Both of this week’s readings led me to consider interactive art’s relationship with previously understood notions of human interaction and the production of art.
The reading on physical computing led me to identify two forms of approaching human-centred interactive design. The first of which is the repurposing and reapplication of interactions that already exist in the ‘real world’. The two examples that caught my eye which fall under this category were the ‘drum gloves’ and ‘video mirrors’. To me, the latter elevates the universal, almost reflex-like desire to look at oneself in the mirror and creates space for a quite direct form of symbolism (i.e “seeing x in yourself”). The former effectively borrows ‘gestural language’ from the ‘real world’ act of tapping one’s hands to make a beat. Again, this is an example of a familiar act being elevated but introduces an element of learning which is not present in video mirrors. I feel that this point introduces a spectrum of effort required by the user to uphold their side of the ‘conversation’ upon which interactive designs must place themselves. In this case, if video mirrors are like conversation with a talkative person, drum gloves aer like trying to connect with an introvert (i.e it is possible, it’ll just take some time).
Conversely, the reading on making interactive art provided me with a new perspective on its place within the larger artistic space. Previously, I would attempt to receive interactive art in the same way that I would receive other forms of contemporary art. The point raised by the reading that the role of an interactive artist is not to present a complete narrative but to best prepare the user to experience the narrative provided an interesting perspective which I have accepted. With this in mind, it is not unfair to double-down on the notion that interactive art is not complete without the input of the user. Rather than present a complete story, the role of the interactive artist is to facilitate a conversation between the art itself and the user which, hopefully, leads to a meaningful interaction at the end.