#Spectacular: Art in the Experience Age Thesis

#Spectacular: Art in the Experience Age
Thesis Defense by Brittany Corrales
Tuesday, April 21, 1:00 PM
Location: Brickyard Artisan Court (BYAC) Suite 108
699 South Mill Ave
Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Mirrored Room – The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away,
2013, wood, metal, glass mirrors, plastic, acrylic panel, rubber, LED lighting system,
and acrylic balls, David Zwirner Gallery, NYC (Photo: Andrew Toth/Getty Images)
In the 1960s, Minimal Art introduced a radical insistence on the bodily immediacy of
the experience. Since then, artists have increasingly focused on the creation of immersive
experiences, resulting in spectacular installations that fill museums, galleries, and public
spaces. In this thesis, I argue that the artistic shift toward experience-based work stems
from an overall revaluation of the experience as a central component of contemporary life
in Western societies. Referencing sociological and economic theories, I investigate the
evolving role of the art museum in the twenty-first century, as well as the introduction of
new technologies that allow for unique sensorial encounters. Finally, I situate this
development in both art historical and theoretical context, examining the relationship
between critical distance and immersion and challenging the notion that art must become
spectacle to compete with the demands of a capitalist culture.
Committee Members: Betsy Fahlman (Chair), Meredith Hoy,
Heather Sealy Lineberry