Human Connection via Interactive Art: Katie Middleton, Fine Art

We are accustomed to the idea of looking at art from afar. Touring the DJCAD’s Degree Show opening night for The Jute Journal, we get a feel for something more free.

Squiggly-armed ‘wee men’ on a beaded curtain give way to my hands, revealing a fellow visitor knelt on a cozy orange cushion, looking up—the TV shows some heavily costumed friends, frolicking lightly by a loch.

Here is the interactive art installation by Katie Middleton. Graduating from the Fine Art course, she is showcasing her experimentations with sculpture, print, and video. ‘Playful and spiritual‘ is her approach.

Middleton tells TJJ:

‘Art is a good way to meet new people, build bridges, and discuss important things.’

For instance, the TV at the centre of the space shows a video of several friends playing outdoors in colourful wearable sculptures. This was inspired by Minoan ritual dance and Norse mythology’s Three Nornes, who are said to weave the course of our lives.

While she had a rough idea of her project, Middleton let herself ‘go with the flow’ as she took an old camera, some friends, and her sculptures on a daytrip.

It meant deciding to forgo the storyboards and to simply encourage everyone to have fun, with footage later cut together as a collage. This was particularly important for Middleton, who recruited friends who were not necessarily art aficionados. One of her aims in her artistic process is to ‘get others involved in art‘.

Indeed, she recounts to TJJ that there were several rather confused fishermen who witnessed the ritual dancing and waving-around. After explaining her project, she found that she had left a smile on each of the fishermen’s faces!

What, then, was the process making the art interactive for visitors?

Throughout each work, we see ‘The Wee Weird Men’ who seem to invite visitors to dance with them through the space, just as the artist wants to be ‘weaving past, present, and future‘. If you’d choose your angle, you could follow the wee men encircling a hanging viewing lens to distort the video, other wee men, or another visitor.

For context, Middleton tells TJJ that her study trip to Copenhagen gave her a distinct impression of interactive art, especially from the 1960s with the works of Marta Minujín. Middleton’s dissertation explores the evolution of interactive art and how interconnections between art, artist, and audience are formed, having been written alongside her art project.

As we conducted the interview, whimsical music was echoing through the exhibition room from under a giant Wee Weird Man’s nose. TJJ had to ask about that: the music was added with the advice of Mark, one of the technicians behind the spectacle of DJCAD.

Mark helps students operate DJCAD’s rare specialist equipment, such as the giant printmaker that made another Wee Weird Man. He hangs at the back, letting you admire his face, or perhaps to pose in front so that they become like an angel’s wings…

This Degree Show isn’t just a must-see but a must-visit. The pictures and words here cannot fully bridge the relationship between art and life. It seems that the magic lies with visitors and unwitting participants like you and I, whose involvement makes the art, including the Wee Weird Men, come to life.

You can check out Katie Middleton’s work on Instagram @katiejmart and portfolio website.