Making Interactive Art: Set the Stage and then Shut Up and Listen

Man, I am so bad at that! I always want to start my presentations with an in depth explanation of all the bells and whistles of my projects. But it’s an important thing I need to learn; let the audience interact with the piece.

One thing that really stuck with me in this article was that yes, interactive art is still self expression, but it is more of a conversation than a statement. The art piece itself is the seeds of a conversation between artist and audience. It’s important to consider that the expression will come from the experience of interacting with the piece and as they interact, more of the expression will be revealed.

It’s also important to note that the expression will be added to, as part of the conversation, by the way the audience responds to and understands the experience they had with the installation. The artist should take the time to listen to how they are interacting and responding to such.

How will the audience create their own story with the piece? Are they meant to create their own story or uncover the artist’s?

How does the audience complete the work? Is it incomplete before? At what stage is the work complete?