A Choreographic Approach to Mixed Reality: Archival Materials as Site-Specific Situations in Kvarnbyn

Abstract

Abstract This article explores a choreographic approach to the creation of mobile mixed-reality (MR) experiences in public space, with specific attention to how archival material in a cultural heritage context can be turned into a repertoire of site-specific situations. This approach can be described as a montage technique that triangulates the embodied audience member, the digital media via a mobile device, and the site with the aim of evoking somatic and kinaesthetic responses, making the experience felt in the body. To demonstrate this, the creation process of ENTER Mölndal – Kvarnbyn, a site-specific MR walk commissioned by Mölndals Stadsmuseum, is discussed. The films, photos, facts, and stories are seen as ‘energetic forces’ that evoke emotional and creative responses. In the MR walk, they become a repertoire of actions and situations experienced performatively by the audience. I share examples of the creative process and choreographic composition strategies applicable to an expanded practice of choreography in the realms of cultural heritage, mobile technology, and public space. Such a choreographic approach can contribute to experiences that activate our senses and critical reflection in an embodied way, which in turn can contribute to keeping our social relations alive.