User requirements in immersive mediated performance spaces

Vconect (http://www.vconect-project.eu/) is an EU Framework 7 research program. One of the aims is to support the area of mediated performance for the purpose of remote teaching, rehearsals and performances through videoconferencing technologies featuring automated editing and composition of multiple live audio-video streams onto multiple screens. The orchestration of the video and audio streams will take into account a variety of editing cues originating from directional audio, face detection and physiological sensors augmenting audience feedback. Over the last two decades performance artists have made use of videoconferencing systems for installations, joint performances and rehearsals; often negotiating costly and bespoke soft and hardware. More recently, pervasive and low-cost videoconferencing technology has successfully been applied in mediated installations, paving the way for the technology to be incorporated into the curriculum of performance colleges thereby creating a need for systematic user requirement research. We report on a series of studies in which theatre and dance students collaborated across a videoconferencing connection. The results highlighted different technology requirements for distributed theatre and dance practitioners and these findings help shape the the Vonect research agenda. We highlight theoretical perspectives relevant to telepresence in performance.