In this graduate seminar, students will investigate the central
questions surrounding the notion of interactivity in our culture.
In particular, we will address the complex web of relationships
that evolve among artist, audience and environment in an interactive
art experience as well as the political, social, and cultural
implications of different models of interactivity.
Interactivity has become a ubiquitous and seductive buzzword
used to describe virtually any human gesture enacted through
a machine interface. However, deeper questions remain about
how we define and react to interactive art or art that responds
to particular types of stimuli. Are there aspects of performing
or enacting interaction itself that have artistic merit? Are
these aspects formal or functional components of a work of
art? What are the experiential differences between interactive
works presented in a gallery context and web-based art pieces,
where interaction is relegated to the pointing and clicking
of a mouse?
In the class, we will investigate our own relationship as
artists to the discourse of interactivity, and, in so doing,
we will discuss the ramifications of the digital age on our
lives. In addition, we will examine our relationship to interactive
works as an audience by examining the both the work and writing
of contemporary digital media artists and scientists. We will
also consider aspects of the professional practices of artists
involved with electronic media. |
instructor
| tiffany holmes | fall 2005 | mi-517 | wednesdays 5-8 pm