Virtual World Opera for Participation, Unity, and Social Cohesion.

Project aims

The key aims of the VOPUS research project to align with the expected outcomes of the 'Evolution of culture in a virtualising world' call are therefore:

1. Using opera as an exploratory and participatory medium, to generate and disseminate a deep, interdisciplinary understanding of the long-term cultural impacts of increased individual and collective citizen engagement in virtual worlds to inform researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals about the opportunities and risks these environments might present.
2. Develop and implement research-informed, long-term cultural strategies that are rooted in the performative and participatory practices of opera to guide the development of virtual worlds towards realising their potential for enriching human experience, while actively identifying and mitigating the most significant cultural, social, and ethical risks associated with the virtualisation of life.
3. Contribute to positioning Europe as a global leader in the innovative design and cultural governance of virtual worlds by demonstrating how the re-innovation of opera - as an example art form - in virtual worlds can drive inclusive, value-based immersive and persistent digital individual and collective experiences, thereby promoting wellbeing, social cohesion, and resilience alongside creative competitiveness and cultural growth.

Why opera?

Opera brings together music, drama, design, and community, often on a grand scale, and often behind real barriers of cost, geography, and familiarity. That makes it an ideal test case.

If virtual worlds can open up opera, they can open up much of culture and the arts.