This book engages debates in current art criticism concerning the turn toward participatory works of art. In particular, it analyzes ludic participation, in which play and games are used organizationally so that participants actively engage with or complete the work of art through their play. Here Stott explores the complex and systematic organization of works of ludic participation, showing how these correlate with social systems of communication, exhibition, and governance. At a time when the advocacy of play and participation has become widespread in our culture, he addresses the shortage of literature on the use of play and games in modern and contemporary arts practice in order to begin a play theory of organization and governance.
Introduction 1. Precursors to Ludic Participation 2. What Form Does Ludic Participation Take? 3. Ludic Participation as World Art 4. Play Events and Recursive Forms 5. Playgrounds I: Topologies of Form 6. Playgrounds II: Governance and Arts of Contingency Conclusion
Biography
Tim Stott is Lecturer in Art History and Art Theory in the School of Creative Arts at Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland and Associate Fellow at the Graduate School of Creative Arts and Media, Dublin, Ireland.
