Omnivorous cultural consumption and the co-creation of cultural products: Interactive versus participatory art

How do omnivorous consumers perceive co-creation in cultural consumption? In this article, we combine observation data on co-created cultural productions, focus groups and field interviews to investigate omnivorous consumers’ perceptions of artistic experiences characterized by different degrees of co-creation. We explored this topic in the context of co-creative theatre, an emergent theatrical genre that provides for the active involvement of omnivorous consumers in the staging of a theatrical performance. Our findings reveal new dimensions of what it means for omnivorous consumers to be culturally open by showing their perceptions of interactive and participatory art, two distinct co-creative artistic experiences. While interactive art encourages consumers to intervene in the artistic experience by following the precise direction of the professional artists on stage, participatory art entails an even more active and autonomous role of consumers in the design of the experience. Our findings indicate that there are differences between the way in which consumers perceive interactive art and participatory art and that two distinct dimensions of cultural consumption – novelty and authenticity – emerge from different co-creative dynamics. The observed co-creation experiences portray the transformation of the omnivorous consumers from spectators or visitors to co-authors of the experience and mark the dissolution of the existing boundaries between production and consumption.