Cite this article
Ebringerová, P. (2025) ‘From object to process: New paradigms of interactive art in public space’, Architecture Papers of the Faculty of Architecture and Design STU, 30(3), pp. 43-48. https://www.doi.org/10.2478/alfa-2025-0017
SUMMARY
The article “From object to process: New paradigms of interactive art in public space” by Paulína Ebringerová explores contemporary forms of artistic creation realised in real time in the presence of the audience, using digital and interactive technologies, primarily in the context of public space. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach that combines digital art with posthumanist thought, examining how algorithmic systems, sensor networks, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality enable the emergence of ephemeral, processual, and participatory works. These works radically redefine the relationship between artist, audience, and environment—transforming art into an open, mutable, and living system.
According to the author, the idea of art as a process is rooted in the 20th-century avant-garde traditions, which gain new dimensions in the digital age. Central to this is the transformation of the artwork from a static object into a live act of creation, where technology functions not merely as a tool but as a co-author. The article analyses specific case studies from the ISEA festival, focusing on two contrasting realizations: Cooperation Process, which uses collective live coding, and Dung Dkar Cloak, an interactive textile installation that responds to the viewer’s touch. Both works represent different modalities of live creation—one reveals the inner logic of digital processes, while the other requires the viewer’s physical presence.
The author pays special attention to corporeality, technological co-agency, and the situated nature of artistic interventions. Within the posthumanist perspective, the human is no longer the exclusive subject of creation—the act of creation is distributed across the human body, sensors, code, data, and the environment.
Public space, in this context, becomes not just the location of the artwork but the medium of artistic unfolding itself. Art does not emerge as a fixed object but as a temporally and contextually conditioned process, dependent on environmental input, viewer activity, or urban dynamics. The ephemeral nature of these works poses a challenge—traditional forms of documentation (photography, video) fail to capture their complexity, interactivity, and temporality. This calls for new curatorial approaches, organisational strategies, and collaborations between artists, technologists, city institutions, and communities.
In conclusion, the author argues that digital and process-based art transforms our understanding of artistic creation, public space, and the role of technology. Art shifts from object to relationship—between people, technologies, and environments. The viewer becomes a co-creator rather than a passive observer. This type of art is not primarily about form, but about interaction, temporality, and presence. In an increasingly digitalised world, it offers the potential for new forms of communication, identity, and social cohesion. It is not only about the future of art but also about our capacity to feel, think, and act in a world that is ever more interconnected and dynamic.