Some friends of mine have just launched a brand-new interactive art project at the Whitney they’re callling Follow Through.
Jennifer and Scott’s project makes museum-goers interact with the art on the walls in an entirely new way. In a way, it makes museum-goers—and museum-going—part of the art, rather than keeping patrons passive observers who are removed from the art. How? Well, from the press release:
The project is inspired by the discrepancy the artists found between the dynamics of the art on view in the galleries and the rather passive and languid body language of museum visitors looking at that art.
Referencing the structure of the existing audio tour, the artists invite visitors to engage in a set of exercises designed to bring well-established behavioral codes of museum attendance into relief. Visitors are prompted by visual instructions that appear on the screens of the handheld players. The project’s title has its roots in sports terminology where the term “follow-through” describes the act of carrying a motion to its natural completion. With “Follow Through,” the artists are inviting visitors to complete the dynamics in the galleries in an experience that goes beyond the mental act of contemplating or interpreting artworks.
It’s going to run for two months—from December 1st to January 30th—and there’s a opening reception this Friday (the 9th) where the artists will say a few words about their work. Check it out.