Participation is Technology’s Gift to Art

I think for many years I tried to bring participation into my work.  I wanted my works come to life.  I really wanted my artwork to breathe and live.  And I tried several things including painting on the bodies of dancers. I painted the leotards of flamenco dancers and I had them dance in front of my work. 

All of this was really exciting but, I feel like these were projects that did not completely invite participation. The participation was just between two artists or two people.  I really wanted the spectator not to be outside the art-making process.

So I spent a lot of time trying to create art that was participatory.  Finally I learned how I could use technology to invite this kind of participation.  All my previous attempts were just a stepping stone to something that’s more exciting. 

In Their Own Words is recorded in Big Think’s studio.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock