Abstract
The current trends in artistic festival design are results of rapid changes triggered by COVID- 19 pandemic. Sustainable growth of the festival industry requires adequate reflex on collaborative arrangements, technological implementation and diversity in the arts. Virtual visits and application of tools relevant to extended reality refer to the definition of “phygital” as a third reality of end-user experience, combining the characteristics of physical and digital settings.
Specifics of the curatorial process and spectators’ perception in hybrid artistic events started to attract more intensive academic attention, seeking a wider range of answers. This study contributes to the discussion in the literature regarding the futuristic vision of virtual events from 2007 proposed by Donald Getz and revised by Hugues Séraphin in 2020. It challenges the statement that they cannot be a substitute and argumentatively considers the phygital concept as holistic approach applicable to the virtual festival realm.
The research employed comparative analysis of dataset to illustrate the tendency of digital festival content on the European festivalscape. Recorded impressions using autoethnography method and semi-structured interviews enabled review from the perspective of audience, creative and festival professionals.
The findings reveal the ratio of festivals with digital content performed in 2019 and 2023. Selected examples demonstrate the deformation of festival chronotope and question the substance of digital festival edition. Is it a subject of abstract cognition after “play”, “pause” and “on demand”, or it is a topological version of the real spatial and temporal phenomena?
The study may influence festival curators and managers aiming to enrich the sensoriality in virtual space. It will broaden the path for future research projects in the festivology field.
Specifics of the curatorial process and spectators’ perception in hybrid artistic events started to attract more intensive academic attention, seeking a wider range of answers. This study contributes to the discussion in the literature regarding the futuristic vision of virtual events from 2007 proposed by Donald Getz and revised by Hugues Séraphin in 2020. It challenges the statement that they cannot be a substitute and argumentatively considers the phygital concept as holistic approach applicable to the virtual festival realm.
The research employed comparative analysis of dataset to illustrate the tendency of digital festival content on the European festivalscape. Recorded impressions using autoethnography method and semi-structured interviews enabled review from the perspective of audience, creative and festival professionals.
The findings reveal the ratio of festivals with digital content performed in 2019 and 2023. Selected examples demonstrate the deformation of festival chronotope and question the substance of digital festival edition. Is it a subject of abstract cognition after “play”, “pause” and “on demand”, or it is a topological version of the real spatial and temporal phenomena?
The study may influence festival curators and managers aiming to enrich the sensoriality in virtual space. It will broaden the path for future research projects in the festivology field.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 2024 Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business (FoAHB) Doctoral Conference: Exploring the SHAPE Disciplines: Collaboration, Innovation and Diversity in Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences |
| Editors | Aira Ong, George Simms, Kia Shackleton, Jinghan Wang |
| Place of Publication | Plymouth |
| Publication status | Published - 6 Jun 2024 |