Audience participation has polarized recent debates about contemporary art. This incisive collection of essays uncovers the political, ethical and artistic capacities of participatory art and tests recent theoretical approaches. Renowned art historians, curators and artists analyse the impact of collaborative aesthetics on personal and cultural identity, concepts of the artist, the ontology of aft and the role of museums in contemporary society. They tease apart notions of interactivity, collaboration, performance, relational aesthetics and social art, clarifying a range of approaches to the creation and reception of art. They ask: how do audiences experience contemporary art? Do participatory art forms generate a new type of aesthetic learning experience, capable of shaping social and political behaviour? What degree of co-operation is required for such artworks to be successful? What approaches do curators take to exhibiting such artworks? Through close analysis of interactive artworks in a range of media, interactive Contemporary Art examines current international debates and proposes new ways of conceptualizing participatory practices. Book jacket.