A flat picture only needs to hang correctly. A relief also needs to be lit correctly, or half the point disappears.
The first two parts of this apply to all wall art. The third applies only to things with depth.
The height
Work from the centre of the piece, not the top edge and definitely not the nail. A centre at around 145 centimetres above the floor is the measurement museums and galleries work to, because it corresponds to average standing eye level.
Calculate it like this: take half the height of the piece, add 145, and subtract the distance from the top edge down to the hanging point when the wire is taut. The result is where the nail goes.
If the piece hangs above furniture, 15 to 20 centimetres up from the top of the furniture applies instead. The rules sometimes conflict, and when they do the furniture wins. The eye reads the relationship between piece and sofa long before any abstract eye level.
Spacing between several
In a grouping the spacing matters more than the placement. Keep 5 to 8 centimetres between frames if the pieces are small, up to 10 if they are large. The same spacing everywhere.
Uneven spacing is what makes a wall look careless, far more than a piece hanging a centimetre off in height. Also keep a shared line: either the same centre height for all of them, or the same top edge. Pick one and hold it.
The light, and why 30 degrees does not apply here
For paintings and photographs behind glass there is an established rule of thumb: aim the lighting so that it strikes at about 30 degrees. It is called the museum angle and it is a compromise between avoiding reflections in the glass, avoiding glare for the viewer, and getting even light across the whole surface.
Even light across the whole surface is exactly what you do not want on a relief.
A terrain surface is only visible through its own shadows. If the light comes straight on, the shadows vanish and the relief flattens out into a white field. If it comes from the side or at a steep angle from above, every slope gets a light side and a dark side, and the shape emerges.
In practice that means three things:
Place the piece where the light comes from one direction. A wall at right angles to a window is nearly always better than the wall opposite it.
Use directional light, not diffuse. A spotlight or an angled ceiling light gives crisp shadows. A large soft source gives none at all.
Take the light lower than the museum angle. The more raking the light, the longer the shadows. With no glass there are no reflections to worry about, so the entire reason for the 30 degree rule disappears.
Why the piece looks different through the day
It is the only piece of interior decoration we know of that changes appearance with the sun. In the morning the shadows fall one way, in the afternoon another, and when it is overcast the whole relief goes softer.
Many people first read that as the lighting being wrong. It is not. It is the same thing that happens on a real mountain over a day, in miniature.
Last
Before you drill: tape up a piece of paper of the right size and leave it for a day. How to work out what size that paper should be is in the guide to choosing size.
All our pieces arrive fully assembled and ready to hang. See the whole range under all products.