Interactive Art in the Culture of Participation

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Abstract

This paper highlights the concept of participation from two perspectives, that is cultural engagement, which shall serve as an initial and conceptual background, and the proper analysis drawing on the phenomenon of participation in the interactive art which has emerged from the New Media Art. The former aspect needs attention because of the still increasing importance of interactive technology, predominantly for the purposes of the Web users and their Web mediated participation practices. However, the Author would like to ponder over the importance of participation in the era of electronic media which is seen as a meaningful feature of the mechanisms of modern culture. The latter aspect of the analysis refers to the issue of reception of interactive art. This paper aims to reflect on how this area of communication between the artist and the viewer is essentially different in contrast with the so called proscenic art, because it involves a new and very interesting phenomenon of interference of the recipient in the work of art and, consequently, allowing them to become a part of it. Some modern artworks shall serve as examples for my studies, e.g. an interactive 3D installation and Post-Internet Art works.