Accessible Hybrid Performances: Embedding Volumetric Capture Technologies into Two Case-Studied Scenarios

Project partners: University of the Arts London, Horniman Museum and Gardens, Nissen Richards Studio

Researchers from London College of Fashion, UAL have received funding from XR Network+ to develop two case studies that will use volumetric capture to exhibit culturally-specific performances within museums. The project builds upon the prototype created for the team’s earlier XR Network+ supported project, ‘Charged Objects of Performance’, in which they worked alongside Yoruba and Pan-African artists to produce a digital 3D recreation of a traditional Yoruba performance.   

The culture sector’s use of 3D technologies largely remains focused on objects and spaces over bodies and performance. Divorcing objects from their cultural context creates an imperfect picture when it comes to understanding those cultural traditions that are rooted in performance. Working in partnership with the Horniman Museum and exhibition makers Nissen Richards Studio, ‘Accessible Hybrid Performances’ will use volumetric capture technologies to exhibit 3D depictions of performance, while creating an ethical framework for their application that centres the artists involved. 

The first case study, in collaboration with Nissen Richards, explores the dynamism of dance costume within the exhibition experience – specifically focusing on the performance of Indian dance. The team will develop a prototype for a future exhibition on dancers within Indian art. The team will develop a set of guidelines, embedding ethical processes into the application of these technologies, contributing to the growing discussion around the ethical implications of 3D digital performance. 

The second case study will build to a one-off mixed reality performance, presented to audiences at the Horniman through the use of VR headsets and physical objects. Developed and designed in collaboration with creators from the Yoruba London diaspora, a Yoruba folktale will be told by digitally-captured performer Fumy Opeyemi, who will play multiple parts through the wearing of different costumes.  

Together, these two projects look to the future of 3D performance within museum exhibitions, exploring how to democratise access to the use of volumetric capture in order to bring performance into an exhibition space.

This collaboration is one of seven projects supported by the XR Network+ Embedded R&D (round two) funding call, with grants of up to £60,000 awarded to researchers at UK universities to explore the transfer of knowledge between academia and industry in areas aligned with Virtual Production. 

Image details: Moremi at the Horniman, Charged Objects collective. Fumy Opeyemi as Moremi, with sound composition by Helen Epega, photography by Gianluca Vartan.

Categories: Arts, Performance, Research, Technology