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Interactive art is a piece of art intended for the spectator's direct participation (Turnerhouse, 2005). Interactive artists aim to positively encourage viewers to create their own narratives or associations with their interactive works (Rush, 1999, p.201). This can be achieved by letting observers walk in, on or around the art work (Art History Club, 2005). Other works include computers and sensors which respond to body reactions such as motion, or heat (Art History Club, 2005). Many pieces of Electronic art and Internet art are highly interactive. Some art works allow visitors to navigate through a hypertext environment online; some works are altered by textual or visual input from outside; and some allow the spectator to alter the course of a performance (Art History Club, 2005).
In the context of contemporary art, a distinction can be made between the terms 'participation' and 'interaction.' The term 'participation' refers to a relationship between a spectator and an already existing open-ended art work, where involvement is usually on both the contemplative and the behavioural level (Popper, 1993, p.8). The term 'interaction' however, refers to a more comprehensive involvement, where there is a two-way interplay between an individual and an artificial intelligence system (Popper, 1999, p.8).
Before the advent of new media technologies, the term 'interaction' was restricted to the interplay between the artist and the apparatus (Popper, 1993, p.8). Spectators had little or no relationship with the artist, and thus were not allowed the high level of agency and creative input that they have access to today (Popper, 1993, p.8).
In terms of the creation of agency, video games are at the forefront of the artistic exploration of interactivity (Art History Club, 2005). Formally, a video or computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a goal or a set of goals (Art History Club, 2005). Due to the commercial forces which shape their design and content, however, video games are sometimes considered to be a "lesser" form of interactive art (Art History Club, 2005).
Interactivity gives artists who are concerned with social issues the chance to involve users in very heightened ways (Rush, 1999, p.203). For example, Lynn Hershman-Neeson creates interactive artworks that address feminist issues in extremely direct ways (Rush, 1999, p.203). In her work, Room of One's Own: Slightly Behind the Scenes (1992) she created a 'peep show' in which the act of looking into her vertical installation set off a series of images related to the portrayal of women in the media (Rush, 1999, p.203).
Books
Popper, F. (1993) Art of the electronic age, New York: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0500279187
Rush, M. (1999) New Media in Late 20th-Century Art, New York: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0500203296
Web documents
Turnerhouse (2005) retrieved October 25, 2005 from http://www.ffotogallery.org/th-edu/glossary.htm
Art History Club (2005) Interactive Art, retrieved October 25, 2005 from http://www.arthistoryclub.com/art_history/Interactive_art
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