Response: “Making Interactive Art: Set the Stage, Then Shut Up and Listen”

In interactive art, I feel like the artist plays the dual role of artist and curator. When creating an interactive piece, you’re also responsible for “setting the stage” and guiding the viewer’s movement–however, this is where the challenge lies because as the author suggests, you can’t dictate these movements and interactions too much. It can be difficult to draw the line between the interactive piece and the viewer when designing interactions. What components of an interactive piece should be dictated by the artist, and which ones should be a result of the interaction? How do you “set the stage” without guiding the viewer too much on how they should act within it? The author seems to claim that the artist is only responsible for creating the work, and the rest should be left to the viewer’s discoveries and senses. However, this can raise issues about the importance of interaction clarity as well (clarity of indicators, affordances, etc.). In creating an interactive piece, you have to let go of your own interpretations, objectives, and agendas. Instead, you should leave the interpretation to the viewer, as the meaning of the piece is not solely related to the “physical” product, but rather the reactions and conversations it attracts.

 

Leave a Reply