For: A Wedge between private and public
Symposium in interactivity and public space
22 April 2010
SESSION 2 – Interface

Report by John Haltiwanger

Steven van Thije spoke to address the notion of interface and how it relates to art, especially in the sense of the museum. Invoking Michael Serres’ *The Parasite*, Steven discussed how “systems work because they don’t work”–if a relation remains it is because the connection has failed. In terms of art, one can either act within the realm of the interface or one can engage the interface directly. This is the idea of playing with the limits versus using already understood rules.

Artwork can be an action upon the interface or it can be a moment of density within a system. How does a museum facilitate this? 19th century museums did not display art on the wall in an organized gallery style. Instead the collection was placed “all at once” on the wall, a kind of direct interface to the art depot. The type of knowledge production in the culture at large is reflected in the interface of museums. In the early twentieth century museums began to transition towards becoming an exhibition space rather than an art depot. The 19th century museum interface pointed towards the universal while the 20th century museum points addresses the individual with its exhibition interface. The exhibition style was designed to disappear the body of the audience.

What is currently happening in the museum space? If art no longer functions as Rockwell’s did (self-contained, internal focus) and instead focuses on the edges, how do we display it? Less and less artwork is just objects to collect but rather installations. Therefore artwork cannot just be collected and placed in the art depot. When the artwork is a complex interface it allows for contemplation of how to share and/or display this type of art.