Exploring Intercorporeal Entanglement in Collocated Mixed Reality
This paper aims to explore the entanglement theory developed within next-wave HCI in the context of collaborative collocated Mixed Reality. We explore this theory in GravField, a live performance system in collocated MR used as a research probe. For this work, we designed digital objects conceived as Audio-Visual Virtual Mediators (AVVMs) — using physical metaphors like "Springs," "Ropes," and "Magnetic Fields" and orchestrated by a live musician — and investigated how they intertwine with participants in intercorporeal movements. Collaborative movements simultaneously drive AVVMs to create real-time sound and visual effects. We invited musicians and media artists to engage with GravField and analyzed their interactions. Our results revealed entangled feedback loops within assemblages between AVVMs, participants, and the musician, fostering emergent coordination and interdependent movements moment-by-moment, achieving synergy with audiovisual feedback. This research contributes reflections on applying entanglement theory to collaborative collocated MR design, pushing MR research towards a post-phenomenological understanding. By Botao'Amber' Hu, Rem Rungu Lin, Yuemin Huang, Mingze Chai, Xiaobo Aaron Hu, Yilan Elan Tao, Raul Masu
