Relational Aesthetics
Personally, I was very inspired by Lucas Ihlein's lecture. Not just because I want to be an artist but because coming from some background in psychology and philosophy, the artworks he spoke about seem to resonate on many different levels with me. Audience- inclusive artwork seems to be something fairly new, I suppose it took a while for acceptance of "performance art", now we're asking people to actually participate.
I moseyed on down to the MCA and have been helping Lucas with his latest work, an ongoing investigation into the environmental impacts of the exhibition which it is a part of. That's meta-art if I ever saw it. Some of the discussions from random visitors have been very interesting from design obsolescence to whether we use more electricity sharing light and heat in a museum than if we stayed home. The point is, everyone seems enthusiastic to add their part.
As Lucas mentioned yesterday, the inclusion of the audience isn't restricted to art, but it's everywhere now. That's why reality TV is popular, why adverstising often asks you for your input - it's all about putting your vote in, feeling included. I wonder if this can be traced back to psychology and self-importance. I'm sure Freud would have something interesting to say about it. I'm looking forward to exploring some more of this in my essay on the topic.
