Reading Blog 3

I think that Net.Art is one of the best interactive art styles. In a world full of flat art, Net.Art brings a whole new dimension to user experiences. When we walk in an art gallery, we can see paintings, sculptures, film showings, and charcoal drawings laid out on the walls and floors. We are allowed to walk around these items, look at them from different angles, and even experience them in large spaces, but most art has the tag “Do Not Touch!” Do Not Touch essentially separates us from the artist and their work and might even make us feel inferior. The whole “look, don’t touch” ideal can be considered elitist, a continuation of the “us and them” ideology. Net artists go against this grain by making their artwork, and therefore themselves, accessible to interaction. 

When we access a Net.Art, we immediately have an unspoken agreement with the artist: we will consider their artwork, and they will consider us. In the case of WebVentures, we begin by choosing options that will eventually lead us to a specific ending. This ending considers the viewer's personality and desires, interpreting them artistically. The artist looks inside the potential viewer’s head and rewards them with personalized artwork. 

In the case of other Net.Art interactions like the VNS Matrix, multiple artists come together to delight in the net and its feminist offerings. The net becomes and even playing field for men and women, where genitalia is stripped away, and all that remains is the artists’ minds.