Interactive art installations often draw upon a variety of philosophical perspectives and theories to shape their conceptual framework and engage the viewer in a more immersive, participatory manner. I pulled out several key philosophical aspects and theories commonly used in interactive art installations in a brief paragraph.
you might not familiar with these organized the jargons but they will be great help for your thesis research and writing.
1. Phenomenology
• Focus: Embodied experience and perception.
• Philosophers: Edmund Husserl, Maurice Merleau-Ponty.
• Application in Art: Interactive installations often use phenomenology to explore how people perceive and experience the world through their bodies. The emphasis is on creating a sensory, first-person experience where viewers become active participants, making the installation deeply tied to their lived experience. The spatial arrangement, movement, and sensory elements (touch, sound, sight) are carefully designed to heighten bodily awareness and perception.
2. Relational Aesthetics
• Focus: Social interactions and human relationships.
• Philosopher: Nicolas Bourriaud.
• Application in Art: This theory suggests that the meaning of an artwork emerges from the social exchanges it generates. Interactive installations that encourage collaboration, communication, or collective decision-making between participants reflect relational aesthetics. The artwork becomes a platform for human interaction, with its value derived from the relationships it facilitates rather than the object itself.
3. Constructivism
• Focus: Knowledge and meaning are constructed through interaction.
• Philosophers: Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky.
• Application in Art: In interactive art installations, constructivist ideas are applied by allowing viewers to create or influence the artwork through their participation. Meaning is not predefined by the artist but is co-constructed through the interaction between the viewer and the artwork. This aligns with the concept that knowledge and experience are actively constructed through engagement with the environment.
4. Deconstruction