Sonic metaverses of Odin and LUME theater laboratories: from embodied knowledge to collective memories

This paper addresses the challenge of transmitting embodied theatre knowledge—rooted in corporeal and vocal training—into digital environments. While traditional archives often reduce performance to static documentation, we propose an alternative approach: archi-textures, interactive sonic and visual constraints that translate energetic practices into immersive XR spaces. Our work focuses on Odin Teatret and LUME Teatro, two theatre laboratories with long-standing traditions of actor training. We introduce a translation framework that unfolds across three layers: (1) distilling physical and vocal exercises into data-rich abstractions, (2) designing multisensory XR environments responsive to these dynamics, and (3) crafting feedback loops that bind user gestures and vocalisations to virtual textures. Two prototypes are presented. Work with Resonators transforms vocal vibrations into particle-based sonic-visual traces, while Six States of Water reimagines physical training scores as immersive environments that alter participants’ movement qualities. Preliminary evaluations show how these immersive archi-textures can reactivate energetic states and support new modes of training and transmission. Looking ahead, we outline a roadmap of three XR prototypes that extend this methodology into shared, networked, and AI-powered environments. These developments are grounded in ethical and decolonial protocols, ensuring community consent, cultural sensitivity, and participatory governance of archival data.