Len Predko, Brendan Lehman, and Hand Eye Society, Super FESTival (2022), interactive 2D multiplayer browser based game.
Benefits for Audience
The space of a gallery is often shared with other audience members. A multi-user digital interactive experience elicits a similar social function. Multi-user digital experiences make explicit the primary quality of a computer network, to connect people, and multi-user digital exhibitions add art into that mix. If accessed remotely on personal devices, multi-user experiences can bring the feeling of an art gallery experience to the user’s device by seeing (and possibly hearing) other synchronous visitors.
Benefits for Artwork
A multi-user experience offers a unique opportunity to consider the social function of art presentation in digital space and the relationships that can be created through the artwork and/or exhibition. Ideally, either the artwork or the framing of the exhibition itself will be built specifically for a multi-user experience. For as long as computers have been accessing networks, artists have been creating work that uses those networks and responds to the rhizomatic context of the internet age.
If the multi-user experience is bringing together works that would otherwise be experienced separately, there should be a curatorial reasoning for why they should be experienced synchronously and how it adds to the artwork.
Why Consider VR Experiences
With the explosive popularity of gaming, and the familiarity of video calls now encroaching on mundane, audiences are used to sharing virtual space with others. A multi-user digital art exhibition makes the network the gallery and lets the audience share in the appreciation of the art together. It can be a critical technique used by an artwork, or used to accentuate a particular curatorial vision.
Implementing VR Experiences
- The technical challenges of creating multi-user experiences are considerable. There are new platforms appearing all the time that support multi-user interactivity, but using them means learning new techniques and working within existing constraints.
- If the artwork exists as a standalone multi-user experience, the translation of the artwork to the exhibition should be done through the artist’s expertise. Any databases or servers used in the artwork should be made accessible to the exhibition developer or organizer.
- The organizer must be aware of the role of moderation in multi-user online spaces. If users can hear, see, or otherwise impact one another, precautions must be taken to protect users from harassment or unwanted behavior. This could include but is not limited to the implementation of login credentials, user control over voice chat, etc.
Additional Considerations for Interactive Media Exhibitions
Access and Planning Considerations for Interactive Media Exhibitions
Art games, expanded reality, and other interactive media art forms offer exciting immersive and participatory experiences for audiences. With this potential comes a number of challenges for organizations who often need to find new methods to share such works with their audiences. Exhibiting interactive media forces the organizer to think like a designer.
Browser-based experiences of interactive media art
Chances are, you’re probably reading this through a web browser right now. Browser-based exhibition solves a lot of problems for audiences; it is most likely a piece of software already on your computer, no downloading is required, and it can be agnostic of the user’s operating system and hardware. It might even support mobile access, depending on the artwork’s features and constraints.
Mobile experiences of interactive media arts
The best computer people have access to might be the one inside their pocket. Accessing artwork either through a browser, platform, or custom application occurs through smartphone interfaces and practices that are already part of daily routines. However, the vast range of hardware and operating systems on the market can create some frustration when projects don’t work on a user’s particular device.
Augmented Reality (AR) experiences of interactive media art
As AR generally occurs on smartphone devices, the same advantages of pocket-ready accessibility apply as for mobile experiences of interactive media. AR continues to be a novelty to most audiences. While many will be familiar with the technology from games like Pokemon GO or social media filters, it can be challenging to those who have never experienced it before.
Virtual Reality (VR) experiences of interactive media art
VR presents the most convincing rebuttal to the so-called immersive fallacy by integrating audiences with the digital experience mere centimeters from their eyeballs. However, mass adoption of VR hardware is a vanishing horizon, as demonstrated by Meta’s lackluster Metaverse results of 2021-22. These specialized devices are not common household items. Instead, developing VR that has cross-platform compatibility adds significant overhead in terms of design and programming time.
Implementing interactive media in onsite installation
Organizations with dedicated exhibition space should consider if their project would benefit from an onsite installation. Depending on resources, onsite installation can offer audiences an enhanced experience by providing them with pre-loaded hardware or a gallery attendant to facilitate access. Installation of these projects will often require the artist or a knowledgeable technician to assist with setup. Any onsite installation will benefit from a set of written instructions. Write tech instructions as plainly as possible—leave artspeak for artist statements!
Digital Exhibition Collaborators
In the development of digital exhibitions, it’s important to understand an artist’s relationship with their technology.
Pilot Projects
A critical part of developing DETAIL was the pilot projects. These three digital exhibitions informed the prefabs and templates.
Resources
Build your own digital exhibition spaces with our step-by-step guides and technical resources.