The first artwork is a film by Spiker Lee – “Do the Right Thing,” released in 1989, which is a performance art that does not require the active engagement of the viewer. The role of the viewer is passive with this art medium because they can only watch the film and discuss it without direct participation in the process, although performance art often allows viewers to participate in its creation. The viewer’s role with this artwork does not change over time.
The second artwork is “Piece of Cake,” created by D. J. Hall in 1987. This is a drawing created by using colored pencils and paper, and this work is conceptual art. Hall based this work on an identical photograph she took, and the woman posing next to the artist was hired, although a viewer might think that those are two close friends at a celebration. The viewer’s role here is passive, although it had changed from the time when Hall took the first photograph and by the time she created the drawing.
The third artwork is by Joseph Beuys, titled “I Like America and America likes me!” and created in 1974. This is a performance piece that required direct participation of a viewer, as Beuys was locked in a room with a coyote, performing different gestures for three days. Although the viewers did not engage with Beuys or the coyote, their presence was a crucial element of the performance. The viewer’s role might have changed from when the work was initially created because despite being able to see the photographs of this artwork, one can no longer become a part of it. This is why I would like to participate in “I Like America and America likes me!”