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Name: Vuokko HarmaAffiliation: University of SussexAddress: Department of Sociology, Friston uilding, rig!ton, U", N# $SN%mail: v!&'(sussex)ac)uk *o+ile: -- . / '0#& 1$-$$

Interaction and Performativity in Digital Art Exhibitions

Abstract

2!e interactive element of a museum or gallery visit !as t!e potential to create a truly deep andenduring experience) 2!e visitor is no longer seen as passive stroller +ut actively engaging

participant 3!ose interaction contri+utes to t!e art3ork itself) 2ec!nologically mediated art3orks

are increasingly popular in contemporary art ex!i+itions) Despite +eing positive visiting experience

interactivity can also cause feelings of self4consciousness or s!yness t!at potentially distracts t!e

visitor from t!e art3ork) Digital tec!nology is used in ex!i+itions to offers complex and often

passively captured forms of interaction, e)g) t!roug! sensors t!at monitor movements or ot!er

em+odied activities) 2!is raises concerns a+out perceived privacy and accessi+ility to art as 3ell as

visitors perception of art) Sociological perspective offers a ne3 3ay of seeing t!e interactive art

ex!i+itions from t!e visitors5 perspective) Dra3ing on researc! carried out in t!e U", t!is paper

aims to contri+ute to t!e resolution of t!e follo3ing tension: on t!e one !and a positive visiting

experience t!roug! interaction, and on t!e ot!er feelings self4conscious and s!yness induced +y

performative dilemma)

Key Words : 6nteraction, 7ervasive 2ec!nology, 8ultural 6nstitutions, Sym+olic 6nteractionism

Sociologists interests to3ards art !as focused on t!e socially organised settings in 3!ic! art is

produced . ecker #$09/ and ex!i+ited .*acDonald 9 9/ as 3ell as experienced +y t!e visitors

.Heat! vom ;e!n 9 -:-&/) 8ontemporary museums and galleries !ave +ecome increasingly

concerned 3it! promoting pu+lic engagement t!roug! t!e consumption of interactive installations,

as opposed to t!e traditional !ousing of static curiosities and aut!entic pieces) Artists and designers

are utili


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=ne3 media art=, =digital art= and so on, and in ot!er contexts interactive art is understood as non4

tec!nological !ands4on art3ork) 6n t!is paper t!e term =interactive art= is used to descri+e computer4

+ased art3orks unless ot!er3ise mentioned) Visitor4centered design !as +een seen as one of t!e

3ays to attract visitors to museums .*c;ean #$$&/) *useum staff, ex!i+ition designers and

curators are under pressure to create attractive ex!i+itions t!at encourage visitor participation andevoke emotional and +e!avioral responses) 2!us t!e manufacturing of experiences !as +ecome a

key issue in t!e design process, 3it! digital tec!nologies playing an increasing role in rendering

art3orks accessi+le to all) Ho3ever, interactive art re>uires a level of exploratory participatory

visitor engagement 3it! ne3 tec!nologies t!at can leave individuals feeling s!y and !indered from

taking part)

*useums and galleries !ave traditionally +een seen as locations of =!ig!= culture .?illiams #$10/,

3!ose visual and textual contents and spatial arrangements signify sop!istication) ourdieu and

Dar+el=s classic study of %uropean museums .#$@$/ notes t!at t!e certain visitor groups may feel

t!at t!ey lack t!e cultural capital .kno3ledge, skills and experience/ needed to perceive and

experience arts in =correct 3ays=) ourdieu suggests t!at t!e correct5 perception of art3orks is a

matter of cultural competence, ac>uired t!roug! socialiuires cultural competence to interact 3it! tec!nologically mediated art3ork) 2!e visitor4focused

approac!es are resulting t!at t!e visitors are re>uired to adopt t!e interc!angea+le roles as

experience creator as 3ell as t!e experiencer) 2!e visit to t!e interactive ex!i+ition is created for t!e

user 3!o utiliuipped 3it! relevant cultural and

social capital in order to feel competent to interact . ourdieu Dar+el #$@$/) 2!e expectation of

competence and 3illingness to engage in tec!nological as 3ell as artistic interactive environment

can create a performative dilemma amongst t!e visitors)

2!e c!anged element of engagement is particularly evident in interactive ex!i+itions and t!e visitor

is expected to partake 3it! t!e art3ork) 2!e visitor5s response to t!e ex!i+its forms a part of its9


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communicative po3er and creates t!e meaningful experiences for t!e visitor) 2!e art3orks and

installations on display in ex!i+ition areas are seen as incomplete 3it!out t!e agency of t!e visitor,

3!ose active engagement +rings t!e art3ork =alive=) 2!e interactivity pressures t!e visitors to t!e

ne3 performative actions as t!ey engage 3it! suc! ex!i+its) 6ronically, interactive art3ork

o+Cectifies t!e visitor +y forcing t!em to +ecome part of t!e art3ork, a spectacle to look at and a possession of t!e artist) 2!e visitors5 interaction +ecomes a performance t!at is o+served +y ot!er

passing visitors and staff 3!ic! may leave t!em feeling !indered or evaluated) 2!is could +ring in

t!e concerns a+out misunderstanding t!e intended meanings of t!e art3ork and feelings of lacking

t!e cultural competence) Digital tec!nology transforms t!e norms as t!e visitor is present in t!e

ex!i+ition area t!roug! sensors and !is or !er performance could +e tracked or even displayed 3it!

art3orks) 2!e positive museum experience arises from successful interaction 3it! art3ork and

fello3 visitors i)e) feelings of competence) Dra3ing from social t!eory of sym+olic interactionismit can +e said t!at t!e situationally emerging emotions are interconnected 3it! increased

performativity instead of experiencing or perceiving arts t!e visitors are o+serving t!eir o3n and

t!e fello3 visitors5 performances) 2!e performative turn in museum visit 3ill c!ange t!e 3ay of

!o3 t!e visitors perceive and experiencing arts)

2!e t!eory of Sym+olic 6nteractionism !ave +een central to t!is 3ork conceptualiuipped art environment as a social encounter 3!ose meaning is

negotiated +et3een t!e actors .Den


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t!e feelings of relative incompetence)

2!e data for t!is researc! 3as collected in colla+oration 3it! Dr) Susie Scott and Dr) 2amsin

Hinton4Smit!, sociologists from t!e University of Sussex, as part of t!e ?6N%S&4proCect called

=Supporting S!y Users in 7ervasive 8omputing=) ?e examined t3o contrasting case studiesFa+rica, a small local contemporary art gallery in rig!ton t!at !osted 2ina Eonsalves5 8!ameleon,

a multimedia art3ork ex!i+ition 3!ic! utiliualitative o+servational field notes, visitor tracking maps, self4completion visitor

>uestionnaires, emotion maps, and visitor intervie3s conducted face4to4face, +y email and +y

telep!one) ?e also conducted 3alkaround intervie3s5, a mo+ile met!odology .Boss et al 9 $/

t!at involved t!e researc!er accompanying a participant as t!ey moved around t!e gallery and

recording live5 t!eir responses to ex!i+its)

2!e researc! dra3n upon t!is paper reveals t!at t!e common response to t!e pu+lic engagement

3it! digital interactive tec!nology in ex!i+ition area is aloof and reserved) 2!e visitors avoided or

approac!ed interactive ex!i+its 3it! caution, and many reported feelings of uncertainty and fear of

unexpected event, and t!erefore preferred to look aside 3!ile ot!ers5 3ere interacting) 2!is !ad

+ot! practical and emotional implications, as it prevented t!e visitors from interacting fully 3it! t!e

art3orks +y creating additional demands upon t!eir o3n performance) 2!e visitors also 3anted to

kno3 in advanced 3!at 3as going to !appen in t!e interaction, and t!ey re>uested more

information from t!e staff mem+ers or reading carefully t!e information provided) Some of t!e

visitors stated t!at t!ey 3anted to look at ot!er people interacting +efore t!ey give it a go5, to avoid

em+arrassment of doing it 3rong5) 2!is scenario signifies people feeling incompetence in

comparison to ot!er visitors) As Scott .9 '/ states incompetent ot!er refers to t!e audience around

t!e social situation, and s!yness is triggered +y t!e frustrated socia+ility, t!e 3illingness and desire

to participate +ut lacking t!e competence to do so) 2!ese examples also dra3s +ack to ourdieu and

Dar+el and t!ese notions are signifying t!at in pu+lic perception t!ere is still an idea of correct

3ay5 to participate and interact 3it! art3ork) 2!e tec!nological incompetence 3as also reported as

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+eing one of t!e factors t!at made t!e visitors feeling !indered to take part) Several respondents

reported feelings of em+arrassment, fear, s!yness and anxiety 3!ic! can +e la+eled as social

emotions .see more: Hoc!sc!ild #$0&, endelo3 ?illiams #$$0,/ or =self4conscious emotions=

.2angney Fisc!er #$$1/ t!at occur 3!en people reflect upon t!eir o3n +e!avior or status in

social interaction)

2!is paper !ave indended to !ig!lig!t t!e importance of recognising t!e effects of social intearction

and performativity in ex!i+ition design process) 2!e interaction 3it! individual and t!e art3ork is a

complex process 3it! multi+le varia+les 3!at can potentially distract t!e visitors5 artistic

experience) 2o summarise, active engagement in interactive ex!i+ition re>uires !ig! levels of

performativity from t!e visitors and t!is can trigger or evoke social emotions 3!ic! are connected

to individual competence gained +y !is or !er social capital and t!e interaction 3it! surroundingaudience) %x!i+ition design 3it! interactive art3orks re>uires profound understanding of t!e social

setting, roles and interaction in pu+lic space) 6n accepting t!at t!e visitors experience is affected +y

fello3 visitors as 3ell as t!e tec!nological devices allo3s t!e design process to manufacture

experiences t!at are less of an s!yness or em+arrassment striken and more of enduring and exciting)

References

Bagnall, Gaynor 9 ') 7erformance and performativity at Heritage Sites) 6n Smit!, ; .ed)/Cultural Heritage: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies , .pp&@1 0@/) ;ondon:Boutledge)

Bannon, iam, !teve Benford, Bo"ers, #ohn, $hristian %eath .9 1/ Hy+rid Design 8reates6nnovative *useum %xperience in Communications of ACM vol)-.&/

Bec&er, %o"ard' .#$0&/ Art Worlds. University of 8alifornia 7ress: erkeley)

Ben(amin, Walter #$0&) Charles Baudelaire: A lyric Poet in the ra of High Capitalism , trans)+yH Go!n, ;ondon: Ne3 ;eft ooks .Verso/

Bo)rdie), Pierre' * Darbel, A' .#$$#/ !he "ove of Art # uropean Art Museums and their Pu$lic%8am+ridge: 7olity 7ress

Bo)rdie), Pierre .#$0-/ &istiction% ;ondon, *el+ourne and Henley: Boutledge and "egan

Den+in, 'K' .#$' / !he 'esearch Act in Sociology ) 8!icago: Aldine)

-al&, #ohn * ynn, Dier&ing #$$') !he Museum (perience ) ?as!ington: ?!ales+ack ooks

Goffman, Er"in #$1$) 2 he Presentation of Self in veryday "ife ) Harmonds3ort!, 7enguin

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%arr., Rom #$$ ) =%m+arrassment: a conceptual analysis= in ?)B)8ro

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