Art as an Interactive Medium

The observer of art is always involved in it in some way. The very act of observing art and coming to your own conclusions about what it means is participatory – the conclusions you come to and the meanings you ascribe to any piece of art are going to be relevant and personal to your own experiences.

So, it makes sense that this idea can go further – into pieces of art that are interactive by nature. Art has a very loose definition, and that means that they can encompass a great many mediums, and while these might not always be formats that you’re used to, it’s worth seeing what they have to offer.

Interactive Exhibits

Art, as a definition, is expansive to the point where it can encompass anything. Many jokes have been made over the years about how you can leave a bucket and a mop in an art museum and it will be treated as one of the exhibits, but that joke also serves to illustrate the point. It’s not just that they can be included but that there is meaning to be found in anything – something that minimalist artworks look to expand upon.

This also means there is room for artists to get especially creative with their exhibits, and that might sometimes mean that audience participation is required in order to fully realize the piece. This might be a touch, or it could be something more intricate, such as helping to piece the exhibit together or activate it in some way.

Gaming as Art

It’s easy to point to the sheer variety of experiences offered by the gaming industry as proof of it not prioritizing artistry, but it could be argued that each and every game is an expression of art in one way or another – the multiplicity allowing for a breadth of expression, even when you think about online shooters or the games you might find through a casino en ligne France, made video games by their shift into the digital format.

There are, however, examples that people point to as being notable contenders as especially ‘artistic’ titles. This might include Kentucky Route Zero, Shadow of the Colossus, Planescape: Torment, or Dark Souls – titles where theme and intention are clearly unified with the gameplay to deliver an impactful experience.

Audience as Participant

You can even look at this idea in a less abstract manner than was done previously. With a typical theatre production, the audience participation is thought to be mainly restricted to the role of observer – but even that is more active than it seems at first. Many productions feature actors and characters directing their speech directly at the audience, even to the point where they are remarked upon as an entity. This is nothing new or groundbreaking either; this has been true since the writing of Shakespeare. It’s produced the ability for characters to express their thoughts and intentions even when keeping them to themselves and encourages the audience to think about the role they play beyond mere viewers.