Sculpture Studio Spring 2010

Project 2: Kinetics and Interactivity
ANALYSIS

 

Traditionally, art is meant to be looked at, and never touched. In galleries and museums, paintings are hung on the wall and sculptures are roped off. The purpose of this type of art is to evoke the gaze of the viewer, but nothing else. The other senses (hearing, touch, smell, taste) are not considered in traditional art. Michelangelo’s David is displayed in such a way that one couldn’t touch it if one wanted to. Aside from there being museum guards that reprimand you for getting too close, the David is displayed so far above eyelevel that you can’t reach it. Can you really connect with art if only one of your five senses is involved and an alarm goes off every time you get too close?

With interactive art, especially interactive sculpture, artists strive to involve the senses. Their goal is to directly engage the audience, and thus, interact with the viewer. In this case, the viewer becomes a participant or a direct contributor to the piece; they are the missing link in the work of art. The first step to inviting a viewer to become a participant is creating art that appears touchable. Artists can do this by giving the viewer familiar, mundane objects such as a bed or a bicycle that they are accustomed to interacting with. Mowry Baden uses these elements in his works (I Can See the Whole Room, and Hudson Street Tomato) to achieve a great deal of interaction with the viewer. Another method of achieving interaction is to form a relationship or trust with the audience. Vito Acconci, a performance artist, confronts the audience in such a way that they become a part of the piece. For instance, in his 1969 work, Following Piece, Acconci photographed himself following random strangers. Another method artists have used to involve the viewer is to form a community around the art. The children in this group are called the K.O.S. (Kids of Survival). Through creating a collaborative community, Rollins promotes social interaction, physical interaction, and political interaction. In doing so, the audience is able to further connect with his art and attain a higher level of connection with the artist.

 

Following Piece (1969)