Immersive art: have audiences earned their place in the show?

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jul/30/immersive-art-do-audiences-deserve-it

Version 0 of 1.

Last week I watched members of the art-going public sitting at small desks sorting pieces of rice into tiny piles, for hours on end.

While it felt like punishment dished out at a high school detention, it was oddly mesmerising and strangely satisfying to see people marking off each little pile on paper, as they would a prison calendar. We were at the Marina Abramović installation, 512 Hours, at the Serpentine Gallery in London, and this was all in the spirit of slowing down, reconnecting and being immersed in art.

Everyone involved was a willing participant in a piece that’s ostensibly about finding calm in a connected world. Sure, I could have a stab at this while home alone by switching my phone off and counting the grains from my half-used pack of SunRice. But would I really do it without Abramović’s prompting? I enjoy being part of something creative, conceived by an inquisitive mind, because I know I can’t create such work myself. I like being included in the art-making.

Abramović seems aware that there’s been a shift in the way we consume art –observing isn’t enough; the public are increasingly itching to be involved. Much like we take incessant selfies and constantly announce what we’re doing on social media, as if to confirm we exist to an audience that’s not really listening. We want to be in on things. Abramović knows this and manipulates us beautifully.

It’s a different approach to her previous installation, The Artist Is Present, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2010. In that work, she sat daily for the duration of the exhibition, staring at a succession of members of the public sitting opposite her. But she was The Artist. To be in her presence was a luxury. It felt strangely powerful. She was giving something to others. And we were lucky to be included.

Now, increasingly, it’s all about us.

And I’m starting to think that us regular folk might not be up to the job. Are we really clever or interesting enough to be driving the narrative? I’m not sure I am. I like how art makes me feel like an outsider in someone else’s conversation, how it pushes me to think beyond myself and my own ideas. Is it healthy to be made to feel like we’re now special enough to be included in everything?

The rise in immersive theatre that tailors the individual experience also indicates this trend is growing. As a return visitor to Punchdrunk theatre’s The Drowned Man, (where audience members follow the storyline and actors of their choosing), the freedom of choice left me gagging for more. I went back multiple times to pursue my own adventures. Each was an unforgettable experience.

However, I saw many members of the public attempting to maximise their experience still further: people shadowing the cast a little too closely, or getting up in their faces, while the actors tried valiantly to ignore them and get on with the job.

What is it about humans, at this particular time in history, that makes us think we’re special enough to be part of art without having done any of the work to develop the emotional, intellectual or craft level that artists have strived to achieve? Perhaps inviting the audience in isn’t always for the best. Even though I like being included, I’m just not sure I’ve done the hard yards to deserve it.