Interpreting participatory art

Restricted until 24 July 2010. In the 20th and 21st Centuries, art trends which muddy the spaces between artists, participants, and audience members have become increasingly present. Exploring notions of authorship, human interrelations, and impact within the public realm, these participatory works alter previous conceptions of how art can be experienced. Artworks which ask or demand participation imply, even at their minimum, that the participants are needed for the work of art. How should documentation of these works treat their participants? This thesis argues that art historians and writers who wish to document and discuss participatory works, especially their impacts, should deeply explore the effects the specific participants have on the art, as well as the impacts the artworks have on their individual participants.