Franchise Freedom - Studio Drift's artificial nature: Researching materiality and the virtual in the dispositif

Abstract

In order to create a better understanding of the relation between materiality and the virtual, this study investigates how the material technology of a dispositif can result in a virtual interface. The research will focus specifically on the performance Franchise Freedom by Studio Drift. Which is a light installation consisting of 300-600 drones that hover in the sky. The dispositif analysis functions as a method to clearly dissect the aspects material technology, spectator and film form and thereafter integrate the findings. The aim of the analysis is to expose the relations that are present between the individual axes and give meaning to them. The research in this thesis can supply the field of media studies with new insights into the discourse surrounding contemporary urban interfaces, the discourse regarding this topic is currently gaining more attention in art and media studies, which underlines the importance of research that revolves around this topic. Theories by Alison Butler and Anne Friedberg form the core of the theoretical framework. Butler and Friedberg discuss that there can be a shift from virtual to material, even when the object analysed does not have materiality in itself. This thesis questions the previous notion via Franchise Freedom. Hence the research examines if material can also result in virtual by asking the question “How does the materiality in the dispositif of Franchise Freedom form a virtual interface?” The research in this thesis will attempt to answer this question and thus undermine the current definition regarding the relation between material and virtual. The results show that the components that are researched in the dispositif each have a specific role in forming the virtual interface in Franchise Freedom. Suggestions for further research are to research similar cases to support the findings of this thesis, or to perform the research with focus on the edition at Burning Man Festival, as this edition did not situate the spectators at a distance from the installation nor in an urban environment.