Sense of Wonder. Artistic portals between the real and the virtual.

'SENSE OF WONDER: a feeling of awakening or awe triggered by an expansion of one's awareness of what is possible or by confrontation with the vastness of space and time, as brought on by reading science fiction.' Our lives are increasingly shifting towards the digital. Artists, too, have made attempts - successful or not - to attract spectators in virtual worlds. The difference with pioneers from the late eighties and nineties like Jeffrey Shaw, Chris Marker, Monika Fleischmann and Char Davies is that the technology has made such a leap forward and has become so reachable that an enormous potential of digital worlds becomes reachable, connecting us to a wire of unexplored, virtual environments, the so-called 'metaverse'. This evolution is irreversible, not to replace physical experiences, but to create new art forms and to tap into new audiences. These experiences are only valuable when everyone involved – artists, performers, spectators - feels included within the virtual surroundings. The portal - the entrance to this experience – has a crucial role to play in this. How can the transition between the real and the virtual be constructed in such a way, that those involved feel part of the virtual environment? Concepts such as storytelling, interaction, presence, and immersion are vital in defining this transition. The research questions are divided into three categories: • Technical-artistic interaction What are the technological constraints hindering a fluid transition from a physical experience to a virtual one? In what ways can artistic parameters innovate technological development? • Presence of performers and audience From what point do performers and/or audience members feel part of digital reality? How can we define 'the portal' in this sense? • Technical-artistic functionality What functions must 'an artistic portal' possess to enable interdisciplinary performance? To what extent does the dynamic interaction between the physical and virtual audience determine the functionality of the portal? To what extent do artistic purposes determine the functionality of the portal? During this PhD trajectory several experiments combining these concepts will be set up, in order to construct various portals in the form of performances and/or installations.

Keywords:DIGITAL ART, VIRTUAL SPACE

Disciplines:Digital media, Interactive media, Media art

Project type:Collaboration project