Phd in MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS

Thesis title: Sistema XR. Forme, spazi e pratiche industriali dei media immersivi

The term Extended Reality (XR) encompasses a wide range of immersive media whose development has had a significant impact across various professional, educational, and social domains. Its evolution has proven particularly compelling as an expressive medium in art and entertainment, fostering the emergence of a global community of creative professionals. This research aims to investigate the system in which this community develops—examining the network of actors, processes, and practices that shape its identity within the broader media ecosystem—while tracing the industrial, cultural, and technological dynamics that influence it. In line with the tradition of media history studies, the research explores the connections between the recent past of XR technologies and their contemporary developments, considering both the mainstream market—dominated by major high-tech corporations—and the parallel circuit of immersive arts. On the one hand, an analysis of trade press helps reconstruct the process through which a media oligopoly has emerged, driven by the dissemination of XR devices and their related content. On the other, the study delves into the economy of prestige, investigating the defining features of the artistic canon and the circulation dynamics of immersive works. To this end, the research examines the formal and technical characteristics of selected works showcased at some of the most prestigious international festivals between 2019 and 2024. It then broadens its scope to analyze their subsequent distribution, drawing on in-depth interviews with key industry figures.