A reflection on ‘Intermedia’ by
Dick Higgins
September 9th, 2026

From Higgins’ writing on intermedia in 1965, it seems to me like he viewed the subject as an art movement rather than a general branch of art that can exist within itself. He makes many references to other artists and mediums followed by claims aided by his belief. One to point out is his criticalness of theatre and the state of performance art at the time. He claimed that theatre’s formula and execution is exhausted and lacks longevity due to its structure. This claim is backed up by the reference to performance art that takes the traditional setup of separation of audience and performers and bends it to create ‘happenings’ instead of ‘experiences’. He also makes an interesting remark about how, during the time, voices such as Duchamp’s are being lifted and voices such as Picasso’s are fading due to their work’s ability to be classified or not. He writes about how there is much more potential for work that falls in between known mediums rather than work that can be easily classified. I don’t agree with the entire sentiment that work that can be easily classified is somehow of less value than work that cannot, however, I do believe it causes viewers and even artists to think more critically about the work’s context.
Although brief, Higgin’s uses the term ‘life-media’ which I found very interesting. Due to his context and my own interpretation, I define life-media as something that is not seen in an artistic context. This is a concept that I believe falls into intermedia studies perfectly and can serve as a great baseline idea for future work. Creating art using life-media and about life-media can really exist in those in-between sections of the intermedia diagram that many strive for (including myself).