Steven Brown           Blackburn School of Art

Module - IA20701. Fine Art .

SEEING - THINKING - DOING

Are immersive installations changing how we look at art?

What is Immersive Art?

The term “Immersive Art” can be interpreted in different ways across different sectors. For some it can be seen as art that uses technology to actively involve an audience (Clarke 2025). In broader terms immersive art involves sensory engagement and some active participation beyond the use of technology. Interaction may involve the viewer walking through and around a piece, looking, touching, reacting to the work as the experience evokes an emotional response.

Immersive art experiences generally create a space that surrounds the viewer, whether that is for passive or active involvement (Rodriguez et al. 2024), aiming to evoke an emotional response. There has been a rise of themed experiences, with overviews of an artist’s work offering a new interface between the viewer and the art, sometimes at the risk of creating a populist spectacle.

 

As the increasing possibilities of sensory technology has grown so has its potential for use in the world of Art. The gap between traditional exhibitions and immersive, interactive displays, whilst remaining, is becoming smaller, with curators embracing new ways of presenting art and exploring how the visitor experience can be enhanced, encompassing the aesthetic and educational dimensions alongside the values of entertainment.

The immersive art experience is presented in many new forms, often away from the traditional gallery, targeting different audiences, emphasising the sensory impact for the individual and the corporate value to the organisers, such as town councils or entertainment hubs. This can influence the type of art presented, with an eye to popularism and profit

How society is SEEING, THINKING about and DOING Art can be described further:

Seeing

Looking, Observing, and SEEING in art can be described in differing ways. Vinther (2023) describes her approach and suggests a how-to, to see better. When we look we capture an image, a sensation that can form an impression in the mind. SEEING is an active process that asks you to challenge perception.

On a broader level, how we look at art can reveal much about the social and political systems of the era it was made (Berger, 1972). There is a cultural and historical context to how we perceive the things we are SEEING. We need to be encouraged to be critical of what we see, to understand the ideologies and dynamics of art, and to examine our own assumptions.

Thinking

Art THINKING (Whitaker, 2016) can guide (business) systems to greater creativity, using a mind-set that allows exploration of new ideas. The ways that artists think when examining the world around them can be innovative and bring new things into the world.

Artists submit ideas to a process of research, reflection and exploration (Sandburg, 2021), often thinking in mediums - be it an object, a sound, or a movement - and are willing to experience the unknown. A multiple of perspectives and a willingness to improvise can lead to thinking that challenges the status quo.

 

Doing

For any artist it is important to  be DOING art and this act is an evolving and maturing thing.

Artistic creation is a problem solving process in which exploration is an essential act. (Sawako and Takeshi. 2021). Emerging and young artists have a tendency to work unsystematically, modifying their approaches in random ways, making drastic changes to the subject, method and concept of the artwork they produce.

Expertise is developed over many years as artists find patterns of concept formation and apply analogical modification to new projects. New work becomes related to old, and an artist forms a network of ideas, a creative vision.

example of immersive

eg Hockney

Van Gogh

museum. gallery  examples

installations at the Tate

 

some frameworks

examples of info re public engagement, participation

About steven brown

Learn more about Steven Brown's background, influences, and artistic philosophy. From early inspirations to current projects, discover the story behind the artist and the passion that drives his creative process at Blackburn School of Art.

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