From an Unreal World to an Integrated One

In 2021 the digital world changed when Facebook rebranded as Meta. The name change was chosen to represent the Metaverse, envisaged as a shared online three dimensional (3D) virtual space open to all. While the realities of how the Metaverse will function are still being debated, the general consensus is that the Metaverse presents a new immersive world within which individuals can interact with live content both digitally and in reality. This prompts the questions: What is ‘live’ in the Metaverse? How can we tell when we are interacting ‘live’ with others when our interactions are presented through virtual characters and avatars? This chapter will examine how the live performance of a newly created virtual band, Big Sand, developed by Sally Coleman in The Void, complicates the way traditional concepts of live production are translated when working with virtual avatars and digitally created content. Additionally, as current practice uses workflows created for screen and game-based applications have not yet established protocols for live music and theatre, this chapter presents a new ontology and practices for the use of virtual production in live music performance.