EVENT 1 | INTERACTIVE ART: CONNECTING TO EACH OTHER AND TO OURSELVES | 🖥

I attended Interactive Art: Connecting to Each Other and to Ourselves. The online event encompassed a presentation by the artist, Snibbe where he testified about his journey as an interactive media artist. Snibbe charismatically started the presentation by immediately transitioning into the inspiration behind his interactive art. 

Screenshot of Snibbe's presentation on the five senses

Screenshot of Snibbe's presentation on interactive art

He explained his interest in biophilia, which is described as the natural inclination of the humans wanting to seek connection with not only other humans but nature and other forms of life (Vidovich). He shared he’d always been fascinated by the scientific experience of psychological phenomena, specifically how the five senses influence human cognition and how human behaviors can be observed through interactive art. Using computers, he has been able to create interactive art pieces that push humans into engaging with each other.

 

Video of Boundaries Functions (1998) as shared in the event

Boundaries Functions (1998), is an example of this inspiration. Using projectors, Snibbe successfully reflected the geographical patterns of human settlement, specifically the entitlement to personal space. When people walk onto the floor, the floor visualizes each person’s personal space with lines. Something that surprised me was when Snibbe shared this art piece felt like a social experiment for the interactions of people varied based on what part of the world he was. For instance, in New York, people tried keeping their personal space by staying still in one place and dictating a specific corner, while in Japan people interacted with each other and did not mind each other’s lines overlapping one another. This piece of art reminded me of C.P. Snow’s argument that similar to how the arts and sciences are divided, so is society as seen by the disparity between the rich and the poor (Snow 44-45). In this case, there is a division between the cultural ideas of personal space and independence. It’s amazing to see how the cultural differences Snow talked about years ago are still very much present in art and human interaction.

Usage of dynamic visual representation in Boundaries Functions (1998)

This event was super insightful because it allowed me to learn more about how artists work with technologies fueled by curiosity about the science world (Vesna 1). Artists like Snibbe utilize the artistic capabilities of computers to explore human interaction. I recommend this event to anyone who is interested in learning how art can be used as a tool to research human behavior. Art pieces like this would be great for folk wanting to dig into cultural differences. 

Citations

Snibbe, Scott. “Boundary Functions (1998).” Scott Snibbe - Interactive Art, Scott Snibbe, 2022, www.snibbe.com/projects/interactive/boundaryfunctions.  

McCain, Maria. “Bringing the Outdoors in: The Benefits of Biophilia.” NRDC, The Natural Resources Defense Counci, 25 June 2020, www.nrdc.org/experts/maria-mccain/bringing-outdoors-benefits-biophilia.  

Snow, C. P. “The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Cambridge University Press, 1959. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo, vol. 34, no. 2, 2001, pp. 121–125., doi:10.1162/002409401750184672.