In the spirit of the Situationists, many contemporary artists are attempting to redefine the relationship between human and city, particularly addressing the electronic mediation of contemporary culture. These artists provide an inquisitive and (mostly) positive outlook on how humans can interact with the city, striving for a reduced sense of foreignness and a heightened enjoyment of urban space (often in conjunction with electronic tools). While technology has frequently been criticized for its isolating tendencies, artists are exploring an exciting range of projects that utilize technological tools in interactive and socially engaging ways (such as personal narrative mappings, interactive city walks and games, and cell phone-based projects). Utilizing the city spatially as their setting, performance artists, political activists, and new media artists have spearheaded a new revival of Situationist ideas exploring perspectives of the city that surpass the hegemony of urban theory.
