ART IN THE WORLD WIDE WEB (INVESTIGATION ON TWO INTERACTIVE ARTWORKS OF MARK NAPIER)

Abstract

Today, alienation of the art and technology has come to an end and inevitable movement of the world toward digital culture has also affected the art. In the current study, two internet-based artworks created by Mark Napier, the contemporary American artist and one of the pioneers of Internet art in the U.S., were selected and analyzed. The main point of the study is investigating the role of audience and its interaction with his artworks, as well the effect of technology in the process of artistic creativity. By presenting his interactive art project on the Internet, Mark Napier has gone beyond the domain of exhibitions and museums and has utilized modern technology to make contact with the audience. In his artworks, audience is the inseparable component of the work and the process of creation finds more importance than the prototype and final outcome. In the creation process, the importance of active participation of the audience and artist’s consideration for cultural, political and social issues can be observed.