Body in Space: Interactive 360° audio and video environments for (post)humans

How ‘real’ does the human body appear in digital spaces? The project explores physicality as an interplay between sound, image and movement in 360° environments. The artistic genre of audio-based performance becomes a focal point for diverse concepts of virtuality.

So-called immersive media are changing not only the way we experience spaces, but also how we perceive physicality. In virtual and augmented environments, physical and digital presence merge, and the human body becomes a data set, a projection or an interface for interactions. Against this backdrop, the project offers an experimental, artistic research approach to investigating the transformations and interactions between body and space through movement in 360° audio and video environments. ‘Body in Space’ brings together students from various hFMA universities and combines their expertise to create joint, interdisciplinary productions.

Project structure

The project is divided into two parts. The first part, ‘Virtual Sounds’, focuses on three-dimensional sound design: students develop their own sound compositions for spatial sound, which enable different, perhaps novel, forms of perception and reflection on space, the body and virtuality. Motifs from Edgar Allan Poe’s *The Fall of the House of Usher* serve as inspiration for the content.

The second phase, ‘Virtualised Images in Space’, expands the project to include audiovisual 360° ‘projection mapping’ and choreographed performances. Sensor-based interactions are implemented to create a dynamic interplay between sound and image, movement and digital projection. All stages of production – script, sound design, camera work, editing, assembly, programming, dramaturgy and production organisation – are carried out in small teams, ensuring that every participant plays an active role in the project. Opportunities for introductions to the technical and artistic implementation are provided, so that even beginners can take part without difficulty.

Aim of the project

The aim of the project is to artistically explore forms of expression and design relating to the presence of the human body in digital media spaces, to make these experiences accessible through aesthetics and performance, and to develop new perspectives on space, the body and virtuality. At the same time, the project aims to provide students with practical training in collaborative media production and interdisciplinary work, in order to foster creativity and creative skills in audio production, visual design, the aesthetics of interaction, dramaturgy and communication. The project results will be presented within the university as well as, for example, at the international Next Generation Festival at the ZKM in Karlsruhe and the Fulldome Festival in Jena.