Avatars, Activism and Postdigital Performance: Precarious Intermedial Identities

Avatars, Activism, and Postdigital Performance explores how identity is created, developed, hijacked, manipulated, sabotaged, and explored through performance in postdigital cultures. It examines the artist as an activist and producer of avatars, and how digital doubles, artificial intelligence, and semi-automated politics are problematizing and expanding our discussions of identity.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 16 December 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

In the vibrant realm of the postdigital age, where technology intertwines with our social and political landscapes, Avatars, Activism, and Postdigital Performance emerges as a thought-provoking exploration. This captivating collection delves into the intricate ways in which identity can be crafted, nurtured, hijacked, manipulated, sabotaged, and unraveled through the lens of performance in the postdigital cultures. As technology continues to redefine the very essence of performance, this timely anthology unveils how we engage in artistic practices through expanded notions of intermediality, intricate knotted networks, and layers of meaning.

Within the pages of this book, the artist takes center stage, as they become activists and creators of avatars, shaping the digital doubles that populate our online world. Moreover, the emergence of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and semi-automated politics challenges and expands our understanding of identity, prompting us to reevaluate the boundaries of networked informational selves in the mediatized cultures of today. Chapters delve into the complexities of networked selves, examining the profound impacts of machine algorithms, applications, and the enduring legacies of digital legacies.

Through a rich tapestry of examples drawn from theatre, film, and internet-based performance practices, the book uncovers the blurred boundaries of networked informational selves in mediatized cultures. It explores the profound effects of machine algorithms, applications, and the ever-evolving dynamics of digital legacies. Case studies, such as James Cameron's Avatar, Blast Theory's Karen, Ontroerend Goeds' A Game of You, Randy Rainbow's online videos, Sisters Grimms' Calpurnia Descending, Dead Centres' Lippy, and Chekhov's First Play, provide vivid illustrations of the diverse ways in which identity is shaped and transformed in the postdigital realm.

Furthermore, the book delves into the practice-as-research of Jo Scott, known for her innovative approach of 'place-mixing,' which blurs the boundaries between physical and digital spaces. This exploration offers valuable insights into the evolving nature of performance and its potential to shape our understanding of identity in the postdigital age. Avatars, Activism, and Postdigital Performance serves as a vital resource for scholars, students, and practitioners alike, as it fosters deeper conversations surrounding identity formation in the dynamic landscapes of the postdigital world.

Weight: 382g
Dimension: 147 x 222 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350159310