Nowadays the popularity of interactive art is evidence and is still growing. Critics claim that interactive art is still in the stage of “infancy”, though the progress is powerful as more and more people are getting involved in this kind of art. Actually, interactive art is art form involving, in a certain way, a spectator. Interactive artists achieve such affect mostly by letting observers walk in to feel the atmosphere and to find out what is going around. Nevertheless, other possible ways of interactive art are computers and sensors as they are able to respond to motion and heat.
Nowadays, many pieces of electronic art and internet art are considered interactive, because it is possible to navigate them through hypertext environment. Moreover, observers are allowed to affect the flowing of performance and even to take part in events and actions. (Interactive Art 2006) It is necessary to outline that interactive art differs from electronic art, immersive art and generative art, because interactive art is like a dialogue between interactive piece and observer. The next difference is that spectator has the ability to act upon the piece and he is invited to participate.
It means that interactive piece of art is really “affordable” as it allows interaction, whereas generative art, for example, is simply a monologue being an artwork that changes in the presence of observer, but the observer isn’t allowed to be engaged in the interaction and, thus, he simply enjoy it. (Interactive Art 2006) Speaking about the creation of agency and interface design, it is necessary to admit that interactive artists promotes the exploration of interactivity meaning that they are adopters of new techniques and unique interface.
Interactive artists aim at obtaining alternative sensors, computer visions and voice analysis. They try to find new tools and methods for displaying relevant information such as, for example, mechatronic actuators, lasers, video projectors, etc. interactive art suggests new models of human-machine and human-human interactions and, furthermore, it provides an idea of new social contexts for interactive systems. Interactive art involves, but is not limited to, formal experiments, entertainment and games, political liberation and social critique, formal experiments, etc.
However, an interactive art isn’t limited to Internet and computer technologies. (Bullivant 2006) Interactive art relate also to theater art. For example, Fiona Templeton worked out a projected called Workshop that aims at audience interactions. She says that contemporary theatre should interact with the audience and, consequently, the audience should think of themselves as an “area of skill to be developed”. (Interactive Art 2006) Thus Templeton decided to promote audience participation in the theatric art.
She admits that audience’s participation mustn’t be surmised, it should be refined, complex and responsive. Fiona assumes: “The inclusion of the audience in the development of the work from the beginning, therefore, is, I hope, not only an opportunity to take part, but an opportunity to shape and have ownership of art experiences”. (Interactive Art 2006) Among other interactive artists it is necessary to admit Scot Snibbe who is an interactive media artist.
Snibbe’s idea is to work with projector-based interactivity, where “a computer-controlled projection onto the floor or ceiling changes in response to people moving across its surface”. (Interactive Art 2006) His famous interactive art piece is “Boundary Functions” awarded at Ars Electronica in 1998. This work is floor-projected interactive work of art involving computer technologies, camera and projector. The work aimed at forming a Voronoi diagram. According to the artists the work “shows that personal space, though we call it our own, is defined by others and changes without our control”.
(Interactive Art 2006) Finally, Shane Cooper is famous German interactive artist specializing in Internet. His works are famous for special affects and they were used in the following films: “The Lord of the Rings”, “King Kong”. Cooper’s themes are characterized by interactivity involving computer learning and viewers.
References Bullivant, Lucy. (2006). Responsive Environments: Architecture, Art and Design. London:Victoria and Albert Museum. Interactive Art: Archives. (2006, December 2006). Retrieved January 22, 2007.