Presentation of paper at NODEM 2010 in Copenhagen, Denmark

1. Interaction and Performativity in Digital
Art Exhibitions
Vuokko Harma
University of Sussex
UK

2. Sociological inquiry
• Sociology of art
– Art production (Becker 1982)
– Exhibiting (MacDonald 2002)
– Experiencing arts (Heath & vom Lehm 2004)
• Characteristics of art institutions
– Thought provoking, encouraging for individual /
subjective perception

3. Interactive digital art
• ’An art world is born when it brings
together people who never cooperated
before to produce art' (Becker 1982)
• The development of the interactive art has
shifted focus from object to process.

4. The visiting experience
• Shared meaning of art museum and gallery
• Socially and culturally determined rules and
norms of the visit
• Cultural competence of the visitors
• Performing in front of the audience -the
symbolic interactionist approach (Goffman
1959, Scott 2007)

5. Interaction in interactive exhibition?
• The cultural and social transformation of
museum space
– From traditional object-centred to interactive
visitor-focused
• Changes in visiting experience
– From passive stroll to active engagement
• Different levels of interaction
– With artwork (human-computer interaction)
– With other visitors (humam-human interaction)

6. Methodology
 Two case studies from interactive art exhibitions
 Research questions:
1. What situations give rise to feelings of shyness about how individuals are
being perceived and what data is being collected about them
2. How do gallery/museum visitors engage with exhibitions?
3. What are gallery/museum users’ understandings and experiences of
shyness?
4. What do they experience as shyness triggers in the context of
gallery/museum spaces?
 Methods includes qualitative fieldnotes, observation,
interviews with staff and visitors, focus group with artists,
curators and museum/gallery staff.

7. Situationally emerging emotions
• Rather than individuals being inherently shy or non-shy,
shyness emerges situationally in the context of
interaction (Scott 2007)
• Shyness, embarrassment and intimidation requires
interaction with other people.
' Feelings of shyness arise when one perceives oneself as
relatively incompetent at interaction, and fears being exposed as a
poor team player. If we anticipate that we will say or do ‘the wrong
thing’ and face embarrassment, surely it makes perfect sense to
defend oneself emotionally by remaining quiet and avoiding the
spotlight of a frontstage performance' (2006:143, see also
2007:42).

8. Shyness and competence
• Relative incompetence
– The competent other
• Different levels of competences
– Cultural, social
– Technological
• Shyness as frustrated sociability

9. Conclusion
• Transformation of museums and galleries
• Changed role of the visitor
• New levels of competences
• Increased performativity and interactivity