In this essay, I will explore whether it is possible for an artist to completely forego traveling while still working internationally. What kind of technology or collaboration would this require?
In 2018, Finnish per capita emissions from both domestic and international air travel were among the highest globally, surpassed only by Singapore. While the global average carbon dioxide emissions from flying were estimated at 98 kilograms per year, the average for Finns was approximately one ton annually – reflecting significant variations in travel habits. While a large part of the global population does not fly at all, some individuals travel frequently, moving from place to place several times a month (Lyytimäki et al. 2022, 59).
Traveling accounts for one-tenth of the world’s carbon footprint, and the growth continues (Helsingin Sanomat 2018). In the early months of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic presented an opportunity to reduce air travel. Particle emissions decreased slightly, but by 2022, people’s behavior regarding air travel had returned to pre-pandemic levels (YLE 2022; Sutinen 2023, 248).
Emissions generated from air travel have been proposed to be offset through compensation schemes. A comprehensive study by the Finnwatch, which investigates the global impacts of business activities, titled Anekauppaa vai ilmastotekoja? (Indulgences or Climate Action?), states that few companies offering carbon offsets meet quality requirements for the compensation process. Essentially, the buyer of carbon offsets may gain a sense of moral satisfaction, but the positive impacts on the environment may be negligible (Finnwatch 2022).
For artists, international residencies, guest performances, and exhibitions play a crucial role in facilitating artistic work. Instead of air travel, some organizers prefer a slow travel approach (Koneen Säätiö 2022), which mainly involves train and bus travel. However, the availability of these options can vary significantly depending on the artist’s location; for instance, a designer based in Berlin or Brussels has better access to extensive land connections within Europe than those living in more remote regions. The Maata pitkin website (Maatapitkin.net 2021) provides an excellent tool for planning slow travel and estimating costs.
I began my art studies in 2005. The ideal of internationalization was central to my education. The early 2000s were also the golden age of low-cost flights. I remember that between 2008 and 2010, it was more expensive to travel by bus from Helsinki to my hometown in Satakunta than to fly from Helsinki to Berlin. A round-trip bus ticket to the countryside cost 72 euros before the arrival of the budget bus line Onnibussi, while a round-trip flight to Berlin was available for about 50 euros.
I made my first international premiere on the main stage at Dansens Hus in Stockholm in 2008. Since then, I have worked in dozens of different countries, and my carbon footprint is incomprehensibly large. I returned just before the COVID-19 pandemic from the United States, where exhibition projects had taken me multiple times between 2016 and 2019. I consciously compensated for my last trips to the United States, but the aforementioned Finnwatch study indicates that my compensation had no real impact. During and after the pandemic, my travel has been minimized for various reasons.
From the perspective of a performance designer, I must say that the older I get and the more I work internationally, the more traveling has started to feel distasteful. This is not only due to environmental destruction but also because production companies strive to cut costs on travel and accommodation. Working conditions in guest theatres have generally been chaotic due to festival production styles – the “more is better” mindset seems to still be the norm in the programming policies of curators. Flights typically leave in the early morning for budget reasons, layovers are long, and accommodations questionable. When on a guest performance, the quality of technical production varies. Agreements and technical riders are often not adhered to, meaning that the agreed technical equipment is ultimately not available on-site. Local technicians are frequently overworked. It is illustrative that, for example, the lighting setup for a small-scale dance piece took less than an hour in Tokyo in 2016, two hours in Ottawa, and nine hours in Prague. Therefore, you can never know what surprises lie ahead, and workdays easily stretch to 12–15 hours.
I understand that for a budding professional, the first international visits are significant experiences. However, at the same time, a designer responsible for the technical aspects may already have several dozen similar visits behind them. Unfortunately, the norm of a few hundred euros as a gig fee is in no way sufficient compensation for preliminary planning, the 30–50 emails exchanged with local technicians, travel days (lost working hours at home), round-the-clock working days with little sleep, and so on. Additionally, recovering from a guest performance takes several days.
When transitioning to slow travel, one rarely receives payment for travel days. The body is also strained by long periods of sitting, whether it’s on a bus, train, carpool, or ferry. It’s challenging to eat healthily and exercise during gig trips. On top of this are the long working days at the theatre under uncertain conditions. In addition to stress, mental well-being is affected by feelings of loneliness and guilt for the time spent working abroad, which takes you away from family and friends back home.
So, how could one avoid traveling altogether while still realizing a performance or installation completely remotely?
Virtual travel through XR practices
In the essay Lighting design that fits a backpack, I explore how light control could be achieved through remote connections with the assistance of a local technician. I also highlight the perspective that a lighting design with fewer resources can be an ecologically lighter solution for the entire performance visit.
Between 2020 and 2021, I collaborated with artist Mark Niskanen, who resides in the United States, on four exhibitions – one in the U.S. and three in Finland. Due to the restrictions on air travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we began developing a system that would allow us to be present in different countries simultaneously without traveling.
I will use the example of the public sound installation Murmurations, commissioned by the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, which took place in Brooklyn Bridge Park in October 2020 (Niskanen & Salo 2020).
The technology behind Murmurations relies on directional loudspeakers produced by Panphonics in Tampere, which create hyper-realistic whispers in public spaces. The experience feels as though some invisible “ghost” is present, whispering in your ear. The audio resembles binaural sound without headphones. The text material for the sound installation is based on anonymous and fragmentary sensory observations of changes in living environments, collected using the sensobiographic walking method (Wikipedia 2018), developed by Helmi Järviluoma near water bodies in the U.S. and Europe. Cultural anthropologist Inkeri Aula has also been involved in the project.
The Murmurations sound installation was created in collaboration with Panphonics, and since their factory is located in Tampere, it was natural to engage in discussions about the materials used in the speakers and their backgrounds. The composition of Panphonics’ directional loudspeakers is 98% recycled PET plastic, which also aligns with the theme of the artwork. The recycled PET plastic comes from Kankaanpää, and the speaker elements are manufactured in Sastamala. However, there was no precise information available regarding the materials used for the cables at the factory.
I have been working with artist Mark Niskanen since 2015, and we have been accustomed to using remote tools from the early stages of our collective. During the summer of 2020, we decided to acquire virtual reality headsets and a 360-degree camera to support remote work. This led to the creation of our own VR studio, and through XR (Extended Reality) working methods, we realized that traveling between Helsinki and New York was unnecessary. XR refers to environments where reality and virtual worlds intersect.
I will elaborate on the XR method we developed in the following work description:
Both of us have the same technology in Helsinki and New York: Oculus Go VR headset, a 360-degree camera (Go Pro MAX 360), an iPhone smartphone, binaural microphones that connect to the phone, and headphones. When we were working on the Murmurations sound artwork simultaneously between Helsinki and New York, and I wanted to contemplate the installation of the piece at Brooklyn Bridge Park from Helsinki, I first made a FaceTime audio call to Niskanen, usually with Bluetooth headphones on. Niskanen had his headphones connected to the phone at the installation site, with the 360-degree camera mounted on a lightweight flash stand at eye level. When Niskanen took a 360-degree photo with the camera (which was connected to his phone) and uploaded it to a shared Dropbox folder, I logged into this shared Dropbox folder with my VR headset from Helsinki and opened the 360-degree photo taken by Niskanen. Additionally, Niskanen recorded ambient sound with binaural microphones and sent the audio file via text message, which I listened to through the headphones connected to my phone while simultaneously viewing the 360-degree image of Brooklyn Bridge Park through my VR headset.
Even though a 360-degree image is a still image, the immersion is impressive, and the scale is just right. It’s easy to add objects, make edits, and take notes on these 360-degree images. The same XR system also works in a virtual studio. When we were planning the installation of artworks at the Pori Art Museum’s Poriginal Gallery (2020), the Helsinki Biennial (2021), and the Forum Box Gallery (2021), we created a virtual model together using WYSIWYG modeling software and 360-degree images taken of the space.
Additionally, we aimed to keep the technology of the artworks very minimal. While making the preliminary mixes for the Murmurations sound installation, I had one Panphonics Compact directional loudspeaker in Helsinki, which allowed me to hear the sound realistically while simultaneously viewing the image of Brooklyn Bridge Park through the VR headset. Although it’s possible to send video footage to the VR headset, file transfer is too cumbersome and slow. Niskanen and I have found that just the 360-degree images provided sufficient and quick information as a basis for artistic discussions.
Even though I did not physically travel to New York, I lived my life in Helsinki according to New York time. After the opening of the artwork, I experienced jet lag, as if I had just returned from a trip to the United States. The biggest challenge was networking, as physical encounters with locals did not occur, despite over 1,500 people visiting Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Indicative calculation related to CO2 emissions:
Flying
According to the flight calculator service lentolaskuri.fi, one round trip flight from Helsinki to New York produces 1831.5 kg of CO2 (Ekokumppanit 2024).
XR Technology
Based on an estimate published by ClimateCare, viewing a website containing images and videos produces approximately 0.2 grams of CO2 emissions per second, which amounts to 720 grams per hour (ClimateCare 2023).
720 g/h x 4 hours of work x 10 days = 28.8 kg CO2. Given the extensive use of devices and their charging, we double the amount, leading to approximately 58 kg of CO2.
According to The Networked Condition’s calculator, the CO2 emissions associated with the chosen technologies and timeframes amounted to 45.64 kg CO2. (Networked Condition 2021)
By using XR technology for exhibition construction without air travel, we estimated a reduction of over 1750 kg in CO2 emissions.
Remote working relies on a long chain of devices. Servers, various components of the data network, routers, modems, playback devices, and screens all consume electricity. The amount of emissions is influenced not only by the energy consumption of the technology used and the data transmission but also by the size of the screen and the volume of data transferred, such as the resolution in video playback. Additionally, significant differences in the final outcome can arise from the locations of the servers and other components in the playback chain, as the cleanliness of the electricity they use plays a crucial role (YLE 2019).
Understanding the material connections of technology presents challenges. While companies like Meta and GoPro provide their own sustainability reports (Meta 2023; GoPro 2022), these documents often lack raw material-specific information about supply chains, similar to the information available on the Environmental, Social, and Governance site of electronics manufacturer Philips (), which I discussed in my essay on Alternative light sources and planetary movements.
The VR headsets and 360 cameras we purchased in 2020 are now in their fourth year of use, and we are planning a new sound installation in Tartu for the summer of 2024 using the same XR methodology. If these devices are well cared for, they will likely last another 5–6 years, meaning that dozens of trips can be avoided, resulting in tens of thousands of kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions less.
On the other hand, there’s no need to purchase a 360 camera or VR headsets. Many people now carry smartphones capable of running applications that capture 360-degree images. Instead of VR headsets, one can use cardboard VR glasses designed for smartphones, which typically cost around 20 euros.
The XR working example described above pertains to a group of artists residing in different countries. However, the collaborative effort and shared authorship of the work can also extend to the technical staff of theatres, museum employees, or gallery staff. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce travel-related carbon dioxide emissions through the use of XR technology.
Exploring the potential of XR in theatre
What might XR-based work mean for stage productions and their preliminary design processes? Could stage productions also be designed internationally for another country without the need for travel?
From 2019 to 2023, I worked with the WAUHAUS arts collective on the scenography, lighting and video design, and dramaturgy for the piece sky every day (WAUHAUS 2023). The producers of the performance were WAUHAUS and the & Espoo Theatre. The play’s script was written by Pipsa Lonka. In the autumn of 2021, while working on a scale model, I compared the differences between a physical model and a virtual model with scenographer Laura Haapakangas. By working with a scale model, we found that VR headsets could serve as an effective measuring tool, allowing for quick viewing from specific seats in the audience (so-called critical locations) to see how the set and illuminated surfaces appear, how to handle the coverings, and so forth.
Modeling structures in a virtual space is slower than with a physical scale model, but it is very quick to experiment with and compare the relationships of large elements using VR headset. This, in itself, provides more spatial pre-knowledge and can save some construction materials. Additionally, while exploring the stages of our co-production partners, we took 360-degree photos of the spaces, but we surprisingly returned to these images very little during the planning process for the piece.
Central questions arose, such as: does XR technology enable more advanced and detailed preliminary planning regarding scenography and lighting? Could XR work enhance deeper collaboration with the technical staff of visiting theatres? Would more detailed dialogue also lead to a more ecological stage? On the other hand, what would shared planning look like with a colleague residing in another country? Could a designer visit an international production through the virtual world?
The challenge is that learning new technology takes a lot of time, and for the use of XR technology to become smooth, it needs to be practiced repeatedly. How can one find enough time to study new technology amidst already challenging schedules and life?
Ultimately, the preliminary planning for the sky every day continued with a physical model. While working with the director Juni Klein, sound designer Heidi Soidinsalo, and scenographer Laura Haapakangas, our shared area was the dramaturgy of the performance. The XR world is rigid, and the VR headset is physically too heavy to use in relation to dramaturgical collective thinking. The physical model functions like a dollhouse, allowing all creators to simultaneously operate its material details. Observations, experiments, and solutions in the physical model are swift, and the tactile quality of the materials is conveyed better than in a gaming-style VR model. XR work would also require a particularly strong commitment and interest from the entire team.
However, XR technology will be an essential part of pre-visualization for events and concerts. The “tactility” of stage materials for music performances may not hold significant importance; rather, what matters is the visual appeal directed at the eye: how the rhythms of the lights and the architecture created by the light beams work together with other visual elements and music.
The Finnish National Opera has been promoting XR working for several years and has collaborated with the virtual studio Zoan, supported by special funding. An article published in March 2023 highlights that the National Opera’s Turandot is the first opera production to utilize Varjo’s XR technology. This advancement addresses the aforementioned questions regarding the benefits of XR working, as the XR processes based on the Unreal Engine game engine used in the Turandot production planning reduced the amount of travel, material costs, and working hours for the artistic team. Surprisingly, XR working also positively impacted occupational safety, as stage changes for the performance could be rehearsed virtually with the stage crew (Kansallisooppera 2023). Additionally, visual artists Hans Rosenström and Kalle Nio conducted the preliminary planning for a sound installation in London using the Unreal Engine game engine during the pandemic in 2021. Their process is discussed in an insightful lecture, Hetki julkisessa tilassa (Moment in Public Space), available on YouTube (Turun museokeskus 2021).
Internet technology is transitioning towards a blockchain-based, decentralised data structure known as Web 3.0, along with the concept of metaverses. The term “metaverse” which gained popularity in 2021, refers to a virtual space that operates through the Internet, allowing users to interact via avatars they create themselves. The metaverse serves as a platform for communication, events, and gatherings. However, it is important to note that blockchain technology and the metaverse represent two independent paths of technological development.
The XR practices I have described above represent a step towards a virtual communication space akin to the metaverse. While the metaverse could easily be seen as a sustainable solution for international collaboration without the need for travel, it is important to recognise that virtual work in the metaverse will consume vast amounts of energy and natural resources. SITRA (The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra) experts Lotta Toivonen and Heidi Kalmari highlight that, according to the most alarming forecasts, the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) sector’s share of global energy consumption could rise to over one-fifth by 2030. Alongside this, electronic waste, which is the fastest-growing waste category in the world, is also expected to increase. According to Toivonen and Kalmari’s report, there are currently no specific environmental benefits associated with the use of the metaverse and blockchain-based services. In the future, a key factor regarding the benefits produced by Web 3.0 technologies will be the purposes for which the technology is applied. A positive development is that blockchain technology can produce what is known as a digital product passport, which allows both operators and consumers to obtain important information about the origins of the materials in electronic devices and the products’ reparability (SITRA 2023). However, the minting of a single blockchain transaction can consume energy equivalent to several tens of kilowatt-hours (Saala 2023, 17).
In addition to the digital product passport, the idea of a personal carbon passport has also entered the conversation. In 2023, Future Laboratory, a global strategic foresight consultancy, collaborated with the sustainable tourism company Intrepid Travel to explore the future of travel. According to their insights, the carbon passport is expected to become a standard feature of travel by 2040. This passport would allocate each citizen a specific number of travel kilometres or carbon dioxide allowances per year, restricting air travel once the limit is reached. The findings suggest that climate change may make certain tourist sites uninhabitable, leaving the metaverse as the only way to experience these attractions (Future Laboratory 2023, 12–14).
These developments challenge us to rethink not only how we travel but also how we relate to the digital and physical spaces we inhabit. As personal carbon passports and digital product passports become commonplace, the choices we make as consumers and global citizens will increasingly shape the environmental impact of our daily lives. In an interconnected world facing climate challenges, our approach to technology, travel, and responsibility will define what it means to live sustainably in the coming decades.
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