What Do We Have in Common? A Venture into Taxonomy of Participatory Art Practices in the Postdigital Era

Abstract

Digital technologies have profoundly influenced collaborative practices, highlighting both their potential and inherent contradictions. Convergence culture encourages widespread engagement in content creation and circulation. However, growing disenchantment with shared practices, often co-opted by private interests and stripped of their conflict-driven essence, has led to "participation burnout". This situation underscores the urgent need for a refined vocabulary to evaluate participation models and power dynamics. The current research aims to distinguish between the descriptive and aspirational dimensions of participatory culture, shifting the focus from aspirational dynamics to the structural and functional features of art practices. By integrating Manuela Naveau's taxonomy of invitation-reception dynamics with Pietro Montani's theory of "rule-making creativity", the article analyzes the aesthetic autonomy of participatory projects and their capacity to embed open-endedness and generate new knowledge. Additionally, the paper includes a comparative analysis of two contrasting case studies – The Game by Trickster-p and A Social Gym by Didymos – illustrating the application of the suggested theoretical framework. The proposed methodology seeks to demystify appropriation and deception within collaborative practices, identifying the conditions necessary to foster radical equality and unpredictability.