Gauging the dynamics of spectatorship and material agency in public art through studio-based creation and analysis of “Observers Are Worried”

Abstract

This study investigates spectatorship dynamics and material agency in public art through the creation and analysis of "Observers Are Worried", a two-fold sculptural installation of latex foam figures in a draft (dame) game and a parade scenario. The project explores how material fragility and spatial ambiguity influence audience participation and interpretation. Employing a practice-led methodology, it draws on expressionism, relational aesthetics, and Ingold’s concept of material agency. Iterative studio creation, observation, and public engagement revealed how viewers respond to ambiguous artworks and how material decay shapes meaning in a Ghanaian art setting. Findings revealed that viewers shifted from passive observation to active participation, embodying Rancière’s “emancipated spectator.” The degrading latex foam introduced unplanned narratives of impermanence and vulnerability, supporting Ingold’s idea of material agency. Additionally, the installation’s openness triggered cultural projections, exposing subconscious views on power and race. Conspicuously, artistic production, material behavior, and audience interpretation co-created meaning in the sculpture. The study concludes that ceding authorial control (Barthes’ “death of the author”) and embracing material vulnerability are strategies for more democratic public art. It contributes to relational aesthetics discourse, arguing that meaning is negotiated among artist, material, and audience, and positions unpredictability as a generative force in contemporary practice.