The Role of Spectator in the Screen Arts

The object of this research is the spectator’s role in the system of screen culture: in cinema, television, video art and computer games, especially those designed for the virtual reality. Special attention is paid to the differences in unspoken rules and conventions in such spaces as cinema-halls and contemporary art galleries, because of the way such differences affect the spectators’ behaviour and perception, as well as the degree of their activeness in the communication process. The field of virtual reality is perceived as the newest medium, the aesthetic value of which is still to be clarified.

The novelty of the research is in problematisation of the spectator’s figure in the post-classic screen culture. While the role of cinemagoer is analyzed in a large number of cultural and psychoanalytic works depicting the communicative mechanics of cinema, the role of video and new media art spectator has not been explored yet. The author concludes that the video and modern screen arts call for a significant activeness of the viewer, who plays the role of critically thinking subject and due to this becomes the co-author of the artwork. However, the “hot” media of mass culture are designed for the passive audience and can change the situation.

The findings of this study can be used in analytical work, as well as in educational practice to give lectures and seminars on the courses of history and theory of contemporary art, cultural studies, media theory.

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