CIM402.1
Gamification in Interactive Art Installations - A Functionalist Approach
This interactive art piece is an interactive 8 by 8 grid of buttons that change colour when pressed and trigger a multitude of pre-recorded sounds out of a set of speakers. The piece suggests that all users can be musical, even without any musical talent or knowledge. The piece is designed so that each interaction is unique both rhythmically and melodically. The gamification of music in this way reinforces the principles of functionalism by creating a practical object with clear purpose, fostering curiosity and introspective engagement, while producing a collaborative musical artefact.
The 8 by 8 grid and purposeful colour-changing feedback reinforce the notion that form can follow function in aesthetics (Graham, G., 2005). On its own, the actual device (a Novation Launchpad) is not what makes the artwork - it is the co-creation of a sonic environment by the audience in a direct relationship with the artist’s intention. Experimentation with button sequences, slowly understanding what each input does to the output of the speakers, and the nature of the colour-changing lights. This artwork embodies inclusivity by serving as a tool for musical exploration suitable for all skill levels, supporting lifelong learning through curiosity and play, allowing users to intuitively grasp complex relationships between sound, rhythm and interaction.
‘Functionalism in design insists that systems should meet human needs effectively’ (Coni AI, 2025). This artwork explores this principle by being a minimalist, easy-to-understand, user-centred system, where the final art produced is a collaboration between the audience and the artist. This output then sets itself up to be the learning materials for the next audience member to interact with the installation, creating a feedback loop of user experiences that inform and cascade into an even bigger collaborative performance.
Philosophy Tube (2017) argues that the problem with functionalism is that if it fails to achieve its intended function, can it still be classified as art? One could also ask if learning materials can be considered art? I argue that the unintentional musicality of this piece, along with its interactivity and adaptive design elements, makes a strong case for it being a suitable art installation in a gallery of similar works, such as Otherworld in Byron Bay. “We might hold… that a certain object provides aesthetic pleasure as well as having some symbolic function…, and that its characteristics are not explicable in terms of just one of these factors” (Davies et al, 2009). The gamification of art invites users of all ages to become captivated by the artwork’s responses to their inputs, to quickly understand the function of the piece, and to adapt their interactions in order to control the rhythm and melody of the musical output. The installation begins as an object of function and is transformed, through audience participation, into a diverse musical form. The playfulness and responsiveness of the piece lends itself towards sustained engagement, encouraging interest over time, a dynamicism that ensures the installation remains relevant and functional in diverse contexts.
This artist statement was written with the help of Coni AI (see References).
References
Coni AI (2025). https://app.cogniti.ai/agents/
Davies, S., Higgins, K. M., Hopkins, R., Stecker, R., & Cooper, D. E. (Eds.). (2009). A companion to aesthetics. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.
Graham, G. (2005). Philosophy of the arts : An introduction to aesthetics. Taylor & Francis Group.
Philosophy Tube. (2017, January 6). Intro to Aesthetics | Philosophy Tube [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nLa-jF6hHY
