We all know that feeling that we wished the final pages of a book would be somewhat different, or that your favorite character should have been treated differently. The idea of allowing the reader or the viewer to take an active part in deciding the course of action in a novel or a movie is pretty old, but in spite of amazing new technologies it seems that serious artistic mediums are not very keen on it and readers and viewers are not that interested. Is this only because the technologies are not yet immersive enough and what is the difference between participating in an interactive video game and being able to choose between multiple plot lines in a movie?
Is there a Difference between Interactivity and Art?
One of the reasons it is so easy to produce successful interactive video games and so difficult to produce meaningful interactive novels or movies has to do with the fact that they serve very different goals. The passive nature of viewing or reading has to do with the fact that serious writing and filmmaking is a above all a form of communication. While it may be debated by experts, art is basically about trying to find images and words for ideas and feelings that cannot be expressed by regular spoken language. Can you truly think of an interactive Citizen Cane or an interactive War and Peace?
I’m sure readers will be able to give me examples for video games that can be defined as artistic, but it is my opinion that the moment you bring in interactivity, a movie will cease to be art and will be transformed into a video game, or in other words, strictly there for entertainment purposes.
Is it Possible to Build Bridges between Interactivity and Art?
And yet, I may be completely and utterly wrong. Perhaps having readers deal with moral issues and confront them with social problems and other dilemmas of modern existence is possible by highlighting the interactive features. Such efforts will surely not be commercial, but they can serve as a bridge that will connect interactive technologies with real art, meaning an earnest attempt on the artist’s side to communicate with his readers or viewers in a meaningful way.
At this stage, unless I am unaware of current interesting artistic projects, we are far from the point when such bridges connecting new interactive technologies and abilities with high art. I am sure with time, more innovative minds than my own will be able to carve new and unexpected paths to bridge the two.
About Today's Guest Writer:
Doron Heifetz is a jeweler and creative arts expert, owner of a silver monogram necklace website and a film and literature buff.
