Performing Hybrid Bodies on the Mixed-Reality Stage

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Performing Arts, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Performing Arts, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

3 Associate Professor, Iranian institute of Philosophy, Tehran, Iran.

4 PhD Candidate in Theatre, Department of Performing Arts, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between performers and spectators in "digital theater" or "mixed reality" performances—performances where technology plays an indispensable role in connecting participants (a term used in this study to refer to both performers and spectators). To analyze this relationship, which emerges through the co-presence of participants and technology, three essential elements are highlighted: the living body, technology, and post-phenomenology as a framework for their interaction. The study explores the possibility of a “being together” in a "mixed reality" performance by considering the concept of intersubjectivity within phenomenology, which addresses the relationship between self and other. Drawing on Husserl's notion of intersubjectivity, which emphasizes the role of the "lived body" in encountering others, the study extends to Merleau-Ponty's concept of intercorporeality. In his later work, The Visible and the Invisible, Merleau-Ponty formulates this theory through the notions of "reversibility" and "flesh." He reinterprets Husserl's lived body as a "body schema," suggesting that bodily movement, or motility, is made possible through this schema and is fundamentally based on kinesthetic sensations, or what is now referred to as proprioception. Thus, the body is not merely an object in space but an autonomous entity that interacts with and orients itself within its environment. In this view, the body is not just a tool of perception but an integral part of the world, enabling the intertwining of self and other. According to Merleau-Ponty's theory, the body is not separate from the world in which it exists; rather, both share a common "flesh."
While phenomenology considers the intertwining of body and world, post-phenomenology examines perception as mediated by technology. Don Ihde, the founder of post-phenomenology, investigates how technology shapes our perception of the world and categorizes different modes of human-machine relations. Expanding on this perspective, Mark Hansen, influenced by Merleau-Ponty, argues that technology not only affects how we perceive the world but also integrates with and transforms our body schema. This dynamic relationship between body, technology, and perception is particularly relevant in digital and mixed reality performances. To articulate the intertwining of body and technology and analyze the sense of “being together”, this article analyzes Remote X, a mixed reality performance by Rimini Protokoll. Remote X is an audio walk performance that employs “Augmented Reality technology” and “Binaural techniques” to create an immersive experience. Immersing in the performance with an AI-generated voice through a headphone, 50 participants are guided in the city and their movements choreographed by the digital narration. The embodied voice in a headphone what we call the “digital body” extends and transforms the participant’s body scheme in relation to their environment. This intertwining of the digital body of the embodied voice and the participant’s extended physical body generates a hybrid intercorporeality. The embodied voice also extends the participant’s body scheme into their environment. So, in a shared “flesh” among participants emerges a “fleshy” community of hybrid bodies. Through this experience, Remote X offers a reflection on our contemporary technic lifeworld.
 

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References

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https://www.isna.ir/news/96103016401/
Journal of Fine Arts: Performing Arts & Music
Volume 30, Issue 4
September 2025
Pages 69-81

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