Abstract:

Digital media has blurred the distinction between creator- centric and experiencer-centric artwork. From online photo collections to remixed videos, the use of new media in digital art conflate the role of creator and experiencer, often leaving the installation itself to make critical decisions which steer the performance. This article presents The Imagination Environment, an art installation serving as a reflector of popular culture by fusing TV and movies with photos found online. The installation embodies Autonomous Expressionism as a framework of network artwork based in theory and psychology, from the models of art consumption by Kandinsky to the interaction models of Csik- szentmihalyi. In Autonomous Expressionism, the roles of the creator is secondary to that of online communities and it is the codification of this model which catalyzes new ideas and foster creative collaboration across disciplines.