Immersion

Irum Mawaz-Bhatti

The Brittanica Dictionary defines immersion as: “The act of putting someone or something completely in a liquid or the state of being completely in a liquid.” It’s interesting to think of this term in relation to how our five senses react when we are completely in water. Our eyes blur, our breath slowly falters, we can taste water as we choke. Immersion, then can be extended to mean an external something/someone controlling or impacting on our senses.

Although we like to think of immersive performance as a recent phenomenon—with an upsurge in immersive experiences, theme parks and theatre in the past couple of decades—we can connect the concept to longstanding rituals of immersion, such as baptism in Christianity and mikveh in Judaism. Immersive theatre can be seen in ancient Greek performances. The very design of the theatre at that time was set up so that audience was part of the performance and would feel a connection to the performers. Indeed, the chorus was used to pull the audience into the action unfolding on stage by engaging the audience directly. The aim of this sort of immersion was to create a sense of community and shared experience. This underlying goal is still often an aim today, but the concept of immersion has evolved significantly, partly due to technological advances and the arrival of social media.

On the website Contemporary Theatre, Stephen Eckert defines the increasingly “mainstream” immersive theatre as “a performance form emphasizing the importance of space and design; curating tangible, sensual environments; and focusing on personal, individual audience experience.” A number of digital forms are expanding possibilities for this kind of immersion in contemporary performance, both in terms of design and modes of experience for spectators. These include:

Virtual Reality (VR): VR technology allows audiences to experience a fully immersive environment that feels real and interactive. For example, a VR headset can transport the audience to a different location or time, allowing them to explore and engage with the performance in a new way.
Augmented Reality (AR): AR technology can allow performers and spectators to interact with the physical world in playful ways. AR can add to physical sets and environments (a popular example of AR is the game Pokemon Go, which has users searching real world spaces for Pokemon characters that appear on their phone screens).
Projection Mapping: Projection mapping technology allows performers to project images and video onto a physical set, creating a dynamic and immersive environment for the audience. This can be used to create a sense of movement and transformation within the set, adding a new dimension to the performance. (See this link for information on a number of projection mapping projects: https://www.creativebloq.com/video/projection-mapping-912849)
Interactive Installations: Interactive installations use sensors and other technologies to create a responsive environment that reacts to the audience’s movements and actions. This can be used to create a sense of interactivity and participation, allowing the audience to become an active part of the performance.

Works Cited

Eckert, Stephen. “What Is Immersive Theater?” Contemporary Performance, 9 Nov. 2021, contemporaryperformance.com/2021/11/09/immersive-theater/.

Encyclopædia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/dictionary/immersion. Accessed 19 May 2023.