X-Reality stands for Extended Reality (also XR) and refers to technologies that combine the physical with the digital world, including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR). XR has long been a reality in areas such as the gaming industry - in classical music and art, however, it is still in its infancy, although interest is growing here too. Whether virtual and immersive concerts, orchestras, rehearsals and soundscapes, interactive art or transmedia scenography: the potential of XR in music and art is enormous. A ground-breaking milestone in XR at art universities was set with the approval of an application by the Mozarteum University for funding for artistic research infrastructure focussing on XR. ‘The fact that we, as an arts university, were able to compete with scientific research infrastructure projects such as specialised electron scanning microscopes or biochemical analysis laboratories is very unusual. It is the first time that such a large sum has been approved for an artistic research infrastructure in this FFG call, which is co-financed by ERDF funds. What we applied for - and that was unique - is an infrastructure that is explicitly about artistic research,’ says Christopher Lindinger, Professor of Art and Digitality at the Mozarteum University and project manager of the X-Reality Lab.
In Austria, there are two main federal agencies that award research grants: The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) funds basic research, while the FFG focuses on application-orientated projects. The approval of the application by the FFG not only marks a record in third-party funding for the Mozarteum University, but also for universities of the arts in general. It is the largest volume that the FFG has ever distributed to an Austrian university of the arts in a peer review process. This infrastructure will build a profile and is a logical extension of the university's existing repertoire in the performative arts into the digital world. The funding not only enables a significant expansion of the technical possibilities, but also a forward-looking strategic development. The infrastructure of the new X-Reality Lab at the Kurgarten will open up unimagined possibilities for students, teachers and artists. The first and most important investment will be the development of open source software. This will be the decisive door opener for creating and then presenting immersive content. ‘We first want to develop software so that users can operate these infrastructures in the first place, create content and then show it outside the university. The problem with infrastructures that involve stereoscopy, 3D scenes or spatial acoustics is that the software packages are expensive and often out of proportion for artists. That is why one of our most pressing concerns is to make this ‘framework’ available free of charge and open source, so that the technology can also be ‘carried out’ and take place worldwide. We want to make a contribution to the dissemination of immersive art - especially with regard to performative disciplines - and are also planning a new degree programme in which the space will be a nucleus,’ explains Lindinger.
The approved funding will also be used to realise specific purchases for the X-Reality Lab. In addition to the open source software and stereoscopic projectors, an innovative tracking system will be installed that records the position of people and objects in the room. This will make it possible to determine the exact position of dancers, musical instruments or robots, for example, thereby opening up a new sphere of artistic work. Work is also being done on the lab's technical equipment, for example with special glasses and movement in a three-dimensional environment or by means of immersive acoustics using an innovative loudspeaker matrix that enables spatial sound perception. This equipment creates the basis for new forms of performative art that take place in a virtual space that removes the physical boundaries of traditional stages, for example in the field of transmedia scenography: ‘It will be a new spatial research. It will be about how to deal with space in terms of stage design. Virtual space has no physical properties, there is no up, down, right, left, no gravity. The only constant in virtual space is the user's perception. This is one of the most exciting aspects that should also be conveyed to students when they think about digital stage design,’ says Lindinger. Artificial intelligence also plays an important role here, e.g. in the generation of 3D models, the virtual environment and in the narration.
The future Salzburg X-Reality Lab is attracting a great deal of national and international attention. From the Royal College of Music in London UK to NASA in Greenbelt USA, more than 20 art and research institutions have already expressed their interest in collaborating with Lindinger and his team. These prospects open up opportunities for the Mozarteum University to position itself on the international map of universities at the forefront of digital art research. Lindinger emphasises that there are only a handful of institutions worldwide that have similar or comparable infrastructures. ‘The exciting thing is definitely immersive art, where we can make a contribution. For example, there are concrete talks with the renowned Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), for example to offer a joint doctoral programme in the field of immersive art in the future.’ The opening of the X-Reality Lab is planned to coincide with the opening of the building at the end of 2025. A particular challenge in the planning and realisation of the lab is that many of the required components have to be individually adapted and developed. ‘What we are planning is so innovative that it has never been realised in this form before. We can therefore not simply buy equipment off the shelf, but of course develop many things from scratch and customise them precisely to our needs,’ explains Lindinger. The delivery time for certain components such as graphics cards and chips also plays a role here, which can sometimes take up to a year due to the current AI hype. Nevertheless, Lindinger is optimistic about the future: ‘From an inventor's perspective, I'm first of all looking forward to physically building this high-tech space. But then, of course, it's about making the best possible use of it! We would also like to invite artists-in-residence and renowned artists to think in completely new directions together with the Mozarteum and realise the potential of the X-Reality Lab for art. It's going to be exciting!’
With the approval of funding from the FFG and the imminent opening of the X-Reality Lab, the Mozarteum University is facing an exciting new era. The combination of art and technology will not only enrich research and teaching, but will also provide new impetus for artistic practice. This means that all doors are open for profile-building artistic research, for digital art and for a new, exciting exploration of the concept of ‘space’.
