Interactivity, Kelton

Interactivity is a broad subject within art. All artwork requires some interaction between the viewer and the work, however there has been a large push towards more interaction within this relationship. Interaction now encompasses the use of scale, new media, community involvement, and senses beyond visual ones to experience works of art. Some of these works are done on monumental scales that call for complete interaction with the viewer and community at large to complete such as the work of Chirsto and Jean-Claude. Others, such as that of Tim Hawkinson, use mechanics and kenetics as a way to power their works beyond static sculptures, and involve the viewers through a series of alterations and abstractions. Both of these artists are at different ends of the spectrum in the art world, but both work on these different levels of interactivity which is important within their work.
Christo and Jean-Claude are an interesting couple who have worked for the past 40 years creating public art work on a monumental scale. The works involve a lot of time and effort on the part of the artists, but also of the community. They work heavily with government and state officials, professionals, workers, volunteers, the community, and finally all of the viewers. Some of their most prominent works have taken tens of years of work and thousands of others involved. This interaction between the artist and so many various people becomes the most important part of their work. What I find most fascinating about the artists work is that they dedicate themselves so heavily to the integrity of their work. The work is completely funded through Christo's original drawings, prints, and early work as a way to not allow influence by donors onto any of their works. This allows them to exist as these strong visual gestures in the natural landscape on their own, with only the artists attached. Their works are heavily involved in simply making beautiful monumental, temporary objects. The artists stress that they biggest concern for viewers is to simply go out and be a part of the work and experience it.
Tim Hawkinson is a sculpture/installation artist who deals with kinetics and other simplified mechanics. His work deals a lot with the body, but also with the body's relationship to the work. Almost all of his pieces that we looked at deal with a sort of manipulation of the body or the inner workings of the body. In his piece, Emotor, Hawkinson uses programming and light sensors to read light from a movie playing on a TV, which affects the facial expressions through motors and pulleys on a mechanical wall portrait. This process creates a work that involves the viewers interaction with a simple gesture of facial expression, but also with the mechanics behind the construction of this work. The work seems to interact within itself by reacting from the light of screen which controls each facial element. One of his major works, Uberorgan, is a series of enlarged balloons that act as a giant organ, allows specific sounds to be made at openings in the balloons by sensors that read tabbed music. The pieces involves large portions of the space that it inhabits, which causes the viewer to directly interact with the work. By having such a strong presence through physicality and sound within the rooms, it is able to relate to the viewers on more that one level. They are both attracted to the sound and where it is coming from, but also the mechanism that is creating the dialogue that the work is following. Many of Hawkinson's works are very similar to these two, in which they provide a subtle gesture that is enhanced by the mechanics and kinetics of the work.
Interaction is one of the largest categories within art, because it is such an integral part of the work itself. Interaction is the essence of the viewers participation both on a intellectual level with the work, but also on a physical level with it. Work that is interactive on these different levels allows for the viewer to be more connected to the work, and be able to have a closer relationship to it. By being able to have this relationship on a physical level, they are able to go further into the true meaning of the work. By involving other senses such as touch or sound, or things that seem to accomplish the impossible, artists today are going way beyond the canvas and are able to connect to a wider range of viewers and more interesting expression through the visual world.

Bibliography

http://www.christojeanneclaude.net
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/hawkinson/index.html
http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om32290.html
http://www.acegallery.net/artistmenu.php?Artist=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christo_and_Jeanne-Claude
http://www.jca-online.com/christo.html