5.3 Digital and virtual performance spaces

Digital performance spaces have revolutionized how we experience art. From early internet-based works to immersive VR, these spaces offer new ways for artists to create and connect. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend, pushing performers to adapt and innovate in virtual realms.

These digital spaces come with both benefits and drawbacks. They can reach wider audiences and enable fantastical creative possibilities. But they also lack the sensory richness of live performances and may exclude those without tech access. As artists explore this frontier, they're reimagining what performance can be.

Emergence of Digital Performance Spaces

Evolution of Digital Performance

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• Digital and virtual performance spaces have evolved rapidly over recent decades enabled by advancements in digital technologies, internet connectivity, and virtual reality systems
• Early examples of digital performance in the 1990s explored the potential of digital media to create interactive, non-linear, and immersive experiences
  • Internet-based works
  • CD-ROMs
  • Avatar performances in virtual worlds (Second Life)
• The proliferation of social media and video sharing platforms in the 2000s provided new avenues for artists to distribute and showcase digital performances to global audiences
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
• In the 2010s, the increasing sophistication of technologies allowed for the creation of highly immersive and interactive virtual performance environments
  • Motion capture
  • 3D animation
  • Virtual reality

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital and virtual performances across art forms as artists sought to continue creating and connecting with audiences remotely
  • Live-streamed concerts
  • Zoom theater productions
  • VR dance performances
• Artists explored innovative ways to adapt their creative practices and maintain audience engagement during lockdowns and social distancing measures
• The pandemic highlighted both the potential and the limitations of virtual performances as substitutes for live, in-person experiences

Affordances of Digital vs Physical Performance

Accessibility and Reach

• Digital and virtual performances offer the potential for greater accessibility, as audiences can experience the work remotely without geographic or physical barriers
  • Transcend geographic barriers to reach audiences in remote or underserved areas
  • Provide lower-cost and more convenient options for audiences facing financial, disability, or transportation barriers
• However, virtual formats can also limit the communal and ritual aspects of shared physical presence that many consider integral to the performing arts experience
• Digital platforms risk exacerbating digital divides and excluding audiences without access to necessary technologies, stable internet connections, or digital literacy skills

Creative Possibilities and Constraints

• Virtual environments allow for the creation of imaginative and fantastical spaces not bound by the laws of physics or material constraints of physical stages
  • Performers can inhabit digital avatars and interact with virtual environments in real-time
  • Endless possibilities for special effects, transformations, and world-building
• However, the sensory experience of virtual performances may be limited compared to the multi-sensory nature of live performance
  • Lack of tactile, olfactory, and spatial cues
  • Dependence on visual and auditory channels mediated through screens and speakers
• Digital technologies enable interactive and participatory elements, but the depth of performer-audience connection may be diminished compared to the energy exchange of live co-presence
  • Real-time audience feedback or choose-your-own-adventure narratives
  • Audience engagement through chat functions, emojis, and other digital feedback

Ephemerality and Reproducibility

• Virtual performances can be endlessly replicated, archived, and distributed, allowing for wider reach and longevity
  • Asynchronous and on-demand access allows audiences to engage on their own schedules and enables repeated viewings
  • Performances can be experienced by global audiences and preserved for future generations
• However, the reproducibility of digital formats can undermine the ephemerality and uniqueness of live performance as a one-time event
  • Loss of the "aura" and sense of shared, fleeting moments
  • Challenges for monetization and intellectual property protection
• Digital platforms often have lower barriers to entry and production costs compared to physical venues, but also raise new challenges
  • Digital divides and technical glitches
  • Online harassment and privacy concerns for performers

Technology's Impact on Audience Engagement

Interactive and Participatory Elements

• In virtual performances, audiences often engage through chat functions, emojis, and other forms of digital feedback, which can provide a sense of co-presence and influence the unfolding of the live event
  • Real-time comments and reactions can shape the performer's choices and energy
  • Audiences can vote on narrative directions or request specific actions
• Some virtual performances incorporate interactive elements that blur the lines between performer and spectator
  • Audiences can shape the narrative, make decisions for characters, or contribute their own creative content
  • Participatory elements can increase audience investment and agency, but may also disrupt artistic vision and flow

Embodiment and Immersion

• Motion capture and VR technologies allow performers to inhabit digital avatars and interact with virtual environments and audiences in real-time, creating new forms of embodied and immersive experiences
  • Performers can transform their physical appearance, movements, and surroundings
  • Audiences can feel a sense of physical presence and spatial proximity to virtual performers
• However, the mediation of technology can also create barriers to fully embodied and immersive experiences
  • Limitations of current motion capture and VR technologies in capturing nuance and detail
  • Potential for glitches, lags, or sensory disconnects that disrupt immersion
  • Lack of haptic feedback and other sensory cues present in physical performances

Digital Communities and Fandoms

• Streaming platforms enable global, synchronous participation in virtual performances, fostering digital communities and fandoms around shared cultural experiences
  • Audiences can connect with each other through live chats, forums, and social media discussions
  • Niche and subculture performances can find dedicated online followings and support
• The digital format can allow for greater intimacy and access to performers through Q&As, behind-the-scenes content, and direct messaging
  • Audiences can gain insight into creative processes and personal lives of artists
  • Performers can cultivate relationships and loyalty with their digital fanbase
• However, digital fan-performer interactions also raise challenges around parasocial relationships, privacy boundaries, and online harassment
  • Blurred lines between public and private personas in online spaces
  • Heightened fan expectations of access and intimacy with performers
  • Potential for toxic fan behaviors and entitlement enabled by anonymity and distance of digital platforms

Accessibility of Digital Performances

Transcending Barriers

• Virtual performances can transcend geographic barriers, allowing artists to reach audiences in remote or underserved areas who may not have access to physical arts venues
  • Performances can be live-streamed or made available on-demand to global audiences
  • Artists can collaborate and perform with others across distances and time zones
• Digital platforms can provide lower-cost and more convenient options for audiences who may face financial, disability, or transportation barriers to attending live events
  • Pay-what-you-can or free streaming options
  • Ability to view from home without travel costs or physical accessibility concerns
• The asynchronous and on-demand nature of some virtual performances allows audiences to access the work on their own schedules and engage in repeated viewings
  • Flexibility for audiences with work, family, or health constraints
  • Ability to pause, rewind, or re-watch sections for fuller understanding and enjoyment

Engaging New Audiences

• Digital and virtual formats may appeal to younger, digitally-native audiences and can serve as entry points to engage new audiences in the performing arts
  • Meets audiences where they already spend time and interact online
  • Can leverage social media platforms, influencers, and viral marketing to reach new demographics
• Virtual performances can be less intimidating and more approachable for audiences unfamiliar with theater etiquette or norms
  • Casual viewing environments and ability to multi-task or watch with friends/family
  • Option to turn off camera and mics to alleviate self-consciousness or anxiety
• Digital platforms can allow for more diverse and niche performances to find their audiences and build followings
  • Fewer gatekeepers and curatorial barriers compared to traditional arts institutions
  • Ability for marginalized artists and stories to reach receptive audiences online

Limitations and Challenges

• Virtual performances risk exacerbating digital divides and excluding audiences without access to necessary technologies, stable internet connections, or digital literacy skills
  • Uneven access to high-speed internet and devices, especially in low-income and rural areas
  • Lack of familiarity or comfort with digital platforms and tools among some audiences
• Some argue that virtual performances, while more accessible in certain ways, cannot fully replicate the visceral, communal experience and cultural ritual of attending live performances in physical spaces
  • Absence of shared physical space, energy exchange, and social bonding
  • Distractions and temptations of home viewing environments
  • Diminished perceived value or specialness compared to in-person events
• Hybrid models that combine virtual and in-person components may offer a way to maximize accessibility while retaining the unique affordances of live performance
  • Live-streaming in-person performances to remote audiences
  • Offering both virtual and physical attendance options for the same event
  • Designing performances that integrate virtual and in-person elements and audiences