Beyond Matter. Within Space. Curatorial and Art Mediation Techniques on the Verge of Virtual Reality

This publication documents the broad spectrum of initiatives that took place within the frame- work of the international, collaborative, practice-based research project “Beyond Matter. Cultural Heritage on the Verge of Virtual Reality.” The book also gathers voices that contribute to the theoretical groundwork the project stands on, and thus unites various disciplines of the sciences and the arts—theories and practices with a keen interest in curation and art mediation in computer-generated and hybrid spaces and their impact on the spaces of the exhibition.

Beyond Matter engaged with a contemporary shift in the production and mediation of visual art within institutional frameworks that is largely attributable to the rapid development and ubiquitous presence and use of computation and information technology, specifically augmented and virtual reality but also artificial intelligence.

Exhibitions are sites of knowledge production and exchange, and their spatial qualities are central to contextualizing the information harbored within the artworks they present. In virtual emulations of exhibitions, immersion is not bound to geographical location but to the interplay between materiality and representation. Bringing together partners from around and beyond Europe, the research project Beyond Matter (2019–23) aimed to make sense of the interdependence between physical and virtual and to decipher the impact of that interdependence on the spatial aspects of producing, curating, and mediating art. In exploring the so-called virtual condition, the project proposed new modes for preserving cultural heritage while probing the potentials of digital world-making.

This publication, Beyond Matter, Within Space. Curatorial and Art Mediation Techniques on the Verge of Virtual Reality, offers a comprehensive overview of the multifaceted research activities conducted by the Beyond Matter partners and takes a deeper look at the enfoldments of virtual reality. In interviews, scholarly essays, and other texts, the authors document the project outcomes and expand on its theoretical foundations.