a broad scope for interaction

It is perhaps problematic to talk about visitor experience and audience participation whilst we are mostly self-isolating in lockdown; from social distancing in public spaces to adhering to strict guidelines not to gather in groups of more than two.

In my estranged art life, I had been enjoying the shared experience of audience in relation to my own work. Confronted with the profusion of domesticity since the Corona outbreak, I’m forced to crawl between the chasms of family life to find a space… any space.

The dilemma is how to continually push forward ideas and concepts, whilst connecting with the public, under what is broadly agreed to be a new normal.

Throwing ourselves at the internet, social media and online shows may give us some security in a tradition of keeping calm and carrying on, but the challenges of visibility, uniqueness and innovation are palpable.

When galleries open up and the audience inevitably becomes more managed, I’m interested in how the artist can further exploit space by manipulating the spectator. Guiding the visitor through a show, with them as an active participant who is controlled or cajoled, gives a broad scope for interaction.