Abstract
Personal computing devices increasingly dominate more of our attention every day. Engagement with actual humans becomes a daunting task as we incrementally opt out of the uncomfortable vulnerabilities that burden one-on-one interactions. How as artists do we invite participation? Historian Nicolas Bourriaud's goal in Relational Aesthetics practice is to create a social circumstance that experientially becomes the artwork. Digital technology offers unlimited potential to connect with people in socially meaningful ways, but something important is lost when we do not converse with the community that is surrounding us. Participatory art engages public attention and interaction, allowing community members to be co-authors, editors, as well as observers of an artwork. All engaged art seeks to incorporate audience participation to give the work meaning and context. The works included in this thesis exhibition are a combination of both participatory and generative art, meaning at least part of the work was created with the help of an autonomous or computer based system.