Black Box White Cube XR

Based on the founding story of the Festspielhaus Hellerau with its then revolutionary spatial and lighting concept, this symposium of international participants aims to examine how spatial concepts can be further developed for music and the performing arts. What opportunities does “extended reality” (XR) present new audiences by expanding physical space to the digital realm?

At the beginning of the 20th century, the set designer Adolphe Appia created a theatre auditorium entirely in white – a kind of “white cube” that dissolved the boundaries between the stage and the audience. At the time, his design was celebrated as a visionary counterpart to the conventional “black box” theatre construction which functioned as a mere proscenium for theatre-goers. Similar to the early 20th century, contemporary theatre is once again facing massive changes; rapidly developing communication technologies require a different balance between art spaces and their audiences, between analogue theatre and digital interaction.

During the BBWCXR symposium, researchers and curators will discuss aesthetic and cultural developments in the metaverse and tie these to the question of how cultural institutions can be made more accessible. The discussion will address, for example, the structures of municipal theatres and new possibilities for digital or hybrid music theatre. With a light-sound installation specially created for Hellerau, the Japanese-French duo NONOTAK will present an impression of what a new music and performance venue could look like. In cooperation with the ZKM Karlsruhe, Ars Electronica and ICRCAM Paris, participants will present and discuss computer-aided video dance, the use of “shared hybrid spaces” and an AI-based 3D audio piece. The project organisers also plan to cultivate long-term partnerships with regional universities and internationally relevant software and IT companies situated in Saxony and central Germany.

Artistic director: Moritz Lobeck
Curators: Inke Arns, Maria Chatzichristodoulou, Bika Rebek
Artist: NONOTAK (Takami Nakamoto & Noémie Schipfer)
Symposium: HELLERAU – European Centre for the Arts, Dresden: 25– 27 Oct. 2024