Vuokko harma

Interaction and Performativity in Digital Art Exhibitions
Vuokko Harma
University of Sussex
UK

Sociological inquiry
Sociology of art
Art production (Becker 1982)
Exhibiting (MacDonald 2002)
Experiencing arts (Heath & vom Lehm 2004)
Characteristics of art institutions
Thought provoking, encouraging for individual / subjective perception

Interactive digital art
’An art world is born when it brings together people who never cooperated before to produce art' (Becker 1982)
The development of the interactive art has shifted focus from object to process.

The visiting experience
Shared meaning of art museum and gallery
Socially and culturally determined rules and norms of the visit
Cultural competence of the visitors
Performing in front of the audience -the symbolic interactionist approach (Goffman 1959, Scott 2007)

Interaction in interactive exhibition?
The cultural and social transformation of museum space
From traditional object-centred to interactive visitor-focused
Changes in visiting experience
From passive stroll to active engagement
Different levels of interaction
With artwork (human-computer interaction)
With other visitors (humam-human interaction)

Methodology
Two case studies from interactive art exhibitions
Research questions:
What situations give rise to feelings of shyness about how individuals are being perceived and what data is being collected about them
How do gallery/museum visitors engage with exhibitions?
What are gallery/museum users’ understandings and experiences of shyness?
What do they experience as shyness triggers in the context of gallery/museum spaces?
Methods includes qualitative fieldnotes, observation, interviews with staff and visitors, focus group with artists, curators and museum/gallery staff.

Situationally emerging emotions
Rather than individuals being inherently shy or non-shy, shyness emerges situationally in the context of interaction (Scott 2007)
Shyness, embarrassment and intimidation requires interaction with other people.
' Feelings of shyness arise when one perceives oneself as relatively incompetent at interaction, and fears being exposed as a poor team player. If we anticipate that we will say or do ‘the wrong thing’ and face embarrassment, surely it makes perfect sense to defend oneself emotionally by remaining quiet and avoiding the spotlight of a frontstage performance' (2006:143, see also 2007:42).

Shyness and competence
Relative incompetence
The competent other
Different levels of competences
Cultural, social
Technological
Shyness as frustrated sociability

Conclusion
Transformation of museums and galleries
Changed role of the visitor
New levels of competences
Increased performativity and interactivity

Vuokko harma

by NODEM2 2010 on Nov 25, 2010

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

1 Embed 55

Statistics

Vuokko harma — Presentation Transcript