Interactivity in Art: A Concise History /Overview

Cameron CokerVIZA 630

Interaction: History of the Term

1901 Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology defines 'interaction' as:

"The relation between two or more relatively independent things or systems of change which advance, hinder, limit, or otherwise affect one another"

Interaction: History of the Term

“Reciprocity”, objects that have a mutual dependence, action, or influence

STUFF THAT ACTS ON OTHER STUFF AND THEN THAT STUFF ACTS BACK!

Interaction: History of the Term

Sociology in the 1900’s

Interaction = social science

Georg Simmel, first to use ‘interaction’

to mean interpersonal relationships

Interaction: History of the Term

George Herbert Mead & Edward Alsworth Ross

Stimulus – Response Theory

Interaction: History of the Term

Symbolic Interactionists

Interaction: History of the Term

Stimulus-Response – Concerned with reactions, measured and explained things with statistics and physiology

Symbolic Interactionists – Concerned with actions made by people and how those actions relate to who they are and how we perceive society

Cybernetics: Interaction as Process of

Feedback

Norber Wiener – coined the term ‘Cybernetics’

society could be investigated through analyzing messages and communication processes

HCI: Human/Computer

Interaction

1960’s

Ivan Sutherland – Sketchpad

Douglas Engelbard - 'X-Y position indicator for a display system’

Interaction: History of the Term

1960’s

1900’s 1940’s

Physical PhysiologicalSociological Systems of

Interaction

Human-Machine Interaction

3 Big Ideas

Sociology - people interacting with people

Cybernetics - systems, structures, and rules for interaction

Computer Science - people interacting with computers and machines

Cool, cool, but what’s that got to do with art, Cameron?

Hold on, I’m getting to that part...

Interactive Art

Can be described as developing alongside these 3 new ideas: Sociology, Cybernetics, and Computer Science

Sociology Art

John Cage – 4’33’

Sociology Art

Nam June Paik – TV Cello

Sociology Art

Valie Export – Aktionshose: Genitalpanik (Action Pants: Genital Panic)

Cybernetic Art

1950’s - Nicolas Schoeffer

‘Cybernetic Spatiodynamic Sculptures’

Cybernetic Art

1960’s

James Seawright

Edward Ihnatowicz

Tony Martin

1968 – writer Jack Burnham

Interactive Art

1969 GlowFlow

“a computer-controlled, light sound viewer responsive environment”

Interactive Art

Myron Krueger

Focus on responsive environments

Interactive Art vs. New Media Art

1990’s

The term ‘Interactive Art’ used alongside ‘New Media Art’

That’s interesting, but what I really want to be

is confused

OH, why didn’t you just say so!

Necessity of Distinctions

Martin Lister

‘Ideological’ and ‘Instrumental’ Interactivity

Ideological – emotional, intellectual

Instrumental – physical, practical

Degrees of Interactivity

Static Systems

Dynamic Systems Dependence on Environment Reciprocal Systems that factor in spectators Participatory Systems Interactive Systems

(mutual exchange between man and machine)

Degrees of Interactivity

Interactivity based on degree of selection options degree of modification option quantitative size of selection/modification

possibilities degree of linearity or non-linearity

Epistemological vs. Aesthetic

Epistemological – dealing with knowledge and what can be known

Aesthetic – dealing with beauty and taste

Epistemological vs. Aesthetic

Slavko Kacunko – ‘Closed Circuit Cideo Installations’ Subject/object realtions Reality construction System models Game concepts Learning processes

Discussion

Interactivity the TermInteractivity the History

Interactivity the ArtInteractivity the Science

Interactivity the Dichotomy

Interactivity as it applies to our projects