Browser-Based Experiences of Interactive Media Art

Browser based exhibitions offer a high level of accessibility. Given that browsers run well even on simple machines they can be considered a kind of lowest common denominator, capable of reaching a wide audience. However, browser-based artwork must be extremely considerate of file size and complexity in order to take advantage of browsers’ superior accessibility. This imposes serious limitations on the kind of content that can be presented.

• The digital exhibition on a browser can be easily updated throughout the run of the show, as the audience will not need to re-download, and any visitor will be experiencing the most up-to-date version of the exhibition.
• Browsers can technically accommodate a wide variety of different media, although size and complexity constraints apply to all.
• No additional publishing channels or platforms are needed other than a server and a url, although many accessible and free options exist for hosting.
• Browser based designs have many conventions from 30+ years of web development standard— they can either be used to enhance user familiarity, or intentionally ignored to subvert expectations.
  • If a project requires contractors to be hired, there are many skilled web developers working for small studios and independently. Before selecting a contractor, enquire about their experience working with your selected media and try to find a developer with a portfolio to support it. Ask around—who made an organization or artist’s website that you admire?

A browser based exhibition can be a simple website or a fully navigable 3D space, and there are myriad ways to go about creating them.

• For simple websites with non-complex interaction, it is possible to use existing website builders and templates. Often these are advertised as services with monthly fees that can become very expensive.
• To create a browser based exhibition that can accommodate a variety of media, game engines like Unity or Godot provide the option to export a project as a website. Since video games are already multimedia endeavors, the engines that create them are well suited for exhibition design.
• When building to browser from a game engine, be extra careful of optimization, as the game engine can easily create experiences that do not run well in the browser due to the file size.
• Test the experience out on as many hardware and web-browser platforms as you can before launching. Does it work best in Firefox? Is there a funny glitch with some versions of Chrome? Do certain MacBook processors distort the graphics? Does it work on a browser on a mobile device? Even if problems remain unsolved, you can make suggestions on how audiences access the experience. Making these suggestions clear at the outset will prevent frustration later if the audience discovers the experience is not compatible with their particular access method.
• What will this project look like in a year? Five? Ten? Even web browsers are subject to upgrades and can discontinue support for existing media formats. Take documentation of the project early and in many formats (still image screenshots, video capture of interactive components) to preserve it for future reference. Rhizome’s Conifer is a free tool designed for archiving web-based artwork.