Live Visuals in Virtual Venues: A Case Study of Project VILL4N and Underground Audiovisual Cultures
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2024
Submitted on
2024-06-07
Pages
123
Abstract
This thesis studies Live Visuals and VJing practices within virtual venues and online internet-based art scenes. The research identifies a significant gap in the academic literature in relation to Media Art and the entertainment music industry. The main case study is ‘Project VILL4IN’, an online based artistic collective and audiovisual library. By examining VJing in various cultural contexts, such as the Salvadoran VJ scene and the VR Chat Club Scene, this study aims to discover similarities and differences in the praxis of VJs from diverse backgrounds. The central research question is: How do digital platforms democratize access to arts and cultures in the context of Live Visuals? Complementary questions include: How is VJing performed in virtual spaces? And how does the VJing community empower artists? This thesis further examines how different interfaces construct knowledge, and create cultures that transition between the digital and physical realms. Findings indicate that digital platforms are a key role for community building through a collaborative economy and personal and professional development, driven by strong ideological beliefs. By documenting and analyzing the practices of VILL4IN and comparing them to other global VJing scenes, this thesis contributes to the broader discourse on media art, technology, and cultural production. How can a virtual collective can blur the lines between the east, west, north and south?
Keywords
VJing ; Live Visuals ; Virtual Venues ; VILL4IN ; Vaporwave ; Cyberpunk ; Online Worlds
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