Meta-artistic immersion in digital exhibitions. History–mobilization–spectatorship

Abstract

In the recent decade, the works of canonical visual artists have been presented as immersive multimedia attractions in venues worldwide. Performed in all-encompassing screen spaces and put into motion, this otherwise static and spatially confined imagery has been turned into mobilizing and seemingly boundless visual experiences. What are the aesthetic-receptive characteristics of such immersive digital exhibitions (IDE) centered around art history? To give an answer, this article takes a closer look at one of the IDE’s prominent predecessors, the Panorama, in order to identify moments of continuity and difference. Through a comparative analysis, I gain a nuanced understanding of the IDE’s experiential premises: its tactics and techniques of mobilization, its relation to its classical art historical content matter as well as its aesthetic core—a meta-artistic immersion that moves artistic practice and identity into the center of the experience.