Interdisciplinary Artistic Image Formation in Contemporary Performance Art: Digital Mediation, Embodiment, and Immersive Practices

Abstract

Performance art is changing as a result of active technological development. The purpose of this article is to study the significance of interdisciplinary methods in performative art for the creation of artistic images. A descriptive analysis of selected cases is provided in the paper. This analysis allowed generalizing the influence of interdisciplinarity on the formation of artistic images in contemporary performance art. The results of the study show that audiovisual integration, physical improvisation, technological experiments, interactive and multimodal approaches are most often used in contemporary performances. Bioart, neuroaesthetics, and algorithmic programming are also actively developing. Case studies have shown that light, sound, and algorithmic interaction played a key role in constructing an artistic image, as they shape it as an event. At the same time, interdisciplinarity as a phenomenon has generally changed audience expectations of performances. Accordingly, the study significantly expands the contemporary understanding of interdisciplinarity not only as a technical combination of media, but also as a separate aesthetic strategy that influences the formation of new types of performance art. The conclusions mainly focus on practical recommendations. Artists, exhibition curators, and art institutions should actively experiment with intermedia forms, while educational institutions should introduce interdisciplinary practices into the curricula of art schools and theatres.