Arts & International Affairs: Volume 2, Issue 1 | Page 68

and engagement with cultural content, encourage user agency, and add a
polysemic dimension to collections through new approaches and models of
representation and archiving. Another ostensible advantage relates to the
ability to transcend the limitations of physical space, enabling the creation
of so-called “museums without walls” where users can generate their own
material and narratives. That is not to say that all these aspects or qualities
are always amenable to realization, but they too remain subject to various
constraints, some of which will be reflected upon in the remainder of this
article together with the advantages of a digitally mediated art platform.
Digital engagement and participation
As an art platform, Autopoiesis allows for a mobile aesthetic and digital forms
of participation that are not attached to a particular pre-given meaning or
pre-defined perspective. Instead, meaning is created through the multiplicity
of users’ materials themselves and audience interpretations in a bottom-up
fashion. The project responds to the tension between two cultural tropes:
an institutionally guided culture based on particular understandings of art
and Emarati heritage, and the reality of a highly diverse culture and a large
migrant population. Rather than focusing on specific events or particular
moments in history, as is often the case with traditional styles of curating
and exhibiting, Autopoiesis is more interested in the fluidity and the humble
layer of the everyday (Autopiesis ����) by way of presenting a more hybrid
image of the UAE and allowing for different ontological perspectives. The
project encourages people from all backgrounds to submit any form of art—
poetry, video/audio materials, photographs, prose, paintings, drawings, etc.,
offering the opportunity for participation and engagement (Figure �).
Engagement is indeed a term that is often used in discussions on museum
strategies and cultural processes. Stephen Bitgood defines engagement as
“deep sensory-perceptual, mental and/or affective involvement [requiring]
some type of exertion or concentration as well as a sufficient amount of time
to engage” (quoted in Ridge ����). More than a quick “like” on Facebook
or a retweet on Twitter, engagement demands meaningful participation and
involvement (Ridge ����). As a digital and public-driven project, Autopoiesis
relies heavily on members of the UAE public (locals, residents, and visitors) to
populate the platform with their own content as an exercise of self-creation
and self-expression. Without users’ content, Autopoiesis would be merely
an empty container. The project is therefore inherently participatory and
engaging in at least three fundamental ways: firstly, through its contributory
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