IMMERSE!: A Proto-Curatorial Concept

Immerse! explores how computer-generated public spaces shape our political and social discourses, and the potential of virtual reality in the art field. The exhibition is part of the Beyond Matter project, which aims to develop virtual productions that maintain sensual qualities and create new immersive experiences. The catalogue includes reflections by curators and artists, as well as theoretical texts that explore the concept of immersion.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 184 pages
Publication date: 27 April 2023
Publisher: Hatje Cantz

As the opposition between illusion and reality dissolves and the boundaries between the world we inhabit and its virtual dimensions blur, Immerse! delves into the profound impact of computer-generated public spaces on our current political and social discourses. What is the potential of virtual reality within the art field, as concepts such as presence and absence, material and immaterial, begin to lose their validity?

Realized as part of the international research project Beyond Matter, which explores the shift in the production and mediation of visual art within institutional frameworks, Exhibition spaces are physical locations of knowledge production and exchange, where spatial qualities play a crucial role in the contextualization of information. One of the project's goals is to develop virtual productions that maintain these sensual qualities but add layers of digitized and born-digital content to defy transience and the dependency on geographical locations, thus creating entirely new immersive experiences.

The catalogue offers insightful reflections on the theme by curators Corina L. Apostol and Lívia Nolasco-Rózsás, as well as 19 visual essays by trailblazing artists, and four in-depth theoretical texts by Helen Kaplinsky, Matthew Fuller, Lukáš Likavčan, Zsolt Miklósvölgyi, and Márió Z. Nemes that delve into the concept of immersion.

By exploring the interplay between illusion and reality, and the blurring of boundaries between the physical and virtual realms, Immerse! invites us to reimagine the possibilities of artistic expression and the role of public spaces in shaping our collective consciousness.

Weight: 462g
Dimension: 169 x 246 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783775754736