Traces of interaction : the creative process, exhibition layouts and audience interactions

The methodology for this study was practice-led, allowing the creative practice to lead to knowledge gained through the artistic process. This study proposed that applying the practices of a makerspace to interactive art installations could provide viewers with a space for curious exploration and embodied experiences that could invigorate artistic practices in South Africa. The work was presented in three interactive exhibitions, to entice the audience to have sensory and embodied experiences with the work. While not prescribing participation, the outcomes of the interactive exhibitions directly affected the direction of the research and the resulting creative outcomes. The traces, documentation, and reflections from my studio practice and exhibitions played a significant role in this study by lending itself to interpretation. I made artworks after the exhibitions as a response, reaction, translation, or destruction of the audience’s interactions and their physical traces. Each participant was asked to read and consent to the terms of the study and whether they wanted to be documented. The forms for this consent were available online as a Google Form where the voluntary audience could agree to the terms of participation. A print form was also available at the gallery entrance. I documented and recorded the audience interactions as agreed upon in the consent form throughout the exhibitions and identified each participant by writing their attire in pencil on the back of the page.