Asennuksissaan

Asennuksissaan is a Finnish phrase used in descriptive and critical writing to refer to something in the state created by installation. The word is formed from asennus (installation, setup) with the inessive ending -ssa and the possessive suffix -nsä, which marks ownership by the subject. Thus, asennuksissaan translates roughly to “in its installation” or “in their installations,” depending on the context. The form emphasizes the arrangement, presentation, or operational state produced by the installation rather than the bare object.

In practice, asennuksissaan is common in art criticism and exhibition catalogues, where it helps to discuss how a work is presented in a space. For example, a curator might note that teos asennuksissaan interacts with light and surrounding architecture, distinguishing it from a standalone sculpture. The phrase can also be used in technology or architecture to describe devices, systems, or facilities in their installed state, as opposed to their functional lab or unpacked condition.

Grammatically, asennuksissaan illustrates Finnish compounding and suffixation: asennus + inessive -ssa + possessive suffix -nsä. Related forms include asennuksessaan (in its installation) and others that shift the possessor or case to fit the sentence.

See also: Installation art, in situ, Finnish language morphology.