Interactive Art

Interactive art was a style that really pushed the boundries of art, allowing people to interact with animations, sounds and pictures prompted by movement or touch.

"The Insyde Project", by Airside Studio

The Insyde Project is an interactive piece of installation art that was featured in a room in the Walker Gallery in Liverpool. The room would be dark, with a still image of a forest projected and a small spotlight would be projected onto a point on the floor. Once a person stood over said spotlight, an animation (activated by a sensor pad under where the light has been shone) is played onto a screen which displays a still background across the walls of the room. The animations varied depending on the spots on the floor, and would depict different creatures appearing from behind the scenery, interacting with said scenery and/or other creatures.

"Very Nervous System", by David Rokeby

David Rokeby set up video cameras, image processors and computers as well as a sound system to create a series of interactive sound installations that were triggered by movement. The different movements of the body produced different sounds, including varied tempo and pitch.

This idea began in 1986, which was quite early for such creative interactive art. With new technology constantly appearing nowadays, this could easily be replicated, and perhaps improved on somehow, with more advanced versions of the equipment Rokeby used.