The 6th issue of the Fresh Perspectives series takes you on a playful but serious journey along the issues at stake when designing a mixed reality experience in the context of theatre and performance. The publication features a selection of projects describing in detail the artistic design processes, as well as the challenges and opportunities brought about by the use of mixed reality technologies.Joris Weijdom, researcher and lecturer at the Professorship, wrote the key article and curated this publication.
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What does collaboration in Dutch inclusive theatres look like, and what key themes can be identified? Data were collected through interviews and co-creative sessions with seven independent theatre makers and members of three participating theatre groups (n=48). Thematic analysis resulted in the proposal of a model that identifies six interconnected core issues central to inclusive theatre practices: the Atomium Model in which dynamic tensions of attracting and repelling forces exist. The study concludes that those involved in inclusive theatre are willing to continuously face artistic and collaborative challenges to fulfil their political ambitions and to dismantle prejudices and barriers. Plain language abstract: We studied the collaboration between theatre makers, actors with and without intellectual disabilities, and coaches in inclusive theatres in the Netherlands. We spoke with seven independent theatre makers and participants from three inclusive theatre groups and organised co-creation sessions. Through this research, we identified six interconnected themes that are essential to collaboration within inclusive theatre practices. These themes are characterised by inherent tensions, such as the balance between pushing personal boundaries for growth and respecting them for safety. We concluded that participants in inclusive theatre continually face artistic and collaborative challenges to achieve their ambition of dismantling prejudices and barriers.
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placing the work of wapke feenstra within the movement of performance theater and live art
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For the ‘Rotterdam Project’, a large amount of historical data on patrons of Rotterdam’s main theatres during the ‘long’ 19th century (1773–1914)was collected, digitally registered and statistically analysed. The data was gathered from the theatre archives of the city of Rotterdam and included data on such specifics as ticket sales, repertoire and featured performers. The database holds prosopography information on over 16,000 patrons and almost 15,000registered ticket sales to these patrons. This dataset (https:// doi.org/doi:10.21943/auas.7381127) can be used to make comparisons to the datasets of similarly sized cities in other countries during the same period and for broader re- search on 19th-century cultural history. So far, the data has been mainly applied to empirically test the master narrative of theatre historiography on the social composi- tion of theatre audiences. The analyses based on the data show that this narrative must, for the most part, be rejected.
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Created for the 2019 Prague Quadrennial’s 36Q°, Blue Hour VR was a site-responsive mixed reality performative installation that placed the spectator, as experiencer, within a hybrid landscape of real- time three-dimensional computer graphics and 360-degree video. This article describes the design process, staging and experience of Blue Hour VR from the vantage point of its creators. Using a phenomenological perspective, the article discusses how Blue Hour VR staged presence and embodiment within an intermedial haptic experience. Blue Hour VR demonstrates how virtual reality technology can be harnessed by a mixed reality performance design, which includes both the material and virtual environment, creating a complex stratigraphy of intermedial textures and visual dramaturgies that co-exist inside, outside and in between perceptual realities. In doing so, the article aims to contribute to the limited body of work on mixed and virtual reality in the context of theatre and performance design.
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BackgroundThe importance of learning to create an expressive performance is a consistently discussed topic in music education. However, how musicians develop “expressiveness” is still understudied. Recent investigations have shown that musicians’ motor behavior is a significant source of perceptual information during performances (Davidson, 2007), as it helps audiences differentiate musicians’ expressive intentions and it often serves as aperformance quality indicator (Waddell & Williamon, 2017). Nevertheless, most current teaching approaches in Higher Music Education focus mainly on acoustic characteristics of performance, and they lack clear goals and systematic teaching patterns (Karlsson & Juslin, 2008; Meissner, 2021).For centuries, some of the most influential theater methods have used physical exploration (motion) to stimulate imagination and create affective states (emotions) in actors. These approaches are rooted in embodied cognition theories, which claim that physical experience shapes conceptual thought, and this is contingent upon the body’s interactions with its environments (Kemp, 2012). Drawing inspiration from theater practices, the method “Frommotion to emotion” for enhancing expressiveness was developed by this author, using improvisational theater as a basis.AimsThis workshop is designed to acquaint participants with the method. We will share insights and reflections from previous participants to demonstrate its effects and will foster discussion around teaching approaches. Short outline of the activities to be undertaken by the presenters/audienceAfter an oral introduction to improvisational theater, participants will engage in practical exercises to experience it firsthand, exploring how to acquire a “physical vocabulary” applicable to music performance. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences during debrief moments. This workshop is accessible to individuals with no previous theater experience. The total duration would be 90 minutes.Implications for practiceThis contribution emphasizes the importance of integrating visual characteristics of performance in teaching approaches, increasing musicians’ body awareness, and strengthening body-mind connection. These efforts can positively impact individuals’ development, enabling them to create convincing performances while boosting self-confidence.Specific value of the workshop for the conferenceThis method merges embodied cognition theories with theater techniques to innovate educational approaches to expressiveness, making it relevant for musicians wanting to enhance this skill, music educators aiming to teach it, and experts from the field of psychology interested in how it develops.
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Thermal comfort in operating theatres is a less addressed research component of the in-door environment in operating theatres. The air quality naturally gets most attention when considering the risk of surgical site infections. However, the importance of thermal comfort must not be underestimated. In this research, the current thermal comfort situation of staff members is investigated. Results show that the thermal comfort for the members of a surgical team is perceived as not optimal. Application of the PMV and DR models needs further attention when applied for operating theatres. For the investigated ventilation systems, the differences in thermal comfort outcomes are small.
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A local operating theater ventilation device to specifically ventilate the wound area has been developed and investigated. The ventilation device is combined with a blanket which lies over the patient during the operation. Two configurations were studied: Configuration 1 where HEPA-filtered air was supplied around and parallel to the wound area and Configuration 2 where HEPA-filtered air was supplied from the top surface of the blanket, perpendicular to the wound area. A similar approach is investigated in parallel for an instrument table. The objective of the study was to verify the effectiveness of the local device. Prototype solutions developed were studied experimentally (laboratory) and numerically (CFD) in a simplified setup, followed by experimental assessment in a full scale mock-up. Isothermal as well as non-isothermal conditions were analyzed. Particle concentrations obtained in proposed solutions were compared to the concentration without local ventilation. The analysis procedure followed current national guidelines for the assessment of operating theater ventilation systems, which focus on small particles (<10 mm). The results show that the local system can provide better air quality conditions near the wound area compared to a theoretical mixing situation (proof-of-principle). It cannot yet replace the standard unidirectional downflow systems as found for ultraclean operating theater conditions. It does, however, show potential for application in temporary and emergency operating theaters
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The Nature Spectacle: On Images, Money, and Conservation Capitalism by Jim Igoe is, as its Preface states, an ambitious book that seeks to make connections between diverse times and places. The preface also, in many ways, tells more about the background and intention of the book than its chapters do, tying together the author’s origins and motivation. Igoe recalls his childhood in St. Louis, Missouri, much of which he spent “in front of a television and at a neighborhood movie theatre” (p. XII), once watching a musical, which was “essentially an extended Chevrolet commercial set among the geysers of Yellowstone” (P. 109). It is the mix of such absurd and comical observations of commercialism merging with Nature, and much heavier criticism of the capitalist cult of economic growth, development, and also conservation that characterizes The Nature of Spectacle. Much of Igoe’s outdoor experiences were shaped by green spaces, created in St. Louis as part of commodity exhibits at the 1904 World’s Fair. The author admits to feeling both critical and nostalgic of those places that have merged (sub)urban aesthetics with that of industrially developed commercial “spaces” (p. XII) – important concepts that form a leitmotif throughout the book. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2018.1488355 https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
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In indoor comfort research, thermal comfort of care-professionals in hospital environment is a little explored topic. To address this gap, a mixed methods study, with the nursing staff in hospital wards acting as participants,was undertaken. Responses were collected during three weeks in the summer (n = 89), and four weeks in the autumn (n = 43). Analysis of the subjective feedback from nurses and the measured indoor thermal conditions revealed that the existent thermal conditions (varying between 20 and 25 °C) caused a slightly warm thermal sensation on the ASHRAE seven point scale. This led to a slightly unacceptable thermal comfort and a slightly obstructed self-appraised work performance. The results also indicated that the optimal thermal sensation for the nurses—suiting their thermal comfort requirements and work performance—would be closer to‘slightly cool’than neutral. Using a design approach of dividing the hospital ward into separate thermal zones, with different set-points for respectively patient and care-professionals’comfort, would seem to be the ideal solution that contributes positively to the work environment and, at the same time, creates avenues for energy conservation.
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