8.8.21 Immersive art
'Immersive art, in principle, has a simple definition — it’s the creation of a world around the person in a way that makes them feel part of and inside of it. In practice, the label of immersive art touches on everything from illusory world-building to simply including a piece of interactivity within a larger, traditional art show. The true meaning of immersive art is somewhere between those two things — the definition and the practice of it. Immersive art must create something that moves beyond the fourth wall (the space between an audience and performer), bringing viewers into the art and augmenting their reality.
In that description, to be labeled “immersive art” the only requirement is that an audience no longer exists as a passive group of onlookers. Viewers become “participants” and no two people experience exactly the same thing. This can be done in almost any medium of art.' (Anderson, 2020)
The idea of creating an 'illusory world' which my viewer can be a part of, bringing them into the art to be active participants rather than passive viewers is thrilling. It reminds me of the development of my Living sculptures. I also very much like the idea that 'no two people experience the same thing'. I already know that my work is capable of provoking a range of conflicting responses -attraction, repulsion, horror and hilarity, amongst others, so I know this is possible. I just need to work out HOW in a time when I won't be able to invite my audience to touch or even wear my work because of the pandemic.
Artsy defines immersive as:
'Works, typically installations, that totally envelop the viewer, often involving constructed environments and multi-sensory experiences. Artists have explored numerous forms of immersion since the development of installation art in the 1960s. Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica's Tropicália (1967) folded viewers into an environment resembling the country's favelas, while Venezuelan Jesús Rafael Soto's Penetrables (1967-97) employed Op Art experiments to create abstract sculptures that can be walked through. Artists such as James Turrell and Doug Wheeler use the effects of light to create immersive environments. Carsten Höller's works often involve perception-altering experiences, while Olafur Eliasson's The weather project (2003) simulated the appearance of the sun and of cloud formations in London's Tate Modern museum. More recently, artists have used immersion as a means of exploring virtual reality, as in Ryan Trecartin's video installations involving built environments.' (Arsty, no date)
I definitely want to construct an environment of abstract sculpture that can be walked through!
In that description, to be labeled “immersive art” the only requirement is that an audience no longer exists as a passive group of onlookers. Viewers become “participants” and no two people experience exactly the same thing. This can be done in almost any medium of art.' (Anderson, 2020)
The idea of creating an 'illusory world' which my viewer can be a part of, bringing them into the art to be active participants rather than passive viewers is thrilling. It reminds me of the development of my Living sculptures. I also very much like the idea that 'no two people experience the same thing'. I already know that my work is capable of provoking a range of conflicting responses -attraction, repulsion, horror and hilarity, amongst others, so I know this is possible. I just need to work out HOW in a time when I won't be able to invite my audience to touch or even wear my work because of the pandemic.
Artsy defines immersive as:
'Works, typically installations, that totally envelop the viewer, often involving constructed environments and multi-sensory experiences. Artists have explored numerous forms of immersion since the development of installation art in the 1960s. Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica's Tropicália (1967) folded viewers into an environment resembling the country's favelas, while Venezuelan Jesús Rafael Soto's Penetrables (1967-97) employed Op Art experiments to create abstract sculptures that can be walked through. Artists such as James Turrell and Doug Wheeler use the effects of light to create immersive environments. Carsten Höller's works often involve perception-altering experiences, while Olafur Eliasson's The weather project (2003) simulated the appearance of the sun and of cloud formations in London's Tate Modern museum. More recently, artists have used immersion as a means of exploring virtual reality, as in Ryan Trecartin's video installations involving built environments.' (Arsty, no date)
I definitely want to construct an environment of abstract sculpture that can be walked through!
Anderson, C. (2020) What is immersive art? Available at: https://303magazine.com/2020/01/immersive-art-denver-colorado/ (Accessed: 21 June 2021)
Artsy (no date) Immersive Available at: https://www.artsy.net/gene/immersive (Accessed 21 June 2021)
Artsy (no date) Immersive Available at: https://www.artsy.net/gene/immersive (Accessed 21 June 2021)
