Could Interactive Art Installations be the future of Multimedia?
Since the dawn of time, art has been defined by the artist. It can be left to be interpreted by the audience, but the artist’s vision inevitably overtakes their judgment. Interactive art installations, however, are led by the audience. It allows viewers to interact with and become a part of a piece. Unlike static forms of multimedia that the audience is used to, interactive installations allow the audience to step in, to respond and shape the art piece whichever way they want to, or to leave behind a piece of their own that leaves a trace of their experience. Artists responsible for this form of art find liberation in letting go and letting the public decide what the artwork is about.
Interactive art and specifically interactive art installations are considered as a form of Multimedia. Multimedia’s cornerstones are integration, interactivity, hypermedia, immersion, and narrativity. The principles of integration and hypermedia are concerned with combining and linking separate forms of media into a single work that creates a new experience. Interactivity allows the audience to manipulate and affect his experience to make it unique. Immersion relies on allowing the inspector to feel one with the artwork, whether that is done through entering in a simulation or experiencing a three-dimensional environment. But perhaps the most important of the multimedia fundamentals when it comes to installations is narrativity, as the artwork is usually employed to tell a story. While all five elements of multimedia are not always present, one or more are consistently present in all interactive art installations.
As the digital age advanced, multimedia has been seen as a purely digital form of art. But non-digital art installations reinvent traditional art forms such as sculpture and murals to be perceived in an equally, if not more, engaging way.
THE PAST
Although it’s hard to pinpoint a start for the field of interactive art, it arguably started with the bloom of the multimedia field. The beginnings of new media artists became the center of attention and art forms such as friezes emerged. A frieze, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is defined as a sculptured or richly ornamented band on a building or piece of furniture. This could mean that the first-ever form of interactive art installation was a panorama. Panoramas are a continuous stream of visuals surrounding an observer, and although they have been around for centuries, possibly dating back to cave painting, one of the first completely comprehensible ones is the “Great Frieze”, located in Room 5 of Villa dei Misteri Pompeii, 60 B.C.
The Villa dei Misteri’s Great Frieze is believed to portray a religious ceremony, and some people believe it depicts a marital ritual. It is a fresco in the form of a band encompassing a room, telling the story of the ceremony in sequence. The artwork narrates its story as the audience moves from one end of the room to the other. The audience can interact with the story the frieze tells as they interact with the physical space of the room.
Interactive art changed as modern innovations became more common. The creative pioneer of interactive art in the modern age is considered to be Nam June Paik. Focusing on digitally-driven interactive installations, Nam June Paik was also known as the Father of video art. Unfortunately, because of his musical background, scholars and art historians often neglect the exceptional accomplishments of Paik in interactive art.
THE PRESENT
The rise in contemporary art and designs in the 21st Century brings along much more interactive visions to life. The new digital age has transformed conventional art mediums like painting and sculpture to new forms such as virtual reality and projection mapping. Although the computer is viewed by many contemporary artists and designers as a creative device, some remain attached to creating non-digital artwork that will engage the spectator through its interactivity.
An example would be Jason deCaires Taylor’s 2016 underwater installation, Museo Atlantico. The piece consists of over three hundred concrete sculptures, specially treated to eventually support underwater plant life and become living sculptures. The narrative of the piece is tied to modern-day issues about climate change and the natural resources of the ocean, making the installation a political statement as well as an artistic one. The installation is accessible to divers who can interact with the artwork and nature simultaneously, reinforcing the artist’s intent in creating a work that has both natural and artistic themes.
THE DIFFERENCE
Perhaps comparing a fresco that belongs in 60 B.C. to a sculptural work done in 2016 seems strange, but it is not. Both artworks successfully convey a strong narrative through depictions of the relevant religious, social, and political context. The narrative is communicated in different ways, yet they both rely on the space in which they were installed to immerse the spectator. Interactivity is naturally a substantial part of both artworks as they both rely on the interaction of people with the artwork to convey the purpose of the artwork.
As we move through time to contemporary times, the narrative becomes harder to communicate, because the intent of artwork becomes more abstract. As seen, Taylor’s underwater installation relies on implicit knowledge of social and political issues, such as climate change. Unlike the fresco, however, the narrative Taylor creates is not as straightforward, even though they both have a specific audience who can understand the meaning of the artwork. Despite its level of underlying intellect, Taylor’s piece is intended for everyone to see and experience regardless of understanding its meaning, while the Great Frieze of Villa dei Misteri was not. The frescoes of Villa dei Misteri were made to be seen by a specific group of upper aristocrats, and it was considered a privilege to be able to experience this level of art at the time.
THE FUTURE
In the research done to prepare for this article, it was difficult to find many pieces of interactive art that had all five elements of multimedia. To prove that it is possible and may even enhance the experience of the audience, I conducted an experiment that displays a potential future for interactive art, which was an interactive installation based on a short film. The film, LUCID, is an experimental short about taking a trip through one’s consciousness and the possibility of reaching the maximum extent of one’s psyche. Throughout the film, the main character is left hints to guide her through her trip, most significantly a note.
So, the experiment aimed to allow the audience to express their feelings in the form of notes. The participants were given a note identical to that of the character’s and were encouraged to write down a message to themselves, much like the character’s subconscious does to her, to guide them through their own life and achieve catharsis. The notes were all collected and were later anonymously projected on a screen. The main goal of the experiment was achieved. The experiment integrated multiple forms of media, such as digital screening, paper, and text, using the principles of integration and hypermedia to create a cohesive experience. The audience was able to interact directly and affect the final stage of the installation. Immersion was achieved when the interactivity of the notes allowed the participants to feel connected with each other, themselves, and the piece. The narrative was reliant on the context of the short film that inspired the artwork, and the personal understanding of the participants of the purpose of the notes.
The rise of social media platforms such as Instagram has changed the way people interact with the artwork, and artwork has changed to accommodate that. Interactive art installations appear to be the best way to adapt the artwork to the modern world. Art exhibitions such as the Museum of Ice Cream, Supercandy Pop-up Museum, and the Color Factory all incorporate immersive and interactive art installations that appeal to the new generation. The experiences these museums provide is tailored to Instagram and the aesthetics that are popular on the website. The installations themselves are non-digital, but they’re formatted and created with the digital world in mind.
The future remains unknown. However, the prevalence of interactive art from antiquity to modern times shows that it is a lasting and enduring art form. Interactive installations allow the audience to become participants instead, and this quality is what makes it such an everlasting relevant form of multimedia in contemporary times. The inclusion of multiple aspects of multimedia in interactive art proves that it is a versatile form of art that can easily be adapted for modern audiences, as the changing contexts and meanings of art transform to fit the present-day world.
References
BBC Arts — BBC Arts — Are these the most Instagrammable #artgalleries in the world?. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/YDdjxq0lv07ymcZmct27n2/are-these-the-most-instagrammable-artgalleries-in-the-world
Ha, B. (Year) A Pioneer of Interactive Art: Nam June Paik as Musique Concrete Composing Researcher. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/20962300/A_Pioneer_of_Interactive_Art_Nam_June_Paik_as_Musique_Concrète_Composing_Researcher
Home. Underwater Sculpture by Jason deCaires Taylor. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.underwatersculpture.com
Wahl, C. (2013). Between Art History and Media History: A Brief Introduction to Media Art. In NOORDEGRAAF J., SABA C., LE MAÎTRE B., & HEDIGER V. (Eds.), Preserving and Exhibiting Media Art: Challenges and Perspectives (pp. 25–58). Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt6wp6f3.6
