CORPORATE UNCONSCIOUS AND THE VIDEOWALK FORMAT
1.1 Background and Context
1.2 Research Question
1.3 Objectives and Scope
1.4 Structure of the Thesis
2. Corporate Unconscious 2.1 Credits
2.2 Description
2.3 Video Documentation
2.4 Synopsis
2.5 Full Text
3. Theoretical framework 3.1 Videowalk: Exploring the Format
3.1.1. Walking as a type of art.3.1.2 Audiowalks
3.1.3 The emergence of Videowalk
3.1.4 Choosing the format3.2 Site-Specific Art and Spatial Narratives
3.3 Engaging Audiences in a Constructed Reality
3.3.1 Illusion and Engagement: The Rubber Hand Effect in Theater
3.3.2 We should invent reality before filming it
3.3.3 Simul Entertainment GmbH3.4 Meta-Score
4. Creative process 4.1 Concept Development
4.1.1 Synchronicity and simultaneity.
4.1.2 Corporate Language as a Narrative Tool4.2 Space research
4.3 Development of visual, auditory and performative identity
4.3.1 Corporate Identity
4.3.2 Art Direction and Stage Design
4.3.3 Performativity
4.3.4 Costumes
4.3.5 Music composition
4.3.6 Cinematography4.4 Dramaturgy and Script Development
4.4.1 Narrative Layers
4.4.2 Storytelling
4.4.3 Dramaturgical arc
4.4.4 Space Score and Timing4.5 Videowalk Production phases
4.5.1 Creation of Fake Historical Footage
4.5.2 Videowalk Filming
4.5.3 3D Modeling and Scanning of the Space
4.5.4 VFX Development and 3D Animated Scenes
4.5.5 Documentary Development4.6 Performance and Participation4.6.1 Installations & self-reflective moments
4.6.2 Leveled performances
4.6.3 Fake participants and recursive participation
4.6.4 Easter eggs4.7 Multimedia Techniques
4.7.1 LiDAR Scanning and As-build modeling
4.7.2 On-site shading and texturing
4.7.3 Character and animations
4.7.4 Camera tracking and VFX compositing
4.7.5 Virtual production and "inverse virtual production"
4.7.6 Video Game development
4.7.7 Spatial audio
4.7.8 AI text models
4.7.9 iOS playback app
5. Conclusion
6. Acknowledgments
7. References
To understand the emergence of the Videowalk, we need to talk about its natural predecessor, the Audiowalk, which can be traced back to two divergent roots: the world of acousmatic music and the visual arts, each shaping the format in distinct ways.
In the context of acousmatic music, an audiowalk transcends the traditional concert hall, inviting participants to immerse themselves in a landscape of sound that is detached from visible sources. Originating from the practices associated with musique concrète, as pioneered by figures like Pierre Schaeffer and Luc Ferrari, this approach to audiowalks emphasizes the atmospheric content of a landscape, whether urban or rural. The essence of this practice is to capture the natural ambiance and subtle sound nuances of an environment, allowing listeners to perceive their surroundings in a profoundly different way. Unlike the visual narrative-driven approach, acousmatic audiowalks encourage a deep listening experience that is abstract and introspective, focusing on the sound itself rather than a guided narrative.
The exploration of landscape through sound is not a new idea but finds roots in earlier attempts by composers to encapsulate the essence of a place through music. For instance, the work of John Cage, particularly pieces like 4′33″ (1952) and Imaginary Landscape (1939-52), reflects an early engagement with the concept of ambient sound and its role in shaping our perception of space. Cage's approach, often embracing elements of chance and silence, invites listeners to reconsider the boundaries between music and environmental sound, an idea that resonates with the principles of acousmatic audiowalks. The listener's engagement with the undirected sounds of their environment becomes a form of art, mixing the composed and the naturally occurring.
In the scope of visual art, audiowalks transition into a narrative-driven experience, a shift significantly attributed to the innovative works of Janet Cardiff. Her audiowalks extend beyond the auditory exploration, creating immersive, story-driven environments. Cardiff's installations, described as deeply personal and individual, position the participant not as an abstract observer but as the central character within a soundscape. Her approach, blending the real with the surreal, challenges participants to engage in what she calls "a continual metaphorical reading," navigating the thin line between reality and constructed narrative, thus reshaping their perception of the surrounding space.
The transition from Cardiff's early works to her subsequent projects illustrates the evolving nature of audiowalks. Cardiff integrates narrative elements that guide the listener through a physical and psychological journey. This approach amplifies the immersive quality of the walks and introduces a new dimension to the experience, where the guidance of a narrative voice adds layers of context and emotion to the surrounding environment.
The highly adventurous artists' group Blast Theory further expand the boundaries of audiowalks. Projects like Fixing Point (2011) and Rider Spoke (2007) incorporate elements of interactivity, personal narrative, and the exploration of historical and emotional landscapes. In Fixing Point participants traverse a physical space while uncovering audio recordings that uncover personal histories and memories, blending the act of walking with a journey through time and remembrance. Rider Spoke, on the other hand, offers a more interactive experience, inviting participants to cycle through city streets, engaging with "locative media" to discover and contribute to a collective narrative landscape. Similarly, Duncan Speakman's A Hollow Body (2014) presents a cinematic experience where participants, guided by an app, embark on a narrative journey through London. This piece exemplifies how audiowalks can transform an urban exploration into a highly personal and evocative cinematic narrative.
This evolution from pure sound to narrative immersion sets the stage for the advent of videowalks, where visual elements are woven into the fabric of the walking experience, further expanding the potential for artistic engagement and narrative depth.
“The format of the audio walks is similar to that of an audioguide. You are given a CD player and told to stand or sit in a particular spot and press play. On the CD you hear my voice giving directions, like “turn left here” or “go through this gateway,” layered on a background of sounds of my footsteps, traffic, birds, and miscellaneous sound effects that have been pre-recorded on the same site as where they are being heard. This is the important part of the recording.”
“The virtual recorded soundscape has to mimic the real physical one in order to create a new world as a seamless combination of the two. My voice gives directions but also relates thoughts and narrative elements, which instill in the listener a desire to continue and finish the walk.”
Janet Cardiff, in The Walk Book (2005) p.15.
"this is not a history walk or tourist guide. Rather you should imagine walking through a film where you are the main characters; the streets, narrow alleys and inhabitants of London acting as your backdrop.”
Duncan Speakman about his cinematic experience A Hollow Body (2014). On his website