Opinion: Engaging With Art is a Communal Act

A topic that I’ve been thinking about a lot is how we perceive art and all the factors that can impact this. Whether it's a painting at a museum and how it has been purposefully placed in certain lighting or on a certain wall. Or a movie and whether you see it at home on your iPad, or at a theater with people. All of these things can affect how we perceive art and how we analyze it after the fact. 

Now, when it comes to music, all that remains true. You can have a completely different experience listening to a song or album alone in headphones, then you would have listening to that same thing on a speaker in a group of people. Not only that, but this experience can be greatly changed when it is heard live. Everything that occurs in a live show is so singular. An artist might have played the same set or performed in the same venue, but the people, the time, and the energy will never be fully replicated. 

(Picture from 3/20/2026 Subtronics show at MGM)

To me, this amplifies the connection that comes with a live performance. Everyone that is there is witnessing a singular event. Even if you hear the same song as others did at the show before, the way the artist played it or how the crowd reacted will be different. And the fact that you can share such a unique experience with a crowd of people is beautiful.  

It reminds me of a quote I heard in an interview recently that is, “We are finding a way, through art, to collectivize the human experience,” (Josh Scherer, 46:40-46:44). This was shared in an interview with Elijah Woods in regard to the collaborative aspect of making movies, but can be applied to any sector of art. Art can collectivize experiences in so many ways. Whether it be through representing a shared experience or by opening a door for conversation and analysis.  

For example, a piece of art could reflect a certain emotion that you have thought to be individual until you see it recognized by someone else. You might stumble upon this accidentally, or you might go looking for it. Like when you go through a dark time and search for some explanation of how people have handled it in the past. Or are extremely happy and want a song that reflects this joy. As Ethan Hawke put it in his TED talk, “Most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about poetry. Right? … Until their father dies, they go to a funeral, you lose a child, somebody breaks your heart, they don’t love you anymore, and all of the sudden you’re desperate for making sense out of this life,” (2:04-2:20). 

Even the act of observing art alone can be communal, because it is made by someone else. By simply listening to a song on your way to work, you are creating some relationship between you and the artist, even if that connection is small or distant. 

There is no overarching point I am attempting to make with this post. More so a collection of my thoughts. However, I think the intersection of art and community is a beautiful thing that we so often overlook. Maybe not in the obvious ways, like when we view or discuss art with others, but in the small ways like listening to a song. And, with how easy it is to go through life in your own reality, I think it is important to keep in mind how the things we give our attention can be communal. Whether we regard them that way or not.

Sources: 

1. “Elijah Wood Eats His Last Meal.” YouTube, uploaded by Mythical Kitchen, 26 Mar 2026, https://youtu.be/1gavEkxCsII?si=n4hHZxwq_g1lg2S7&t=2799. 

2. “Give yourself permission to be creative | Ethan Hawke | TED.” YouTube, uploaded by TED, 11 Aug 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRS9Gek4V5Q&t=59s.