Project Overview:

MetaPersonæ_Archetype-2.0 expands upon its predecessor by introducing a multimedia installation that integrates AR experiences, 8-channel surround sound, and visual art. This installation utilizes fixed media combined with object-based audio system, Augmented Reality, and a UnrealEngine video game. It explores metaphors of internal spaces akin to a womb, fostering virtual life, and allows audiences to engage directly with these virtual components through their smartphone screens. This second iteration delves deeper into the themes of physical disassembly and deconstruction. Participants are enveloped in a soundscape and visual landscape that together offer an immersive experience of the physical form being both dismantled and reinterpreted. Unlike the "third-person" view of a performance in MetaPersona_Archetype-1.0, audiences involve themselves throughout the piece. They are invited to contemplate the reconstruction of their physical identity in a virtual space, challenging the boundaries between the tangible and the digital. This work aims to extend the dialogue on the essence of being and the potential for digital rebirth.

MetaPersona_Artchetype-2.0 will be presented as a special event in SEAMUS 2024 Conference on April 6th.

https://seamus2024lsu.sched.com/event/1aHnF/special-presentation-extended-reality-performance

Project leader: Fiona Xue Ju

Director / Sound designer / Curator : Fiona Xue Ju

Visual, AR and 3D designer: Luba Liubvina

Exhibition time: 14:30-15:30 (CT), April 6th, 2024.

Location: XR studio, Digital Media Center, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.

Biographies

Fiona Xue Ju, originally from China, is currently working towards her Ph.D. in EMDM (Experimental Music and Digital Media) at Louisiana State University. She has been involved in collaborative and interdisciplinary projects, assuming various roles such as composer, media artist, improviser, performer, director, activist, and sound and video designer. Fiona earned her Bachelor's degree in composition from Oberlin Conservatory in the U.S. and completed her Master's in CoPeCo (Contemporary Performance and Composition) at CNSMD Lyon in France, studying also at three other conservatories in Europe: EMTA in Tallinn; KMH in Stockholm; and HfMT in Hamburg. Fiona's work encompasses chamber ensembles, electronics, and multimedia productions that have been presented across the U.S. and Europe. She strives to integrate technology and electronic music with visual and performance arts, crafting immersive experiences that bridge digital and physical spaces. Through her art, Fiona challenges audiences to rethink their perspectives on reality and society, while also infusing her work with political ideas that transcend cultural boundaries and encourage deeper philosophical thinking.

Luba is a first-year MFA candidate specializing in digital art, with a foundational background in studio art and biology. An interdisciplinary artist at heart, Luba focuses primarily on digital art, drawing/journaling, creating metal show flyers, and designing custom band logos. In the realm of digital art, Luba boasts expertise in 3D modeling and animation using Blender, crafting Augmented Reality filters, and engaging in digital fabrication with a particular emphasis on 3D printing. The main themes of Luba's work revolve around interactivity and wearability, digital twinning—including 3D scanning and the creation of metahumans—and fostering collaborations with artists in the noise and metal music scenes.