Where do I Play my Body? : A Round Trip Between Virtual Stages and Real-World Arenas

Περίληψη

In 1991, Laurel published the book Computers as Theatre, positing that to enhance the user experience, computers should engage users dramatically, stimulating both thoughts and emotions. Thirty years later, the computer and the world it opens up have increasingly become the stage for our actions and lives. Conversely, the tangible and concrete world is progressively losing its role as the stage where our stories unfold.

Rather than complementing the real dimension with the virtual, a substitution is taking place. The virtual, welcoming and tailored to the user, is supplanting the real world, which appears harsh and indifferent to human goals. In the virtual realm, everything seems possible and accessible, whereas in the real world, processes are more arduous and complex.

This contribution aims to critically examine this trajectory. By contrasting the virtual experience offered in Iñárritu's CARNE y ARENA (Virtually Present, Physically Invisible) with the experiential physicality of the Digital Water Pavilion by Carlo Ratti Associati and the performance My body, the stones: Accademia sensitiva/somatica by choreographer Di Pietro, it seeks to highlight the paradox of considering the virtual as a realm of infinite possibilities. In truth, the virtual is inherently bounded by the algorithms that dictate its limits and usability.

In Di Pietro's performance, the body, through its interaction with the surrounding environment, discovers infinite possibilities, invents scenarios, deconstructs boundaries, and proposes new codes. It transcends the confines of the real while remaining rooted within it. The real world, if reimagined as a stage, stimulates actions and imagination, fostering the creation of new possibilities. It transforms the body into the true protagonist of reality, engaging in a vibrant and tangible participation that goes beyond mere appearance.