Snow Mirror & Deep Walls, Act/React

My experience with the Act/React show was filled with delight, which I now consider first an artistic playground, and second an exploration into the possibilities of modern art. Of all the works, Daniel Rozin's Snow Mirror and Scott Snibb's Deep Walls spoke to my interests the most. The reason I want to refer to my own experience lies in interactive art's ability to offer a unique experience to each viewer. However, "viewer" is not the best way to describe the person interacting with the art, so I will offer the word "performer" instead. A performer usually works with a writer or a director to act out a play or scene in a film. In the case of interactive art, I see the artist as the writer, the actual work as the stage, and the person interacting as the performer taking advantage of the artist's special stage.

This is especially true with Snibb's Deep Walls, as it is simply a collection of shadows which seem to have a desire to show off. The squares that each contained a performers shadow ranged from waves to dances to zombie walks and even a cartwheel, and the list of performances is infinite. Infinite is an important word to consider along side interactive art, since every piece of art at the Act/React gallery had no limited amount of possibilities. Of course, this does not separate interactive art from a painting, sculpture, or film, which all have an infinite amount of interpretations. However, interactive art seems to be concerned more with a physical interpretation that includes activity as well as analysis. In my own experience, I found my connection with Deep Walls, Snow Mirror, and all the other works to be similar: first I would figure out how the installation worked, then I would attempt to push every boundary I could think of, once the boundaries were found I would then try to create something appealing. With Snibb's work I attempted a zombie walk, which I was thoroughly pleased with. The final action was to step back and try to decipher what was so appealing to interact with a piece of art. Never before I had seen someone attempt a cartwheel in a museum.

With Rozin's Snow Mirror, the interaction was less playful, but more appealing to the eye. The odd formation that the snow created of my image imposed of feeling of familiarity. Using the word "mirror" in the title was an excellent choice, since the most interesting aspect of the work was identifying yourself in the digital pattern of falling snow and a black background. While I was viewing the mirror, a father walked in with his child strapped in a baby carrier on his chest. When this occurred I realized that the mirror was just an abstract portrait painting that would never be the same twice. The father took the baby's hands and waved them towards the mirror, which seemed to be a trend in all the installations that changed the image of the performer. Is the greeting a way to ensure that it is in fact you who is shaping the art, and not just a tricky computer program?

Overall, interactive art is a new medium that I hope to see more of. The idea of an artist being able to connect with their audience in such a physical way is profound in that it breaks down a wall that might hold one back from appreciating new artwork. Instead of questioning whether or not the installation is truly art, one can simply play and move on, or push the installation to its limits.