How we read exhibition spaces: new models of spectatorship in screen media art

Abstract

In the last decades, screen media art has gained momentum both among artists as practice and among scholars for critical assessment. However, the role it plays within the museum context has not received much academic attention. The aim of this study is to bring together concurring theories that see in screen media art the grounds for new models of spectatorship. The pinpointed behavior is that of a self-conscious spectatorship, where the viewer is at the same lost and in control of time and space. This is allowed by the physical conformation of the gallery space, allowing the viewer to move around and away, and by the nature of the artworks, drawing the viewer to and into them. By combining how various scholars conceptualize this tension inherent to screen media art, a new model of spectatorship is then advanced. Through the use of two case studies, When the body says Yes (2022) by melanie bonajo and First Rain, Brise-Soleil (2021-in progress) by Thao Nguyen Phan, the combination of these conjecture is tested, and its validity assessed.