Choosing a location

An entrance or reception space

Near an entrance, the portrait can welcome visitors and become part of their first impression of the institution. Indoors, a lobby, library, reading room, or reception hall offers opportunities to view the work at close range.

Choose a position outside the main circulation route, with enough space to pause without obstructing doors, reception desks, or accessible paths. Consider views from both the approach and the surrounding room.

A garden or courtyard

A garden placement can give the sculpture a quieter setting, visible from a path, terrace, lawn, or gathering space. A simple backdrop of planting can help define the silhouette without competing with it.

A position farther from the entrance may be less visible on arrival but more closely connected with receptions or everyday use of the grounds. The choice depends on how people actually move through the site.

Viewing height and sightlines

Study the portrait from nearby and from the principal approach. Sloping ground can change the apparent height substantially: a base that reads well from a distant terrace may place the face too high for a visitor standing beside it.

The current concepts use a 110 cm indoor base with the 85 cm portrait, or a 120 cm exposed outdoor base with the 100 cm portrait. The sculpture’s clothing projects forward of the support. Final dimensions and the connection between sculpture and base are coordinated with the studio.

Lighting

Indoors, consider daylight from windows and the direction of existing lighting. Outdoors, assess whether nearby structures offer suitable mounting positions or whether separate landscape lighting is needed.

Lighting should reveal the face and modeled surface without glare for visitors. Power supply, maintenance access, and the surrounding nighttime environment should be considered with the installation team.

Landscape and installation

Before selecting an outdoor site, check ground levels, drainage, irrigation lines, tree roots, and access for transport and installation. Consider how hedges and trees will grow around the work and how grounds staff will reach the base.

The recipient constructs the base using studio guidance. Outdoor foundation, anchoring, and structural details require local engineering review. Share site photographs, approximate dimensions, and the main viewing directions with the studio to begin the discussion.