From Improvisation to Conceptual Interactivity

Ritter provides an overview of his work on interactive performances and installations that are directed by improvised music or by the extemporaneous actions of audiences. The presentation includes a description of an interactive performance system that Ritter began developing in 1988, and how it became the technical basis for his interactive video-sound installations that are controlled by body motion, position, or voice. The term conceptual interactivity is proposed to designate when the content of an artwork is conveyed to audiences experientially, through their physical interactions with a work. The presentation will include documentary videos of performances and installations that demonstrate the notion of conceptual interactivity and its relationship to improvisation.