What about the audience's role?
The audience: Art critics, art historians, teachers, students, entrepreneurs, patrons, and members of the public.
In the art world, the audience was a different concept that was experienced by each movement, era, and society. The audience that applauded Van Gogh and the audience that challenged Marcel Duchamp had realistically and statistically changed, but both their roles however, had enquired the biggest alteration of all. Historically, the audience was known as a group of people who observed and enjoyed artworks from a distance. They contributed their opinion about the artwork, expressed their views of the artist, and commented on the artmaking process undergone. The audience, a group of people, stood from a distance and voiced their expression to influentially change the universal outlook of an artwork; they were the power of the public and the key to an artist’s success. Although these aspects of the audience are still present and common, the movement of Contemporary Art commenced a changing role in the audience that is now interchangeable.
Firstly, the rapid change in materials and processes had thrown the audience off balance. With many members of the audience being opposed to change in traditional materials, more debates and controversies were spiralling in the art world, which incidentally, left the audience more diverse in personal opinion. The move from traditional materials (oil paints) and the distance created from traditional exhibitions (installation and street art) had left the audience on unstructured, unconventional terms. The boundaries that restricted the audience to be involved were diminished and with it, came a new role of power. Artists such as Frank Warren and Yoko Ono for example, used this new role to their advantage and began with audience participation in their artworks. Artworks of performance, installation, and even general pieces had enquired the audience’s participation to be successful. With audience members becoming apart of artworks instead of witnessing them from afar was revolutionary to the art world. This change defied the basic, traditional standards of art and expanded the art world and it’s audience members to be more diverse. It opened up different ways of viewing and expressing views and brought communities together which overall, resulted in universal understanding and appreciation.
Firstly, the rapid change in materials and processes had thrown the audience off balance. With many members of the audience being opposed to change in traditional materials, more debates and controversies were spiralling in the art world, which incidentally, left the audience more diverse in personal opinion. The move from traditional materials (oil paints) and the distance created from traditional exhibitions (installation and street art) had left the audience on unstructured, unconventional terms. The boundaries that restricted the audience to be involved were diminished and with it, came a new role of power. Artists such as Frank Warren and Yoko Ono for example, used this new role to their advantage and began with audience participation in their artworks. Artworks of performance, installation, and even general pieces had enquired the audience’s participation to be successful. With audience members becoming apart of artworks instead of witnessing them from afar was revolutionary to the art world. This change defied the basic, traditional standards of art and expanded the art world and it’s audience members to be more diverse. It opened up different ways of viewing and expressing views and brought communities together which overall, resulted in universal understanding and appreciation.