Art and Site- Audience Interaction

The way an audience interacts with a piece of work is the key to its success.


'If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?'
The age old question raised by philosepher George Berkeley. He said that 'objects ceased to exist' if there was nobody around to see them. This is especially true of art. If there is no audience for a piece of work, is it still art? When an artist produces work, this is one of the most important aspects they must think about.

Relational aesthetics deals with this idea perfectly, and is a good place to start to observe the audiences relation to art. It is a form that makes people the focus. A famous example would be 'Test Site' which was installed in the tate modern. It consisted of a series of slides which visitors to the gallery could use and enjoy. For me, the interesting thing about this is many people didnt have a clue what it was about but still went on it anyway. They unwittingly became one with the piece which dealt with social interaction. Looking back on it, it feels strange knowing i was inside a piece of art. Audiences are usually ailenated from work by rope and security guards.