Who is there? Performative distance and the intermedial audience in cyberformance

Cyberformance, a hybrid practice mixing physical and virtual environments, challenges traditional notions of audience participation and performative distance. This essay investigates how intermediality shapes the dynamics of these performances, leading to the emergence of an intermedial audience. Drawing on classical theories from Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud, and contemporary scholars like Freda Chapple, Chiel Kattenbelt, and cyberartist Helen Varley Jamieson, the essay bridges historical and theoretical perspectives and practical examples of cyberformance. The paradigm shift enabled by internet technologies allows for convergence between artists and audience, transforming individual artistic creations into collaborative processes. Hamlet's question “Who is there?” symbolizes the enduring awareness of the audience, now reframed within digital and mixed-reality contexts. This article explores how cyberformance negotiates interaction, authorship and agency, examining the balance between performer control and audience participation.