System Aesthetics

An exploration and hands-on analysis of the
underlying systems and inherent interaction models
imbued in technologically and scientifically
influenced aesthetic experiences.

Any experience and/or process can be distilled
down to an underlying system. Works of art are no
exception, especially those that incorporate a
direct form of interaction with one or more
participants. 'Systems Aesthetics' draws its name
from art critic Jack Burnham's critical theory on
"postformalist" art practices, wherein he
described a shift from an object-oriented to a
systems-oriented perspective on culture through
the lens of technologically- and
scientifically-influenced works of art. If
"systems are sets of elements standing in
interaction", then it follows suit that
interactive and process-oriented works of art can
be understood and developed in relational ways. In
this course, we'll analyze and critique the
underlying systems in a selected set of art
installations and use this learning to design,
develop and workshop new concepts for
systems-based art installations. In the process,
we'll tactically explore how interaction models
(active, passive, reactive) and their feedback
loops can be understood through various systems
theory diagrams (e.g., causal loop diagrams, user
flows) in order to make sense of and concept our
own interactive and process-oriented
installations.