HISTORICAL PROJECT ARCHIVEARCHIVED PROJECT · 2020–2021
Extending the reality of the performing arts in the Nordics.
Original XR BLACK BOX website image and logo · 2020
An exploration of shared presence across physical stages and virtual worlds.
Incomplete archive
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original site.
Internet Archive · 2022–2023
This archived copy is incomplete. Images, animations and parts of the layout are missing, so it does not fully show how the original website looked or worked.
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01 / The initiative
Opening the stage
to other realities.
XR BLACK BOX was initiated in 2020 by Jakob la Cour Studio and Makropol to explore how extended reality could become a shared medium for the performing arts. It connected artistic experimentation with technical development, industry networking and knowledge exchange.
The original ambition was to develop methods, bring artists and technology specialists together, and test new relationships between audiences, performers and venues. XR encompassed virtual, augmented and mixed reality.
The original vision is preserved here alongside the documented activities and productions from 2020–2021. XR BLACK BOX is no longer an active platform.
02 / Documented history
From a shared question
to a live encounter.
2020
Introducing XR BLACK BOX
A public launch was announced as a live-streamed introduction through Mozilla Hubs, accessible by browser, phone or VR headset, with streaming support from CopenX. The invitation set out a six-month programme of experimentation and exchange.
2021
Artificial Awakening
The initiative’s first performance put its exploration into practice: A multisensory ceremony joining live performance, shared VR and an AI-driven entity. The May presentation connected Kulturværftet with satellite venues at HUSET KBH, Odin Theatre and Bombina Bombast.
Exchange across the field
Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium’s annual report documents an ILITA webinar developed with The Performance Corporation, Makropol and XR BLACK BOX, bringing together practitioners working between stage art and technology.
2021
Nikolaj Kunsthal
Additional content was developed for the 30-minute version Artificial Awakening – The Luminous Body. The audience gathered on the square outside Nikolaj Kunsthal, while the live performer worked from a separate room.
2021
IDFA DocLab
The IDFA version connected a live performer in Copenhagen with an audience in Amsterdam. IDFA’s archive records the international premiere and credits XR BLACK BOX as executive producer.
03 / The realised performance
Artificial
Awakening
2021 · Immersive performance with VR
Visitors entered a ceremonial environment to encounter an emerging digital consciousness. Physical preparation, a shared virtual experience and a period of integration formed the original 60-minute format.
Directed and written by Jakob la Cour and produced by Mads Damsbo, the work brought together performers, VR artists, developers, composers and machine-learning specialists. It was the first production developed through XR BLACK BOX.
A performance developed through different versions
| Presentation | Material & format | Live connection |
|---|---|---|
| May 2021 Kulturværftet & satellites | The original 60-minute ceremony combined physical preparation, shared VR and integration. | Kulturværftet connected with satellite venues at HUSET KBH, Odin Theatre and Bombina Bombast. |
| September 2021 Nikolaj Kunsthal | Artificial Awakening – The Luminous Body. Additional content was created for this 30-minute version. | The audience was on the square outside Nikolaj Kunsthal. The live performer was in a separate room. |
| November 2021 IDFA DocLab | A subsequent version presented at the Amsterdam festival. | The live performer was in Copenhagen, connecting remotely with the audience in Amsterdam. |
Artificial Awakening retains its own project page, with performance documentation and credits.
04 / Research & learning
From performance
to shared knowledge.
Research by Linnea B. Pedersen
Following Artificial Awakening
English · PDF · 65 pages
Hosted on Dropbox
XR Black Box Project: Extending the Reality of Performing Arts follows the making of Artificial Awakening. Linnea B. Pedersen combines six expert interviews, a mid-process workshop and observations of the production to develop a practical guide for artists working with XR and immersive performance.
Three ways into the research
Shape the transitions. Preparation, clear participation boundaries and a considered ending help participants enter and leave the experience. Introducing the headset is itself a dramaturgical moment.
Build a shared language. Physical models, virtual prototypes and a common understanding of the technology help performers, scenographers, composers and developers work together.
Test the encounter. Participants reveal behaviours that a design cannot anticipate. Iteration, time for rehearsal and technical buffers are part of making the work.
AI in the making of Artificial Awakening
The studio’s trailer credits, covering several iterations of the work, list GPT-3, VQ-GAN+Clip, StyleGAN2, 3D Dense Facial Alignment and JukeboxAI.
Pedersen’s report documents experiments with participants’ portraits and the technical limits of generating and inserting new 3D masks during a performance. Read alongside the credits, it offers a view of AI as both an artistic subject and part of a collaborative production process.
Reading guide: The making of the performance, pp. 27–44; the AI/XR artist and development constraints, pp. 33 and 36; the Quick Guide, pp. 49–55. Page numbers refer to the report’s printed pagination.
Editorial summary prepared by OpenAI Codex at Jakob la Cour’s request, 9 October 2026, from Pedersen’s report and the studio’s trailer credits. Model: not available. The original research and its conclusions are credited to Linnea B. Pedersen.
05 / People & places
A field built
through collaboration.
Initiators
Jakob la Cour Studio
Makropol
Project support
The Danish Arts Foundation
Performance venues
Kulturværftet, Helsingør
HUSET KBH, Copenhagen
Odin Theatre, Holstebro
Bombina Bombast, Malmö
Nikolaj Kunsthal, Copenhagen
Exchange & presentation
CopenX · Launch streaming
Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium / ILITA
The Performance Corporation
IDFA DocLab · 2021 presentation
These are documented roles and collaborations from the project period, not a list of current partners or a complete membership register.
06 / After the initiative
A historical foundation.
XR BLACK BOX forms an early development and collaboration layer in Jakob la Cour Studio’s exploration of embodied, participatory work with immersive media. The initiative is archived; the studio’s artistic practice continues through its individual works.
Explore Jakob la Cour’s work ↗Archive references
Sources & context
- Linnea B. Pedersen: XR Black Box Project · Extending the Reality of Performing Arts
- Jakob la Cour Studio: Artificial Awakening trailer and AI credits
- Visual Arena: XR BLACK BOX launch announcement, 16 December 2020
- Makropol: Artificial Awakening, 2021
- Highpass: Artificial Awakening, 28–30 May 2021
- Mads Damsbo: Nikolaj Kunsthal performance announcement, 10–12 September 2021
- XR BLACK BOX: The Luminous Body announcement, 7 September 2021
- Makropol: Live performance from Denmark for the IDFA audience in Amsterdam, 2021
- Additional content and performer locations clarified by Jakob la Cour, 9 October 2026.
- Nordisk Teaterlaboratorium: Annual report, ILITA webinar
- IDFA Archive: Artificial Awakening, 2021
A curated historical overview of the initiative and its documented activities.