{"id":5284,"date":"2025-03-31T10:02:23","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T08:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/hybridization-a-space-for-the-unbound\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T21:21:42","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T20:21:42","slug":"hybridization-a-space-for-the-unbound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/hybridization-a-space-for-the-unbound\/","title":{"rendered":"Hybridization, a space for the unbound?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"is-style-chapo\"><strong>Here and there, the term \u201chybridization\u201d is used to describe performances, cultural experiences, and artistic approaches. The word is both clear and blurry, precisely because of the vast range of possibilities it implies. And perhaps that is exactly what artists and organizations are seeking when they refer to it. But what forms does this hybridization actually take?<br\/>   <\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>More commonly, hybridization is a term from the life sciences\u2014used in agriculture, botany, and zoology. In these fields, it refers to \u201cthe cross between two varieties or races of the same species, or even between two different species.\u201d Going further, the Latin hybrida means \u201cmixed blood,\u201d a cross that leads to \u201cthe birth of specimens combining, to varying degrees, specific traits of both parents.\u201d A process that ultimately \u201cmakes it possible to draw on certain qualities\u201d belonging to different entities. In art, do these crossings also aim to extract the best from each space, discipline, or technique?<br\/>  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Different types of hybridization in art<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>Without claiming to be exhaustive\u2014given how constantly the topic evolves\u2014we can identify several forms of hybridization within the artistic field.<\/p>\n\n<p>The first brings together different artistic disciplines (theatre, dance, visual arts, music\u2026) and sometimes different types of experiences\u2014both real and virtual. In this regard, the INVIVO collective, which \u201ccreates hybrid performances at the intersection of theatre, immersive arts, and digital arts,\u201d clearly affirms this stance. For Julien Dubuc, artistic director, the goal is above all to \u201cexplore new mediums to find the best form to tell a story.\u201d He describes himself as a multidisciplinary artist\u2014working with lighting design, video, and stage direction\u2014and explains the collective\u2019s early desire to break away from the divide, or even the hierarchy, between artistic and technical fields. Interestingly, the word \u201chybrid\u201d only entered their description in 2021, with the creation of Les Aveugles, as a way to \u201cinvite audiences to imagine a form that\u2019s somewhat unprecedented.\u201d Before that, the term \u201cimmersive theatre\u201d was used, \u201cbut then the word was co-opted by the field of virtual or mixed reality,\u201d which, according to Julien Dubuc, erased its original meaning: \u201cbeing at the heart of an experience.\u201d Behind the term \u201chybrid,\u201d INVIVO now presents works such as 24\/7, which blends the real\u2014through a theatrical staging with performers on stage\u2014with a simultaneous virtual reality experience offered to spectators.<br\/>       <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"TEASER #2 \/\/ 24\/7 \/ collectif INVIVO\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k1YGH4BLVso?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n \n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<p>In 2026, the collective will explore another type of hybridization with Rabbit Hole, a project unfolding in two formats\u2014an immersive performance and an interactive application\u2014each blending real and virtual environments in its own way. Through these creations, Julien Dubuc promotes \u201cthe freedom to draw from a wide range of references, mediums, and artistic disciplines,\u201d and to foster intersecting perspectives.<br\/> <\/p>\n\n<p>Another form of hybridization concerns spaces. In August 2024, Montr\u00e9al\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/sat.qc.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">SAT <\/a>(Society for Arts and Technology) devoted a full feature to the <a href=\"https:\/\/sat.qc.ca\/fr\/nouvelles\/dossier-hybridation\/\">topic <\/a>as part of its collaboration with Moment Factory. Prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the drastic reduction of in-person cultural offerings, its first \u201cconnected spaces\u201d projects developed into a new type of experience. And although the report acknowledges that \u201cmost online cultural offerings were not renewed\u201d after a return to normal, it also notes that \u201cthe pandemic profoundly changed audiences\u2019 cultural consumption habits, making public renewal more difficult.\u201d Added to this were new constraints such as rising production costs and growing concern over the environmental impact of touring. In response, one of SAT\u2019s main challenges today is \u201cto imagine new compelling forms of performance that combine emerging practices with traditional approaches.\u201d From the perspective of space, creating hybrid artistic experiences appears to be a way to ensure the global circulation of works while maintaining a certain physicality of performance\u2014and to enable collaboration between creators located far from one another. One avenue explored is the hybridization of physical and virtual space in order to \u201creinvent spontaneous audience communities, without requiring spectators to be in the same physical space as the performers.\u201d SAT is also experimenting with other hybrid configurations, such as Pr\u00e9sence by Antoine Saint Maur, created within Satellite (its open WebXR platform): a live experiment where holographic performers meet their virtual audience.       <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Pr\u00e9sence \u2223 a metaverse drama\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/742161201?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<p>The challenge for SAT is \u201cto create a convincing sense of tele-copresence\u201d so that \u201cthe reality resulting from the combination of different places [is perceived] as a new, unified reality.\u201d This requires <br\/> <em> <\/em>giving performers the sensation of sharing the same space and the same performance, while simultaneously generating an emotional connection between the audience, the work, and the other spectators.<em> <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>A third axis of hybridization lies in places\u2014and therefore publics. Seeking greater permeability between social spheres, some organizations combine art with fields that are often far removed from it. The 3 bis f, located within the Montperrin Psychiatric Hospital in Aix-en-Provence, is a particularly innovative example. Artists are invited several times a year for residencies that include encounters with the hospital\u2019s patients. Equipped with a performance hall and an exhibition space, the venue became in 2021 a nationally recognized Contemporary Art Center\u2014the only one directly linked to a healthcare institution.<br\/>     <\/p>\n\n<p>Another form of hybridization between spaces and publics emerges from the way \u201cthe \u2018natural characteristics\u2019 of territories tend to become sources of inspiration, creation, and dissemination.\u201d An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.observatoire-culture.net\/ruralites-ailleurs-innovation-culturelle\/\">article <\/a>from the Observatoire des politiques culturelles highlights <a href=\"https:\/\/www.parc-monts-ardeche.fr\/decouvrir-les-monts-dardeche\/partage-des-eaux\/\">Le Partage des eaux<\/a> by David Moinard, a hundred-kilometer open-air artistic trail crossing the Monts d\u2019Ard\u00e8che Regional Park. The project features artworks from multiple disciplines (sculpture, design, video, landscape art) woven into the area\u2019s cultural and heritage sites. Aimed at local hikers as well as those who travel there intentionally, \u201cthe project makes it possible to meet walkers where they are, to literally \u2018set the audience in motion.\u2019 It also promotes a new connection to art, creation, and the environment by embedding them in a reflection on landscapes,\u201d writes Claire Delfosse, geographer and director of the Rural Studies Laboratory and author of the article.    <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hacnum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Le-parcours-des-eaux-Le-phare-de-Gloria-Friedmann-c-N.-Lelievre.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4145\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Le parcours des eaux &#8211; Le phare de Gloria Friedmann &#8211; \u00a9 N. Lelievre<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>She cites additional examples of non-dedicated places repurposed as cultural venues, noting that \u201cthese spaces attract people who would not necessarily enter a traditional cultural institution, and they facilitate participation.\u201d She views the rise of hybrid third places\u2014combining libraries, community halls, caf\u00e9s, bookstores, exhibition spaces, and venues for performance\u2014as an opportunity to expand access to culture in rural areas. She also mentions a <a href=\"https:\/\/coop.tierslieux.net\/document\/panorama-des-tiers-lieux-en-nouvelle-aquitaine-2024\/\">study conducted in Nouvelle-Aquitaine<\/a> showing that \u201cnearly all rural third places offer artistic and cultural programming: exhibitions, occasional cultural baskets, performances, artist residencies, or festivals.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hybridization as a marker of singularity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>These various forms of hybridization can be seen as reflections of a contemporary desire to \u201cbreak free from assigned categories,\u201d as expressed by C\u00e9line Berthoumieux, Executive Director of <a href=\"https:\/\/hacnum.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">HACNUM<\/a>. The National Network for Hybrid Arts and Digital Cultures openly positions itself as a gathering place for unconventional entities. And while this approach still sometimes raises questions in France\u2014where cultural policies remain highly sector-driven\u2014it is received more easily abroad, \u201cwhere concerns about the \u2018purity\u2019 of disciplines are less present,\u201d she adds. Berthoumieux describes HACNUM as \u201ca meeting place for artists and structures that did not recognize themselves in the existing frameworks, and who come here to nurture their singularity.\u201d For Julien Dubuc, hybridization also encompasses a notion of \u201cplasticity,\u201d opening up a broad field of possibilities for imagining endlessly renewed crossings and collaborations. It is a space of freedom\u2014one that, in his view, defines artistic practice more accurately than the term \u201cdigital arts,\u201d which \u201cstill suffers from certain pitfalls and preconceptions.\u201d Virtual reality, for instance, is often perceived\u2014by both audiences and programmers\u2014as off-putting due to the fear that \u201cthe technological tool distances the viewer from the work.\u201d Combining terms and referring to a \u201chybrid performance\u201d becomes a way to reassure.        <\/p>\n\n<p>As a witness to societal transformations<em> <\/em><em>\u201cart is both a testament to the contributions made by civilizations brought into contact with one another, and a creator of new aesthetic and cultural visions.\u201d<\/em><em> <\/em>Is it not inherent to artistic creation to result from hybridization, from multiple influences and intentions?<em> <\/em>Yet, \u201cwhatever their context of emergence, hybrids inevitably raise questions about their nature and their status, forcing us to interrogate their uncertain temporality and their position in relation to an initial entity with blurred contours,\u201d writes Michael Werner in a conference entitled Art between Creation and Hybridization. Plenty to reflect on\u2026<br\/> <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-signature\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/author\/julie\/\">Julie Ham\u00e9on<\/a><\/p>\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here and there, the term \u201chybridization\u201d is used to describe performances, cultural experiences, and artistic approaches. The word is both [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5283,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[43,38],"class_list":["post-5284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ambivalences","tag-economy","tag-hybrid-creation","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5284"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5285,"href":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5284\/revisions\/5285"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}