Page 29 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report

5.1.2, 7.1.4 or similar ones. In both configurations, the first digit refers to the number of speakers that surround the user in the horizontal plane, and the second to the subwoofer channel, which generates the low frequency effects (LFE), while the third digit refers to loudspeakers that are placed above or below (on the ceiling or inclined and pointing towards the ceiling, where they seek vertical reflections of sound waves).
Furthermore, the possibility of creating three-di- mensional acoustic fields combines very well with the VR headsets, permitting the recreation of real or virtual environments through which the user can navigate and the sound is generated dynamically in a manner consistent with the relative position of the user with respect to the sound sources. There are now audiovisual chan- nels that allow this type of experience and that are marketed as mixed, virtual and augmented reality music platforms [VRtify]. With the use of VR glasses, these channels allow users to sur- round themselves with a philharmonic orchestra, placing themselves among the musicians in their favorite position, or simply moving among them. They also allow the user to enjoy real or virtual concerts in which the user can be placed on the stage along with the musicians and singers, or even be one of them, receiving the applause and other “sounds” of the spectators. Smartphone games and apps are also coming out that facil- itate this same possibility. This type of music platform is expected [BBC] to revolutionize
the current scenario as the use of VR headsets becomes more widespread.
Visual and Performing Arts
Immersive technologies are already transforming the way the viewer creates and experiences the content. The new narrative forms that use im- mersion allow the viewer to feel, act out and live the story in a radically new and surprising way. This revolution is nothing new to the performing arts, which have been integrating these technol- ogies into what they offer audiences.
Holography, for example, allows the introduction into the scene of elements – people or objects
– that share a three-dimensional physical space with the actors and the sets, and allow us to play with the concepts of narrative time and space.
Virtual reality and tele-immersion permit the creation of collaborative and arranged creative models of special artistic interest with emphasis on originality and improvisation in consonance with the user, with the possibility of merging international styles and enriching the experience of the artists and actors with the possibility of collaboration and remote interaction in real time.
New features are also introduced for the virtual enjoyment of music or theater. Plays and con- certs can be experienced from home by creating conditions similar to those of the original space and providing a more real and integrating alternative experience. In the same way, virtual attendance allows access to different points of view or situations that are impossible in the real environment, like sharing the stage with the musicians, walking among the members of an orchestra and perceiving the sounds correspond- ing to the precise position in front of all the instruments, or moving about the stage during the performance.
The new narrative forms that use immersion allow the viewer to feel, act out and live the story in a radically new and surprising way.
Furthermore, the augmented reality facilitates access to audiovisual performances for people with disabilities; the subtitles on the screen of AR devices allow people with hearing impair- ments to enjoy the play without the need for special performances.
The visual arts, artistic creation supported by digital transformation, digital art, video perfor- mances and multimedia and interactive works, in which the action can be carried out both by the artist and by the spectator, have now finally been become a reality in the creative schools.
AC/E DIGITAL CULTURE ANNUAL REPORT 2018
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Digital Trends in Culture