1Presence as Performance: Exploring Witnessed Presence

The performing arts have been concerned with mediating presence through orchestration, dramatization and choreograph for many centuries. Insights, knowledge and skills have been passed over through ‘direct transmission, from person to person, from generation to generation. Current technology mediated presence design faces similar challenges as the performing arts: how to set a context, how to induce attribution and imagination, how to show the unsaid and more. Some issues have changed radically though with the introduction of digital technology: we can have sensual synchronous experiences while we are not at the same place, we can connect and possibly act in places where we are not present, all mediated presences can be copied endlessly and will last forever. These old and new questions are not only relevant for the performing arts, but for many professional realms that have to deal with on- and offline collaboration as well. Most contributors to this panel work in and from out the arts and/or use artistic practice as inspiration for their academic and scientific work