Whose Art Is It, Anyway?: Investigating the Impact of the Active Viewer on the Authorship of the Art Form

This paper examines the creative approach to the process of constructing a short documentary for an interactive (active viewer) platform compared to that of a single-screen (passive viewer) platform. The single-screen film employs an author-driven narrative and is constructed using a “traditional” form of organization, software, and coding for cinematic screening. The interactive platform employs a non-linear approach, compressive coding, and alternative software which allows for viewer activity to create a series of “journeys” within the project. This article reflects on whether the variance in method and approach affects the creative process of the artist and how this represents a shift in the power balance or authorship from artist to viewer, and sits within a wider discussion of the interplay between filmmaker, subject, and audience within a landscape of emerging and converging diverse platforms.