Overview

This book responds to the urgent need to develop new ways of studying audience engagement with the arts in times of rapid technological and societal changes. Integrating humanities, natural sciences, and applied research approaches, the book proposes new methods of arts engagement research. It focuses on audience experiences of engagement, branching out engagement from the facilitation of arts involvement and audience development. The book presents a mixed-methods study of the signs of engagement in audience physiology (heart rate and skin conductance), audience reflections and contextual influence of the artworks. The exploration of the dynamics of audience experiences during two virtual reality (VR) art projects demonstrates engagement processes as adaptable. The results suggest that there is no ""best"" way to engage with the arts, but rather a range of engagement variants, which – depending on the context – stretch from relaxed alertness to high arousal. The book offers fresh perspectives, questions established audience studies and broader conventions, and opens new agendas that reach beyond disciplinary borders. This volume will resonate with audience scholars, arts practitioners, cultural policymakers, and researchers in psychology, neuroscience, empirical aesthetics, and VR.

Full Product Details

Author:   Agnieszka Wlazeł
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
ISBN:  

9781032861272

ISBN 10:   1032861274
Pages:   228
Publication Date:   01 December 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

List of illustrative material Foreword by Professor Ben Walmsley Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Defining the problem Chapter 2 Toward a study of experience of engagement Chapter 3 Methodology – critical realism for integrating perspectives Chapter 4 Two cases – directed and semi-directed experience Chapter 5 A New Mixed-Methods Research Design Chapter 6 Bristol and Whist – internal processes of engagement in context Chapter 7 From specific data to general understanding Chapter 8 Adaptative engagement Chapter 9 Conclusions – shaping arts engagement studies Post scriptum. Insights from Whist and Step to the Line artists Bibliography Appendix A Pre-Experience Questionnaire Appendix B Post-Experience Questionnaire Appendix C Semi-structured interview questions – Whist Appendix D All Bristol and Whist participants – main findings from questionnaires

Reviews

'Researchers have toiled for decades working to better understand the human response to art. Wlazel has pushed the envelope. My hope is that curators, artists, and producers – esp. those working in immersive paradigms – would join in this scholarly journey to better understand the levers of impact on mind, body and soul.' Alan S. Brown, Managing Principal WolfBrown 'Wlazel’s book is an important contribution to audience research. An essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary virtual culture and audience engagement in general. It shows how we can understand, measure, and value the audience experience.' Dr Aneta Mancewicz, Senior Lecturer in Drama and Theatre, Royal Holloway, University of London

'Researchers have toiled for decades working to better understand the human response to art. Wlazel has pushed the envelope. My hope is that curators, artists, and producers – esp. those working in immersive paradigms – would join in this scholarly journey to better understand the levers of impact on mind, body and soul.' Alan S. Brown, Managing Principal WolfBrown 'Wlazel’s book is an important contribution to audience research. An essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary virtual culture and audience engagement in general. It shows how we can understand, measure, and value the audience experience.' Dr Aneta Mancewicz, Senior Lecturer in Drama and Theatre, Royal Holloway, University of London

Author Information

Agnieszka Wlazeł is Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, UK, and Vice President of Impact Foundation, Warsaw, Poland.

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