In a sense, all art is interactive. The typical definition given to «interactive» is one that we have discussed in previous readings. As Chris Crawford had mentioned in «The Art of Interactive Design», he believes that interactive art is interactive when and only when both entities listen, think, and speak. Similarly, this is what the author of Making Interactive Art: Set the Stage, Then Shut Up and Listen» points to. The key here is to create a conversation, a dialogue between the artist and the viewer. When the artist over-interprets their own work, they force the viewer to listen and think in a certain way, without letting them speak.
In philosophy of art, what makes art different from other, technical, disciplines is that the process is part of the art. There are no pre-imposed rules to create art – the artist just creates as they go. This is where the place of the spectator is important. When there are no rules imposed, it means that the final result is never determined in advance. In that case, the whole process of creating an artwork becomes the artwork. The result becomes influenced by the interaction with the audience. And, even if there isn’t a visual shift after the audience’s reaction, it is the act of listening to your audience and letting them think and speak for themselves that conceptually alters the course of the artwork.