Immersive Futures and Intangible Cultures

A Review of Digital Frontier’s Feature on OPUS and Emerging XR Technologies

In her insightful article for Digital Frontier, Charlotte Krol delves into the exciting frontier of volumetric video and extended reality (XR) technology, highlighting the potential they hold for preserving, sharing, and evolving the ways we engage with art, culture, and heritage. At the heart of this exploration lies a fascinating intersection between technology and storytelling, where projects like TGA’s OPUS – The Next Stage are breaking new ground. By capturing performances in 3D and allowing them to be experienced in real-world locations, OPUS is offering creators, audiences, and technologists a glimpse of the future.

Emerging Technologies and the Cultural Shift

Volumetric video and XR technologies are still emerging, but their transformative potential is already clear. Unlike traditional 2D video, volumetric capture creates highly detailed 3D representations of performers, allowing their movements and presence to be experienced with incredible fidelity. When paired with XR applications like augmented reality (AR), these 3D holograms can be placed in physical spaces, creating a hybrid of the real and the virtual.

What’s particularly exciting about these technologies is how they can be applied to culture and heritage. This sector presents unique challenges to technologists, creators, and audiences alike—cultural experiences are often place-specific, deeply tied to the locations and histories they inhabit. Performances like Wildworks’ “Stranger Beasts” play a vital role in connecting audiences with these spaces, but the fleeting nature of live performance means they can easily disappear once the final curtain falls.

This is where volumetric video and XR step in. As Krol highlights in her piece, these technologies allow us to preserve performances in a way that traditional documentation methods—such as film, photography, and even motion capture—cannot. By capturing not just the visual and auditory elements of a performance, but the 3D presence of actors in their surroundings, volumetric video allows creators to preserve site-specific performances in their full spatial context. The potential for immersive experiences that blend past and present, or real and virtual, becomes extraordinary.

Challenges and Opportunities for Creators and Audiences

As exciting as these technologies are, they also present new challenges. For creators, the process of volumetric capture involves more complex logistics and equipment than traditional filming. However, as the article mentions, advances in hardware like 4Dviews' systems are making this process more accessible than ever before. What once required extensive expertise is now becoming increasingly user-friendly, opening the door for a broader range of creators to experiment with these technologies.

For audiences, the experience of engaging with XR performances is still relatively novel. It shifts the way we consume culture—from passive viewing to active participation. Imagine attending a live performance in a Cornish tin mine, only to be able to revisit it days, months, or years later in augmented reality, with the performers appearing right in front of you, mapped onto the same environment. This possibility brings with it new ways for audiences to form connections with the spaces they visit, or even to engage with performances in the comfort of their own homes.

Furthermore, as Krol emphasises, the technology presents opportunities for re-contextualising performances. Audiences can experience the same performance in different locations, opening up entirely new layers of meaning. By breaking performances free from their original settings and allowing them to be replayed in new environments, the relationship between art, place, and audience evolves.

Expanding the Boundaries of Preservation, Interpretation, and Engagement

One of the most significant advantages of volumetric video and XR technology in the cultural sector is its ability to preserve works that might otherwise be lost. Historic performances, cultural traditions, and intangible heritage often rely on oral histories or place-based storytelling. With XR and 3D capture, these traditions can be documented in ways that preserve their original impact. This could be a game-changer for research and education, allowing future generations to experience cultural heritage as it was meant to be experienced, rather than through static images or text.

Beyond preservation, these technologies have a profound impact on how we interpret history and culture. Museums, galleries, and heritage sites can now blend physical artefacts with interactive digital experiences, adding new layers of narrative and engagement for visitors. For example, OPUS’ work with Tamworth Castle and Lichfield Time Travellers demonstrates how XR can bring historical figures and stories to life, allowing visitors to meet actors playing historical characters as 3D holograms, enriching their understanding of the place’s past.

But this isn’t just about looking back. The opportunities for audience engagement in the present are vast. By placing performers and storytellers in new environments through AR, creators can build highly dynamic, participatory experiences. Whether it’s immersive theatre in a public square or spoken word performances that users can collect and replay wherever they go, volumetric video opens up exciting possibilities for engaging younger, tech-savvy audiences who expect culture to be interactive and accessible.

New Business Models and Revenue Streams

Volumetric video also presents new business opportunities for cultural organisations and performers. As Krol points out in the article, a site-specific performance like Wildworks’ "Stranger Beasts" has a limited run, but what if that performance could continue to be viewed—and even sold—long after the actors have left the stage? By creating volumetric video versions of these works, creators can extend their reach, offering virtual performances that audiences can access remotely, perhaps through ticketed AR or VR platforms.

Moreover, volumetric video can help develop new revenue streams through both direct sales and brand partnerships. Organisations could monetise AR experiences in much the same way they sell traditional tours or ticketed experiences. Alternatively, partnerships with brands and tech companies could open up sponsorship opportunities, particularly for immersive experiences designed to engage with mass audiences.

The Future of Volumetric Video in Culture and Heritage

As Krol’s article underscores, we are only beginning to scratch the surface of what volumetric video and XR technologies can do for the arts, culture, and heritage sectors. The known applications—preservation, immersive audience experiences, and digital storytelling—are already being explored, but the unknown potential is equally exciting. As these technologies evolve, we may discover even more creative ways to blend physical and digital realities, making cultural experiences more accessible, dynamic, and relevant.

For organisations like museums, galleries, and performance companies, this represents a monumental shift in how stories are told, experienced, and shared. As OPUS continues to explore the creative possibilities of volumetric video and XR, the opportunities for cultural preservation, audience engagement, and business innovation will continue to grow, bringing the next stage of cultural storytelling into view.

A New Chapter for Culture and Technology

Volumetric video is emerging as a powerful tool for the arts and culture sector, offering new ways to preserve performances, engage audiences, and explore innovative business models. As we’ve seen from the Gwitha project at Falmouth University and the work of OPUS at This Great Adventure, the potential of this technology extends far beyond the preservation of past works—it opens up a future where performances, historical figures, and cultural stories can be experienced anywhere, by anyone.

As these technologies continue to evolve, the challenge for creators, technologists, and cultural institutions will be to harness them in ways that are meaningful, sustainable, and impactful. But as Charlotte’s article makes clear, the future of cultural heritage in XR is ridiculously exciting.

Dzifa Benson performs 'Three Colours Black' from her new collection as a hologram on the streets in front of the Duke of York Theatre, London.