The experience of art in urban space

The experience of art in urban space represents a very special case in the area of the studies of reception. In museums or galleries, reception of art often tries visitors' membership of the "worlds of art" (H. S. Becker, 1988). But the whole "apparatus" of museums and galleries (as a "system of relations" between material and non material, human and non human elements - Foucault, 1973) generally can help them in going beyond this "trial". In urban space, this apparatus is lacking, most of the time... In such a context, the meeting with a work of art is like this "astounding complex" (or "negative experience") Goffman described in his Frame analysis (1986). After an overlook on theories of reception, and its process that involves memories and affects, we particularly will point out the role that plays the apparatus in giving its "form" to the experience of art, including in urban space. On this "system of relations" basically depend the true nature of things (what is a work of art ?... Or another kind of symbolic objects) and our subjective "response" (Freedberg, 1986) : cognitive and emotional as well.