Hyperreal opera, AI reality show, and our entangled histories
A weekly digest charting developments across live performance, technology, and the emerging Metaverse
New Forms and Audiences
Lu Yang Destroys Self in Motion Capture Performance
Lu Yang's motion-capture performance Delusional World (2020) live-streamed from Chronus Art Centre in Shanghai last month. Yang is currently working on The Great Adventure of Material World, an adventurous video game artwork combining the fantastical, often morbid explorations of many of their past works.
Virtual Factor by Manchester Festival
A series of online projects by The Factory, a new cultural space being built in Manchester, UK. Projects include LaTurbo Avedon’s Your Progress Will Be Saved that reimagines The Factory within Fortnite Creative as well as upcoming works by Jenn Nkiru, Tai Shani and Robert Yang.
The world’s first opera in hyperreality
The Royal Opera House presents Current, Rising, in collaboration with Figment Productions and Royal Holloway, University of London premiering December 19. The work combines virtual reality with a multisensory set, inviting audiences to step into a bespoke ‘Opera Tardis’ and experience a dream-like journey carried musically by a poem layered in song.
An online multiplayer game world by Trust for Haus der Kulturen der Welt designed for The Shape of a Practice, a week-long event that brought together over 100 researchers, scientists, artists, and activists to discuss and negotiate paths through the Anthropocene.
Roblox has big plans for virtual music events
The online user-generated universe and game Roblox has been experimenting with virtual live events including a concert by Lil Nas X on November 14 and the Ready Player Two treasure hunt taking place across seven Roblox worlds that began on December 1.
Rival Peak aims to be a massive game-like reality show with AI characters
Rival Peak is a quasi-reality staring 12 artificial intelligence characters that the audience controls and influences. The show was created by Genvid with their interactive cloud-streaming engine and Pipeworks Studios and launched on December 2 on Facebook Watch.
Collina Land by Collina Strada
Fashion designer Collina Strada launches Collina Land, a web-based interactive game featuring models as avatars showcasing their Pre-Fall 2021 collection. Made in collaboration with Gucci for Guccifest, a virtual fashion film festival that ran from November 16 - 22.
Tech and the Metaverse
Come Explore Disney's New Theme Park 'Metaverse'
Disney attempts to enter into the metaverse discourse with the announcement of its virtual theme park described as "a shared magical world created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space".
Want to predict the future? Look to gaming
Ethan Kurzweil, formerly of Linden Labs and current partner at the venture capital firm Bessemer, gives a concise overview of the metaverse and how the gaming industry is inventing new kinds of interactive social experiences.
Crypto for Creators: From Art Galleries to 'Tokenized' Collectibles
An interview with two artists who are exploring crypto-powered auction sites and marketplaces. Artist and designer Pak discusses new ways for collectors and investors to buy, sell, and trade digital art through emerging tokenization models including non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Last month Roblox filed for IPO as they attempt to position themselves as the primary facilitator of the Metaverse.
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Part aggregator, part independent journal, Scenospace delivers a digest charting developments across live performance, technology, and the Metaverse. Scenospace is delivered every week to your inbox.