[ISEA2009] Paper: Christopher Fry – The nature of the experience: understanding the role of the audience in pervasive and locative artworks

Abstract

Mobile and portable computers are increasingly enabling interactive art experiences away from desktop PCs and gallery installations. Meanwhile locative technologies such as GPS seemingly allow for more immediate connections to be made between artworks and locations. Pervasive access to networks at increasingly disparate as well as specific locations would seem to present artists with ways of engaging audiences in new and previously unavailable ways.

Many artworks described or labelled as ‘interactive’ aim to engage their audiences by requiring or allowing for a level of participation. However, central to the character of works which employ pervasive and locative technologies, is the ‘active’ role of the audience in experiencing them. Audiences are typically expected to operate the devices employed, navigate to locations or to provide content, often of a personal nature, in order to participate.

  • Dr Christopher Fry University of Westminster, UK

Full text (PDF)  p. 814-821