Can We Evaluate Interactive Art?
Symposium:
- ISEA97: Eighth International Symposium on Electronic Art
- More presentations from ISEA97:
Session Title:
- Interactive Media Theory
Presentation Title:
- Can We Evaluate Interactive Art?
Presenter(s):
Abstract:
Every creator in the electronic arts is faced with the puzzle of becoming understood and recognized by inappropriate out-of-date institutions set up to evaluate and present their work. Many of these institutions developed their processes to handle a very different kind of work: often paintings, movies, etc. This paper describes the discoveries of a two year effort to create an international competition for electronic interactive media which started from several challenging assumptions:
- no attempt would be made to discriminate art from not-art;
- there would be no distinction of the technologies employed… only the content would be considered;
- any representation other than the interactive experience itself would be considered insufficient; to allow evaluation of the work.
The unique competition process of the Interactive Media Festival of 1994 will be discussed with the aim of raising issues critical to electronic artists:
- deflating the influence of the social common denominator, emphasizing individuality;
- disempowering critics whose influence is unfairly great and whose thinking hinders change;
- deflecting the dominance of consumer sensibility in media art;
- encouraging new and even unpopular creativity; and
- spreading an appreciation of new ideas successfully through existing channels.
The 1994 Interactive Media Festival was designed to permit a public appreciation of some of the most excellent examples of interactive content of its day; but more importantly (and less obviously) it was thoughtfully created to encourage a healthy openness via a process of NOT defining what is electronic art before its time. In this spirit, my remarks are offered for consideration and discussion.