From object to process: New paradigms of interactive art in public space

Abstract This scholarly article focuses on the exploration of current trends in artistic creation realised in real time through the use of digital and interactive technologies. It pays particular attention to works situated in public space, where intense interaction occurs between technological systems, the artist, and the audience. The theoretical framework draws from an interdisciplinary perspective that connects digital art with posthumanist philosophy. This approach understands artistic creation as a distributed process in which human, technology, and environment are interwoven, collectively generating meaning and aesthetic experience. Through selected case studies, the article presents two primary modalities of interactive art. The first is understood as an open, algorithmically driven process in which the final form of the artwork evolves over time based on environmental inputs or audience interaction. The second emphasises embodiment and sensory engagement, where the audience becomes an active co-creator of the artistic experience through physical presence, movement, or biological feedback. The discussion focuses on the ephemeral, processual, and participatory nature of these works, while also reflecting on the technological, aesthetic, and social challenges related to their production, documentation, and interpretation. In a broader cultural and philosophical context, the article examines how real-time artistic practices contribute to the redefinition of public space, the reconsideration of the audience’s role, and the transformation of the very concept of artistic creation in the digital age.