. A production company can quote from that with reasonable confidence. An artist commission brief describes an intention, a set of ideas, and a desired experience. The technical specification often does not exist yet. The production company is asked to help translate an artistic vision into a technical and physical reality they have never seen before.
This is not a problem. It is actually the work, and a production company with experience in cultural commissions will understand that. The brief does not need to be technically resolved to be useful. It needs to be honest about what is known, what is not known, and what decisions are still being made.
A production company that gets a vague brief will price in the uncertainty. A production company that gets a clear brief, even if the work itself is experimental, can price the knowable parts precisely and flag only the genuine unknowns.
02
What the brief should cover
The space
Physical constraints and access
Floor plans, ceiling heights, rigging points, power supply locations, existing fixtures that cannot move. If there is a heritage or conservation constraint on fixing to walls or ceiling, state it here.
The work
What the artist wants visitors to experience
Describe the desired experience first, then the technical elements as far as they are known. A written description from the artist, or a reference works document, is more useful than a half-formed technical specification.
The timeline
Install, run, and derig dates
The install window, the first day the work must be operational, the end of the exhibition run, and the derig window. If any of these dates are hard, say so. If any are flexible, say that too.
The relationship
Who is involved and who decides what
Name the artist's contact, the curator, the technical lead at the institution, and who has final sign-off on the technical solution. Ambiguity about decision-making creates expensive delays during install.
03
Reference material that helps
- ✓Previous works documentation — If the artist has made technically similar work before, installation photos, technical riders, or any existing documentation from that installation will help a production company understand the approach faster than a verbal description.
- ✓Artist references — Works by other artists that the commission is in conversation with, even if only in feel or ambition, help a production company calibrate what quality of technical resolution the work demands.
- ✓Floor plans and existing survey data — If the institution has already undertaken a measured survey of the space, share it. A production company that has to wait for survey data before they can begin technical design is a production company whose timeline has already started slipping.
04
Managing the relationship through production
- ✓Appoint a single technical point of contact — The production company should not be taking direction from artist, curator, and technical manager separately. One person at the institution has authority to make technical decisions. If that person is the artist, say so. If it is the curator, say so. Divided direction during install is the most common cause of cost overruns on cultural commissions.
- ✓Agree a change control process — Artist commissions change. A production company that is experienced in this sector will expect it. Agree at the outset what the process is for changes that affect cost or timeline: written request, sign-off, revised quote or amended programme if needed. Not to constrain the artist, but to make sure neither party is surprised.
- ✓Manage artist access during install — If the artist will be present during installation, agree in advance what access they have and at what points decisions can still be adjusted. Unmanaged artist access during a live technical install can significantly disrupt sequencing and add cost.