Claire Bishop Antagonism and Relational Aesthetics, in October (journal), Fall 2004

In regards to performance based and installation art… this article talks of:
- Relational art works seek to establish intersubjective encounters
- The viewers become an ideal society during the viewing period
- Space becomes conceptually functional
- Talks of viewers importance in relationship to the work, they act as additional materials
- The work can become a “backdrop” rather than just a pure content provider
- The work becomes about the relationship between it and the viewer rather than the art alone
- Structure of art work creates a social relationship
- Bourriaud argues, “encounters are more important than the individuals who compose them.”
This article was interesting in relationship to my own work. One of my reasons for making what I make is my curiosity in viewer response.