An exploration of the relationship between art and audience, in an aim to better understand the influence of the encounter with art.

This thesis considers and investigates the art and audience. An attempt is made to comprehend and articulate the changes which manifest in the viewer as a consequence of with art. This is achieved through the exploration of of enquiry: a reflection of existing literature and artist practices. The audience encounter with art in a public setting. An ethnographic investigation of two gallery sites and an analysis of an alternative model for experiencing art through mindfulness. Furthermore, creative practices are used as a means to investigate the audience encounter, in addition to a combination of ethnographic methodologies. Such as: a range of participant observations, data retrieval through observation and interviews. It is the aim of this thesis to expose the authority and value of the encounter with art.