Interaction, Interactivity, Interactive Art
a buzzword of new media under scrutiny


Conference organized by the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Media.Art.Research.
at Ars Electronica 2008 on September 4, 2008, Brucknerhaus, Linz (AT)
Concept: Katja Kwastek


'Interactivity' has become virtually a magic word for the promotion of new media and the media arts alike. The term refers not only to a certain technology, it also stands for social concepts and visions ranging from grassroots democracy all the way to consumer freedom. This imbues the term with its broad-ranging impact, but also contributes to its dilution.

This year's conference of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Media.Art.Research. invites experts from different disciplines to examine the origins and applications of the various concepts of interactivity. It questions the extent to which interactivity should be considered a fundamental concept in the social and technological, cultural and artistic context, or as an outdated buzzword, useful only for the self-promotion of the different fields.


PANEL I, 10:00-13:00
Interactive Art - with and without media

10:00: Welcome and Introduction
Dieter Daniels / Katja Kwastek, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Media.Art.Research., Linz (AT)

10:30: From Virtualities to Embodiment - Interaction Models in Media Art
Christiane Paul, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (USA)

11:30: "I mistrust audience participation" - Thoughts on Participation Art
Lars Blunck, Technical University Berlin, Department of Art History (D)

12:15: Terms of Engagement: Interactivity in Visual Art Practices
Suzanne Lacy, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles (USA)

PANEL II, 14:00-17:00
Interactivity - a key paradigm of modern society

14:00: Interaction & Interactivity - The Perspective of Communication Sciences
Christoph Neuberger, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Department of Communication Studies (D)

14:45: Control and Freedom: Interactivity and Invasion
Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, Brown University, Providence, RI, Department of Modern Culture and Media (USA)

15:30: Designing Interaction
Gillian Crampton Smith / Philip Tabor, IUAV University of Venice, Faculty of Design and Arts (I)

16:15: Understanding Gameplay
Noah Wardrip-Fruin, University of California Santa Cruz, CA, Department of Computer Science (USA)

PANEL III, 17:30-19:30
Interactive Art reconsidered

17:30: From Surface to Interface - New Forms of User Art
Peter Weibel, ZKM, Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (D)

WINNER OF THE PRIX ARS ELECTRONICA MEDIA.ART.RESEARCH AWARD 2008
18:15: Interactive Art meets Biology
Arjen Mulder, V2 Institute for the Unstable Media, Rotterdam (NL)

19:00: Discussion

(simult. transl. English/German provided)

more information on the conference: http://media.lbg.ac.at/en/veranstaltungen.php?iMenuID=3&iEventID=112
more information on the Festival Ars Electronica 2008: http://www.aec.at/en/festival2008/index.asp