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
4.3.3 Performativity
The performative elements were designed to enhance the thematic exploration of the boundary between human and non-human, real and artificial. In the creation of this piece, we decided that the characters appearing both in the "found footage" and the 3D recreations would adhere to a single archetype: the "Simul Worker." This character embodies a liminal entity, situated between the mechanical and the organic, a blend that underlines the piece's exploration of identity and automation. The Simul Workers were represented in the performance by both human performers and mannequins, with no distinction between the living and the non-living. This choice was driven by a desire to engage with the concept of the uncanny valley, the psychological phenomenon where a figure that is strangely close to humans evokes feelings of discomfort. As a way to intensify the inhumanity of the characters, we kept a hard hierarchical way of communicating the script. The performers had no clue of what they were supposed to do until the shooting and were given simple behavioral instructions. Their primary role was to embody stillness and the absence of movement, creating a stark contrast when some of them executed accentuated head turns.
The development of this minimalistic performativity was influenced by my previous work, Construction Site. This piece explored an integration of movement and stillness within a choreographic framework. In Construction Site, performers, conceptualized as abstract entities, navigated through the stage under a set of constraints: their movements were detached, their interactions with each other non-existent. The choreography was build following the structure of Johann Sebastian Bach's English Suite No. 5, creating a juxtaposition of visible movement against an invisible auditory backdrop. This disconnection developed a strong atmosphere of alienation, reflecting on the isolation and compartmentalization prevalent in modern societal structures.
In the scene called EXP. 044: Together / At the same time, performers — both human and mannequin — were tasked with enacting a sequence of simulated sexual interactions, an idea that was very hard to perform. The image of a performer having sex with an unanimated body felt wrong in many ways, but brought some interesting questions about boundaries and intimacy in an increasingly mechanized world. The juxtaposition of living performers with inanimate mannequins in this context served to heighten the uncanny sensation experienced by the audience, challenging them to discern the real from the artificial. This scene, while challenging, was done with a deep respect for the performers' boundaries and comfort levels, ensuring that the enactment remained within the frame of artistic expression.
© Marianne Harlé