Chapter 8 - Conclusions - Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality

Overview: This chapter concludes the book and addresses XR design. It features a case study of Icelandic musician and visual artist Björk’s release of her full VR album Vulnicura (Björk 2019c). A case study of Florida-based company Magic Leap’s work with Icelandic band Sigur Rós is also provided. Sigur Rós (2020) and Magic Leap collaborated to develop an interactive music and mixed reality experience called Tónandi. This chapter then traces the declining cost of XR production and the role companies such as Facebook, and platform economics generally, have to play in this. Design culture has agency here for changing practice norms for the visual creators/designers and artists interviewed for this book, particularly in relation to intellectual property policies, and therefore design culture has an instrumental role to play in changing the deal making around visual representative media in this business; the music business can be changed through a new kind of design culture.