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As far as the graphics of the computer game are concerned, you will notice that
some artefacts are highlighted or display an aureole when you move your hand
(the cursor) towards them. This effect makes some artefacts special and others,
which do not get highlighted, less important. Other minor changes occur in the
graphics in reaction to your cursor/hand. I call these minor but detectable
changes
in the appearance of objects (you will also find them in mouse-over events on
the
web) interactmen: the smallest unit of interactive language. They could also be
called interactive widgets. They can be considered as micro narratives or signs
that
announce a possibly greater narrative triggered by your reactions to the received
impulse while you follow the path it promises. 60
A third position, much ignored by art critics and art historians, is also possible.
This position puts the viewers experience in the context of the artwork. When
you
work your path through the maze of an artwork (on the web) you might be the
only
one to choose that path. Your experience will be unique and based on your
personal
choices and interests. So the position of the Kantian aesthete is no longer valid:
you
cause the work and co-produce it with the artist(s); and when artificial
intelligence
is involved, the artwork becomes autonomous. 63
My suggestion, therefore, is that you include yourself and the circumstances for
the
viewing situation in your description of the artwork. Tell the story of the how and
the what of your encounter. As the artwork becomes increasingly complex and
might become artificially intelligent there will be no truth beyond your
description. It is important that you are in the story. This has, rather
successfully,
been made one of the main methods of ethnography and social anthropology,
and
seems to be the only way to discuss artworks that are explored through physical
and
quasi-social interactions. 63
What we are looking at in interactive artwork is the evolving visual narrative that
includes the users actions. This results in a new and unique personal narrative
created by the co-operation between the user and the creator of the artwork.
Thus,
the artwork becomes co-created by the user and the artist. We should also look
at
the structure and the role which the user is supposed to play in order to get an
idea
of the creators aims. The artwork consists after all, of rules laid out by the artist
for the player/user to follow. If the user/player fails to obey the rules he is thrown
out of the game 64
I hope I have made clear that with interactive artwork we must look at how the
work
tells its story by demanding a specific action from the users; this demand is
embedded in the story created by the player in order to bring meaning to the
action. 64
I stress the importance of looking at the way viewers and players are
included in the narrative of the artwork, as well as the narratives created in the
minds of the players and users by interacting with the artwork. 64
Interactive works of art pose special problems. An interactive artwork can only be
interpreted through interaction, either first-person or as a bystander. It is obvious
that the experience differs between the two positions: one acts and the other
watches the acting. The question is whether it is possible to extract the artwork
from the interaction with it, let alone differentiate between two kinds of
interaction: the beholders interaction with the artwork and the interaction taking
place between the beholders. 116