This thesis examines the new theatrical form of cyberformance (live performance by remote players using internet technologies) and contextualises it within the broader fields of networked performance, digital performance and theatre. Poststructuralist theories that contest the binary distinction between reality and representation provide the analytical foundation for the thesis. A critical reflexive methodological approach is undertaken in order to highlight three themes. First, the essential qualities and criteria of cyberformance are identified, and illustrated with examples from the early 1990s to the present day. Second, two cyberformance groups – the Plaintext Players and Avatar Body Collision – and UpStage, a purpose-built application for cyberformance, are examined in more detailed case studies. Third, the specifics of the cyberformance audience are explored and commonalities are identified between theatre and online culture. In conclusion, this thesis suggests that theatre and the internet have much to offer each other in this current global state of transition, and that cyberformance offers one means by which to facilitate the incorporation of new technologies into our lives.

With the growing interest in digital ways to experience art exhibitions, HCI and especially experience-centred design research have in recent years begun to show promising results when implementing holograms into the social dynamics found in art exhibitions. However, as to why holograms can enhance engagement and immersion, more research can be done. This thesis seeks to explore holograms' unique characteristics through an iterative experience-centred approach through the theoretical lens of Flow and its ability to prompt for co-experience. In two studies with eight participants, a design workshop and a mini-exhibition, we uncovered four unique characteristics and two takeaways regarding its potential to design for co-experience. The results indicated that holograms were perceived as immersive and presented properties related not only to the hologram but also the environment, as to why. It was concluded that even though holograms can benefit art exhibitions, the social aspects could be explored further.

Ce mémoire s’intéresse à la notion d’expérimentation en jeu vidéo pour jeter un éclairage conceptuel productif sur le terme vague « jeu vidéo expérimental ». Postulant que le jeu vidéo s’inscrit à la fois dans le domaine des arts (par l’entremise de la création de composantes visuelles, audio ou narratives par exemple), des sciences (notamment parce qu’il dépend de l’avancement des nouvelles technologies numériques) et du design, l’auteur s’inspire des formes variées et parfois distinctes d’expérimentations à travers l’ensemble de ces domaines afin de décrire non pas une méthode expérimentale unique, mais un espace vaste composé de multiples démarches expérimentales. L’auteur montre finalement comment l’on peut réfléchir l’espace expérimental d’un jeu en s’inspirant de la systémique, puis relève quelques formes et figures expérimentales uniques aux domaines ludiques et vidéoludiques. Ce mémoire inclut aussi un compte rendu rétrospectif de création ainsi que quelques réflexions autour d’une oeuvre développée par l’auteur tout au long de sa recherche, l’album musical vidéoludique pour ordinateur Hoverboy. D’abord imaginée comme une oeuvre foncièrement expérimentale, l’auteur revient sur son processus de création et recadre sa démarche en fonction de ses réflexions théoriques autour de la notion d’expérimentation vidéoludique. Cette double démarche de recherche et de création menée en parallèle ouvre des réflexions méthodologiques sur la recherche-création. / This thesis examines the notion of experimentation in video games to shed a productive conceptual light on the vague term “experimental video game”. Postulating that video games are simultaneously part of the arts (through the creation of visual, audio, and narrative components for example), sciences (notably because it relies on technological advancements), and design, the author leans on by the varied and sometimes distinct forms of experimentation across all these fields in order to describe not one singular experimental method, but a vast space which consists of multiple experimental approaches. The author finally shows how we can contemplate the experimental space of a game by drawing inspiration from systems theory, then identifies some unique experimental forms and figures in games and video games. This thesis also includes a retrospective creation report journal as well as some observations on a work developed by the author throughout their research, the computer-based videoludic music album Hoverboy. First imagined as a fundamentally experimental work, the author looks back on their creative process and reframes their approach regarding their theoretical observations around the notion of video game experimentation. This dual approach of research and creation carried out in parallel leads to methodological discussions on research-creation.

Ayant comme point de départ les premières expérimentations de Nam June Paik avec les téléviseurs au début des années 1960, cette étude suit l’évolution historique de l’installation vidéo en parcourant cinq décennies de création. La problématique de l’espace, fil conducteur de cette recherche, nous amène d’abord à la constitution d’une typologie. Fruit de l’étude de l’évolution des formes principales de l’installation vidéo, cette classification a pour objet l’œuvre sous sa forme aboutie, c’est-à-dire installée. Néanmoins, cet état n’est que le résultat final d’un long processus. Divisée en quatre étapes, l’étude de la mise en espace de l’œuvre soulève des questions cruciales liées à l’acquisition, l’exposition et la conservation de l’installation vidéo. Une fois que l’œuvre est installée, elle s’articule autour d’un espace-temps virtuel, celui de l’image vidéographique, et d’un espace-temps réel, celui du dispositif plastique, analysés dans la troisième et dernière partie. Cette étude met l’accent sur la dimension historique de l’installation vidéo tout en la contextualisant au sein de l’histoire de l’art du vingtième siècle. / Having as a starting point Nam June Paik’s experimentations with televisions in the early 1960s, this essay traces the history of the video installation spanning five decades. The question of space is the basic thread of the analysis. It has led to the constitution of a typology that examines the evolution of the main forms of the video installation. This classification focuses on the artwork that is already installed. However, this state is the outcome of a complicated procedure. Divided into four steps and thoroughly examined, this process raises some crucial questions concerning the acquisition, the exposition and the conservation of the video installation. When installed, the artwork acquires two spatiotemporal dimensions, namely the virtual space and time of the video image and the real space and time of the installation, both analysed in the third chapter. This essay stresses the historical aspect of the video installation by situating it within the broader context of the 20th century history of art.

O trabalho coletivo em artes digitais define uma pratica que implica a interacao de diversos atores em processos de criacao que podem ter caracteristicas generativas. Na presente tese, propomos a construcao de um olhar a partir da complexidade para estudar esses processos como sistemas complexos adaptativos. A especificidade esta relacionada ao conceito de espacos estoricizados artificio para desenhar uma rede de significados emergentes, a partir das inter-relacoes entre os elementos do sistema. A adocao dessa perspectiva implica a integracao da auto-observacao ao sistema, dando ao complexo auto-organizado, visibilidade de si partindo do fluxo de informacoes para a construcao de memorias e imagens transitorias, no limiar entre impressao e imaginacao. / Collective work in digital arts defines a practice, which entails an interaction of various actors in creative processes, which may have generative features. In the current theses, we propose the construction of a point of view from complexity to study these processes as complex adaptive systems. The specificity in this work is related to the concept of storied spaces an artifice to design a network of emergent meanings from the inter-relations amongst elements of the system. The adoption of this standpoint implies integrating self-observation into the system, granting visibility of itself to the self- organizing complex from the flow of information to the construction of memories and transitory images on the threshold between impression and imagination.

O trabalho coletivo em artes digitais define uma pratica que implica a interacao de diversos atores em processos de criacao que podem ter caracteristicas generativas. Na presente tese, propomos a construcao de um olhar a partir da complexidade para estudar esses processos como sistemas complexos adaptativos. A especificidade esta relacionada ao conceito de espacos estoricizados artificio para desenhar uma rede de significados emergentes, a partir das inter-relacoes entre os elementos do sistema. A adocao dessa perspectiva implica a integracao da auto-observacao ao sistema, dando ao complexo auto-organizado, visibilidade de si partindo do fluxo de informacoes para a construcao de memorias e imagens transitorias, no limiar entre impressao e imaginacao. / Collective work in digital arts defines a practice, which entails an interaction of various actors in creative processes, which may have generative features. In the current theses, we propose the construction of a point of view from complexity to study these processes as complex adaptive systems. The specificity in this work is related to the concept of storied spaces an artifice to design a network of emergent meanings from the inter-relations amongst elements of the system. The adoption of this standpoint implies integrating self-observation into the system, granting visibility of itself to the self- organizing complex from the flow of information to the construction of memories and transitory images on the threshold between impression and imagination.

Recherche par le design / Face à l'impératif de transition écologique, il est essentiel de produire des connaissances et d’imaginer des futurs préférables - écologiques et collectivement désirables - pour faciliter le passage à de nouveaux modes de vie consommant radicalement moins de ressources. Les impacts environnementaux méconnus et grandissants liés à nos activités numériques appellent à repenser cette dimension afin de la conjuguer à des futurs plus écologiques. Alors que la métropole montréalaise rayonne à l’international pour ses artistes numériques et son industrie du jeu vidéo, force est de constater que le développement de la culture numérique y est déconnecté du projet de transition écologique. Ces constats empiriques nous amènent à formuler un nouveau projet : faire de Montréal une «métropole culturelle numérique durable». La formulation de cet horizon inconnu constitue une opportunité de recherche à aborder par le design. Cette opportunité nous a incités à réaliser un projet de recherche par le design visant à explorer les futurs possibles pour faire de Montréal une métropole culturelle numérique durable en mobilisant les approches du design participatif, de la prospective et du design critique. Cette recherche a poursuivi deux objectifs principaux : explorer les futurs possibles pour Montréal en tant que métropole culturelle numérique durable en générant des idées qui enrichissent cet inconnu et étudier le croisement des approches théoriques en situation de projet. Pour atteindre ces objectifs, nous avons d’abord mené une enquête par recherche bibliographique et entretiens semi-dirigés pour définir le «numérique durable» et enrichir nos constats empiriques initiaux. Nous avons ensuite conçu un dispositif participatif et créatif en mobilisant des méthodes de prospective et de design critique, notamment pour produire des artefacts déclencheurs (des scénarios de prospectives accompagnés d’affiches) racontant les futurs possibles de la métropole culturelle numérique durable de 2035. Le dispositif a ensuite été utilisé lors de deux ateliers de codesign. Une interprétation des effets combinés de la prospective, du design critique et du design participatif sur la performance générative et les raisonnements de conception observés en atelier conclut le projet. La recherche fournit à la fois des avenues pour penser Montréal en tant que métropole culturelle numérique durable en esquissant les principes d’une nouvelle politique publique et une meilleure compréhension de l’intérêt du croisement des approches du design participatif, de la prospective et du design critique. / Given the urgent need for a sustainable transition, it is essential to generate knowledge and envision preferable futures - sustainable and collectively desirable - to facilitate the shift towards new lifestyles consuming radically fewer resources. The unrecognized and growing environmental footprint of our digital activities are calling for some rethinking in order to reconcile this dimension with greener futures. While the city of Montreal is internationally recognized for its digital artists and video game industry, it is also clear that the development of Montreal's digital culture is disconnected from the ongoing sustainable transition. These empirical observations have led us to propose a new project: to make Montreal a "sustainable digital cultural metropolis." This opportunity sparked a research-through-design project aimed at exploring possible futures to make Montreal a sustainable digital cultural metropolis, drawing on the approaches of participatory design, foresight and critical design. This research had two main objectives: to explore possible futures for Montreal as a sustainable digital cultural metropolis through the generation of insights that enrich this unknown concept, and to study the interplay of the theoretical approaches in the context of a project. To achieve these objectives, we first conducted an inquiry using desk research and semi-structured interviews to define "digital sustainability" and enrich our initial empirical observations. We then designed a participatory and creative device, mobilizing foresight and critical design methods, to produce "trigger" artifacts (foresight scenarios accompanied by posters) depicting the possible futures of the sustainable digital cultural metropolis of 2035. The device was then used in two codesign workshops. An analysis of the interplay between foresight, critical design and participatory design in relation with the generative outputs and design thinking processes observed in the workshops concludes the project. The research provides new avenues to envision Montreal as a sustainable digital cultural metropolis and drafts the principles of a new public policy as well as it provides a better understanding of the benefits stemming from the interplay of participatory design, foresight and critical design.