My current PhD research seeks to explore the potential influence of Minimalist composers on contemporary immersive creative practice, through an examination of the venues that these composers used, their cross-disciplinary collaborations of the period under investigation, and whether an ‘expanded narrative’ can be found within specific works, which will be argued to contribute and impact on immersive creative practice within both their own recent works and those of contemporary visual artists.
My investigation explores the cultural, social and industrial backdrop of the period, and the shift towards both intermedia and what Melissa E. Feldman has described as the “crucial role of the participant/viewer” [Feldman, 2015, p167].
This investigation addresses the issue of whether process-driven Minimalist music can be considered to have an ‘expanded narrative’ which exists outside of the work itself, with regards to the relationship between audience <> work <> environment/event; and whether this narrative is relevant both when considering the work of the composers in the 1960s and 1970s, and within contemporary work, where the audience is more aware of relational practice and has a more advanced understanding of immersion through the development of virtual reality.
My own practice concerns works which engage the spectator to differing extents; from reflective photographic works mounted at both eye level and horizontally (Beyond the Mirror (2011)); to projected, interactive installations where the audience is invited to ‘step into’ and trigger changes within the work (A Space of Flowers (2009)); and to immersive installations in Second Life where the spectator is able to explore the work through the use of an avatar (Dysmorphia II (2009)), I embrace a range of processes and technology to create my work. This can be seen to mirror the experimental and process-driven work of the Minimalist composers and visual artists under investigation.
My investigation explores the cultural, social and industrial backdrop of the period, and the shift towards both intermedia and what Melissa E. Feldman has described as the “crucial role of the participant/viewer” [Feldman, 2015, p167].
This investigation addresses the issue of whether process-driven Minimalist music can be considered to have an ‘expanded narrative’ which exists outside of the work itself, with regards to the relationship between audience <> work <> environment/event; and whether this narrative is relevant both when considering the work of the composers in the 1960s and 1970s, and within contemporary work, where the audience is more aware of relational practice and has a more advanced understanding of immersion through the development of virtual reality.
My own practice concerns works which engage the spectator to differing extents; from reflective photographic works mounted at both eye level and horizontally (Beyond the Mirror (2011)); to projected, interactive installations where the audience is invited to ‘step into’ and trigger changes within the work (A Space of Flowers (2009)); and to immersive installations in Second Life where the spectator is able to explore the work through the use of an avatar (Dysmorphia II (2009)), I embrace a range of processes and technology to create my work. This can be seen to mirror the experimental and process-driven work of the Minimalist composers and visual artists under investigation.