Digital Live Art
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Digital Live Art Sheridan, J.G. (2006). "Digital Live Art: Mediating Wittingness in Playful Arenas". PhD Thesis. University of Lancaster: Lancaster. is the intersection of Live Art (art form),
Computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and development of both hardware and software. Computing has scientific, ...
and Human Computer Interaction (HCI). It is used to describe live performance which is computer mediated - an orchestrated, temporal witnessed event occurring for any length of time and in any place using technological means. Digital Live Art borrows the methods, tools and theories from HCI to help inform and analyze the design and evaluation of Digital Live Art experiences.


Theory

Central to the understanding of Digital Live Art is the concept of performance framing (social sciences). First identified by Gregory Bateson, the performance frame is described as a cognitive context where all the rules of behavior, symbols, and their interpretations are bound within a particular activity within its own structure. The concept has since been used extensively in ethnography by Erving Goffman in his discussions of face to face encounters in the everyday, in discourse structures; in theatrical and ritual events; sporting events and festivals; and trance phenomena (see:). Goffman's work uses the concept of performance frame to broadly mean a constructed context within the limits of which individual human agency and social interaction takes place. For example, a theatrical frame,E. Goffman. Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience. Harper and Row, 1974. pp. 124–155) involves the construction of a higher-level frame on top of a ‘primary framework’, i.e., the reality in which the fantasy takes place. In this example, actors assume a character, audiences suspend disbelief and events have their meaning transformed (e.g., compare the use of a mobile phone in public with its use in a theatre). Additionally, framings are temporal, meaning that they have specific beginning and endings. While many theorists argue that all social interaction may be seen from a dramaturgical perspective, meaning all everyday social interaction becomes performance in some sense, Digital Live Art theorists often deliberately align their work with
Richard Schechner Richard Schechner is University Professor Emeritus at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, and editor of ''TDR: The Drama Review''. Biography Richard Schechner received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University in 1956, a ...
, narrowing their analysis to cover more stabilized ‘established’ forms of performance so that performance framing is defined as an activity done within the intended frame ‘by an individual or group’ who have some established knowledge about the frame, and are ‘in the presence of and for another individual or group’. Performance framings then, are intentional, temporal and for an audience.


Method and Tools

The goal of interaction in Digital Live Art goes beyond that of traditional HCI methods and theory which focus on usability, functionality and efficiency. HCI and CSCW models often focus on workplace activities and their tasks, artefacts and goals. This research often leads to a better understanding of how to increase efficiency in the workplace by providing more efficient and usable interfaces. For example, one could conduct
usability testing Usability testing is a technique used in user-centered interaction design to evaluate a product by testing it on users. This can be seen as an irreplaceable usability practice, since it gives direct input on how real users use the system. It is ...
or
task analysis Task analysis is the analysis of how a task is accomplished, including a detailed description of both manual and mental activities, task and element durations, task frequency, task allocation, task complexity, environmental conditions, necessary cl ...
of how a DJ uses his DJ decks and one could then use this information to design a more efficient system. However, traditional HCI models tell us little about how the performer-audience relationship develops as a result of users wittingness to interact with the system. The intention with Digital Live Art is not to make more "usable" systems but rather to allow for "participatory transitions" - transitions between "witting and unwitting", between observation and participation, between participation and performance. Since the goal with Digital Live Art systems is to "mediate wittingness" rather than task-focused interaction, the application of many HCI models, frameworks and methods become insufficient for analyzing and evaluating Digital Live Art.


Performance Triad Model

Sheridan first introduced the Performance Triad Model for analyzing "tripartite interaction" - interaction between observers, participants and performers. In the Performance Triad Model, tripartite interaction where technology binds tripartite interaction to context and environment. Reeves et al. draws a distinction between a performer and a spectator and how their transitioning relationship as mediated by the interface.


Formal Method

Dix and SheridanDix, A., Sheridan, J.G., Reeves, S., Benford, S. and O'Malley, C. (2005) Formalising Performative Interaction. In Proceedings of the 12th International Workshop on Design, Specification and Verification of Interactive Systems (DSVIS), pp. 15-25, Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 13–15 July, Newcastle, UK. introduced a
formal method In computer science, formal methods are mathematically rigorous techniques for the specification, development, and verification of software and hardware systems. The use of formal methods for software and hardware design is motivated by the exp ...
for analyzing "performative interaction" in Digital Live Art. This formal method provides a mathematical technique for deconstructing interaction between witting and unwitting bystanders and observers, participants in the performance and the performers themselves. The work attempts to formalise some of the basic attributes of performative interaction against a background of sociological analysis in order to better understand how computer interfaces may support performance. This work shows how this generic formalisation can be used in the deconstruction, analysis and understanding of performative action and more broadly in live performance.


Key People/Groups

BigDog Interactive
Blast Theory
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

Mixed Reality Lab.:thePooch:.


See also

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Fine art In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...
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Visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile art ...
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Performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...


References

{{Reflist Visual arts genres The arts