Some things I’ve been wondering about
How can digital experiences—most notably, augmented reality experiences—enhance our relationship with the physical and natural world?
Can they enhance…
- interpersonal relationships?
- our relationships with nature?
- our relationships with creative expression (art, music, written/spoken word, etc.)?
… in a way that does not remove us from the physical world, but instead enhances, or even connects us to it?
And also
What are some ways to rethink the material (read, for now: financial) sustainability of projects like this?
What happens when we think beyond, “How can we justify the existence of this project by demonstrating profitability,” to “How can we, our families, and our communities thrive as we build, improve, and maintain this project?” I mean, we need to eat, we need the arts, we need to grow… but maybe there is a different way to frame it.
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Hi Mary! That’s an interesting idea. I took a quick look around the web and didn’t find any parallels (yet!), but this virtual reality holographic music teacher (video posted 2017) showed some cool potential. Uneven connectivity looks like it remains an issue for larger groups. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised to find people working on it right now as companies and communities embrace remote connections beyond and after the pandemic.
https://youtu.be/egQXSQ79w30
I sing in a classical chorus. Since covid has rendered group singing to be a highly infectious activity, we have moved our rehearsals online, particularly on Zoom. Since we all have different internet speeds, thus different delays, online rehearsal means one person plays a guiding track while screen-sharing, while everyone sings muted. There is much opportunity for innovations here. Imagine if AR could enable individual singers, conductor and music accompaniments to play out together in real time, feeding off each other.
Beneficiaries would include professional choruses, as well as amateur choirs like my classical chorus and religious choirs. True that financial viability would be the determinant of whether the innovations happen. In many European countries, the arts are more socially valued and receive government subsidies. Not so much here in the U.S.