Augmented realities
"Rarely has the use of virtual reality been so obvious and formally stringent: a masterfully designed look into the metaphysical presence of history, literally transcending space and time." (Theater Heute, 2/24 for "Escaping Heldenplatz")
The "theater of extended realities"
The project "Theatre of Augmented Realities" serves the continuous research and testing of virtual, immersive and personalized theater worlds.
The aim of the project is to establish a continuous reflexive research area of artistic production, a new field dedicated to the practical testing and artistic-scientific research of virtually expanded theater formats.
Collaborative communication between actors and audience is non-negotiable for us. Therefore, the central starting point for our research into technological extensions is that theater must continue to be experienced as a live medium. The theater as a place of collective encounter should always remain a prerequisite. For this reason, the question of whether or to what extent the collective and co-presence-based event of theater could be robbed of its communicative substance through the use of digital technologies is continuously reflected upon.
The "Theater of Augmented Realities" project serves the continuous
At the same time, we see many new possibilities in the expansion of theater to include digital technologies. Specifically, our aim with this project is to systematically investigate and apply the full potential of existing extended reality (XR) technologies. Together with our partners, we are in a position to adapt the technological possibilities to aesthetic and dramaturgical requirements and integrate them into our own productions in a sustainable way.
The focus of the research project is therefore a theater of augmented realities.
Research: Questions and theses
In the "Theater of Expanded Realities" project, we ask ourselves how it might be possible to fully transform media theater into reality theater: What happens when theater attempts to reach beyond the usual stage formats and tries out forms that no longer allow us to distinguish whether theater is staging reality or reality is staging theater? How can theater demonstrate perspectivity in order to "seduce" us into our own realities?
The theoretical starting point for the systematic research and testing of virtual technologies in theater practice is the established reality-virtuality continuum according to Milgram/Kishino.
The continuum makes it clear that all forms of the more or less medially mediated realities are in principle to be understood as flowing into one another. Along this continuum, various possibilities for integrating mixed reality technologies will be tested and implemented over the course of the project.
"Of all the immersive experiences with techno currently available on German-speaking stages [...], this [State of Euphoria] is ultimately the most intense, the most inviting." (Theater Heute, 2/24)
Practice: Pieces & Installations
- Zabriskie Point: interactive kinetic installation and body-based sound and video works
- State of Euphoria: Fractal projection and interactive video stream installation
- Oneironautica 1+2: interactive pointcloud narration in virtual reality
- Auto_Nomos: The one-legged runner: interactive, body-orientated narration in virtual reality
- Escaping Heldenplatz: Mixed Reality Experience after Thomas Bernhard
- Castle Heldenplatz 3D or The Great Irritation: Cinematic Virtual Reality Experience
- I, Antonin Artaud - Der wilde Harlekin: Hologram projection on hologauze
Partners
Together with its partners, Theater an der Ruhr is committed to positioning theater work more decisively in the digitally transformed society and to breaking new ground together by pooling their respective skills and resources.
Project partners are:
- Theater an der Ruhr
Conception and implementation of the project, overall responsibility, practical realization of the projects and integration into the repertoire - Academy for Theater and Digitality
Imparting expertise and knowledge transfer in the technical and dramaturgical application context; consulting and networking - Working group for Mixed Reality and Visualization (Mirevi) at Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences
Co-conception and development of technical implementations, provision of technical resources - Dr. Jonathan Harth, University of Witten/Herdecke
Consulting for artistic, technical and sociological research tasks
We would like to thank our sponsors for their support of the research project: Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia within the framework of NEUE WEGE in cooperation with the NRW KULTURsekretariat.