The Art of Opera Design in the Context of the Digital Turn: Culture, Technology, Ethics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63931/ijchr.v7iSI3.261Keywords:
cultural identity, ethical challenges, digital technologies, opera art, scenographyAbstract
The aim of the proposed article is to analyze the impact of digital technologies on the development of opera production design through the prism of culture, technology, and ethics, with particular attention to the Ukrainian context. To achieve this task, a scientific approach with elements of case study has been chosen. Semi-structured interviews with experts (10 individuals) were also conducted. Specific cases include the production of "Turandot" (Lviv, Ukraine), the VR-opera "Atlas" (New York, USA), and "Faust" (Geneva, Switzerland). The results of the study indicate that digital technologies have become a powerful factor that has significantly influenced the content, forms, and ethics of opera productions. The study of the Lviv Opera's "Turandot" showed that digital technologies can be a means of preserving and transforming cultural identity. Thanks to visual references to Ukrainian art, it was possible to create a local artistic context. In contrast, the cases of the productions "Atlas" and "Faust" pointed to a clear trend towards the globalization of stage space art. Technological innovations in productions largely depended on the financial and infrastructural capabilities of the theatres. At the same time, there are several ethical dilemmas. For example, there is the issue of opaque authorship of AI-generated content, and the challenge of technological inequality among viewers. Also, viewers and experts noted the issue of content control in the context of individualized perception. In conclusion, it is emphasized that digital innovations should be implemented as a means of enrichment, not as a replacement for the opera tradition
References
[1] Ammirato, S., Felicetti, A. M., Linzalone, R., Giglio, C., & Frega, N. (2025). Cultural industries 4.0: How digitalisation is reshaping the sector: Insights from a systematic literature review. International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development, 15(1), 88–109. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijkbd.2025.145498
[2] Avanzini, F., Baratè, A., Haus, G., Ludovico, L. A., & Ntalampiras, S. (2020). Preservation and promotion of opera cultural heritage: The experience of La Scala Theatre. In Culture and Computing (pp. 325–337). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50267-6_25
[3] Bellini, N. (2021). Opera as luxury in culture: The marketing impact of digitalization. In The Art of Digital Marketing for Fashion and Luxury Brands (pp. 423–440). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70324-0_17
[4] Berehova, O., & Volkov, S. (2020). Modern opera of the late 20th–early 21st centuries: World trends and Ukrainian realities. Journal of History Culture and Art Research, 9(4), 217. https://doi.org/10.7596/taksad.v9i4.2817
[5] Bobro, N., Ivanova, D., Pyvovarov, K., Shatskaya, Z., & Kucheriavyi, V. (2025). Investment approach of higher education institutions to the development of educational platforms. Salud, Ciencia y Tecnología – Serie de Conferencias, 4, 1392. https://doi.org/10.56294/sctconf20251392
[6] Cashman, D., & Garrido, W. (2019). Technology and live performance. In Performing Popular Music (pp. 144–157). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429505560-13
[7] Chaika, O., Sharmanova, N., & Makaruk, O. (2024). Revitalising endangered languages: Challenges, successes, and cultural implications. Futurity of Social Sciences, 2(2), 38–61. https://doi.org/10.57125/FS.2024.06.20.03
[8] da Rocha Gonçalves, D. (2020). Making sense of the (Internet) archive: Negotiating meaning, memory and history in artistic practice. In Understanding Media and Society in the Age of Digitalisation (pp. 55–71). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38577-4_4
[9] De Angelis, M. C. (2024). The impact of digitalisation in scientific research: Risks, opportunities and ethical challenges. Community Notebook. People, Education and Welfare in the Society 5.0, 3, 195–226. https://doi.org/10.61007/qdc.2023.3.159
[10] De Marchi, L. (2023). The digitalisation of the music industry in Brazil. Journal of Legal Anthropology, 7(2), 87–103. https://doi.org/10.3167/jla.2023.070205
[11] Fissi, S., Gori, E., Romolini, A., & Contri, M. (2021). Facing COVID-19: The digitalization path of Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. European Planning Studies, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2021.1974352
[12] Ford, V., & Mandviwalla, M. (2020). Can digital engagement transform the performing arts? In Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. https://doi.org/10.24251/hicss.2020.526
[13] Hasanova, I. Z. kizi. (2024). The role of the advocate’s motions and complaints in a criminal trial: A scoping review. Futurity Economics & Law, 4(4), 25–41. https://doi.org/10.57125/FEL.2024.12.25.02
[14] Hayes, L. (2018). Live electronic music performance. In MOCO ’18: 5th International Conference on Movement and Computing. ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3212721.3212891
[15] Hviid, M., Izquierdo-Sanchez, S., & Jacques, S. (2018). Digitalisation and intermediaries in the music industry: The rise of the entrepreneur? SCRIPT-ed, 15(2), 242–276. https://doi.org/10.2966/scrip.150218.242
[16] Kadanceva, N., Kablova, T., & Liu, Y. (2023). The genesis of opera singing in Ukrainian chamber vocal music. Música Hodie, 23. https://doi.org/10.5216/mh.v23.73975
[17] Kaldygozova, S. (2024). Using mobile technologies in distance learning: A scoping review. E-Learning Innovations Journal, 2(1), 4–22. https://doi.org/10.57125/ELIJ.2024.03.25.01
[18] Kavathatzopoulos, I. (2023). Artificial intelligence and the sustainability of thinking. In Ethics and Sustainability in Digital Cultures (pp. 19–30). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003367451-3
[19] Kichurchak, M. (2020). Evaluation of cultural sphere development in the European Union countries as a factor of forming social capital and creative industries: Experience for Ukraine. Economic Annals-ХХI, 184(7–8), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.21003/ea.v184-07
[20] Köpsell, S., & Oertel, S. (2024). Digitalization attempts in higher education: The role of imprinting and the effect of business departments. Studies in Higher Education, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2355349
[21] Lavery, C., & Zandieh, R. (2024). Performance and installation art. In A New History of Theatre in France (pp. 276–293). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108908566.015
[22] Lindell, R. (2024). The dialectics of digitalisation: A critique of the modernistic imperative for the development of digital technology. Futures, 103428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2024.103428
[23] Muliarevych, O., Saienko, V., Hurbanska, A., Nowak, B., & Marushchak, O. (2023). Digital learning hubs as a component of the information and digital learning environment. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 12(5), 24. https://doi.org/10.5430/jct.v12n5p24
[24] Nyman, I. M. (2022). Democratizing opera: Accessibility to opera in the digital age among Swedish-speaking Finns. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 29(6), 786–800. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2022.2114469
[25] Peters, D., Vold, K., Robinson, D., & Calvo, R. A. (2020). Responsible AI—Two frameworks for ethical design practice. IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society, 1(1), 34–47. https://doi.org/10.1109/tts.2020.2974991
[26] Pletsan, K. (2021). Theoretical and methodological principles of digitalisation of cultural space in the process of creative industry development in Ukraine. Culture and Arts in the Modern World, 22, 85–102. https://doi.org/10.31866/2410-1915.22.2021.235897
[27] Rixon, T. (2024). Digital scenography in opera in the twenty-first century. International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media, 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1080/14794713.2024.2426886
[28] Roca, M., Albertí, J., Bala, A., Batlle-Bayer, L., Ribas-Tur, J., & Fullana-i-Palmer, P. (2021). Sustainability in the opera sector: Main drivers and limitations to improve the environmental performance of scenography. Sustainability, 13(22), 12896. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212896
[29] Schürmer, A. (2022). The extensions of opera: Radio, internet, and immersion. Contemporary Music Review, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/07494467.2022.2087390
[30] Shumilina, O., & Varakuta, M. (2020). Baroque opera on the contemporary Ukrainian theatre stage: Ideas and solutions. Kyiv-Mohyla Humanities Journal, 7, 225–232. https://doi.org/10.18523/kmhj219675.2020-7.225-232
[31] Szostak, M. (2022). Digitalisation and virtualisation of the aesthetic situation management: Polish musical art creators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Intercultural Management, 14(2), 41–65. https://doi.org/10.2478/joim-2022-0006
[32] Tukova, I. (2023). Art music and war: Ukrainian case 2022. Musicologica Brunensia, 2, 193–204. https://doi.org/10.5817/mb2023-2-12
[33] Tuominen, I. (2025). Indigenous peoples and ethical guidelines: Are law and ethics in conflict in the age of digitalisation? In Digital Indigenous Cultural Heritage (pp. 145–168). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76941-2_8
[34] Tvrdišić, S. (2022). The impacts of digitalization on traditional forms of art. AM Journal of Art and Media Studies, 27, 87–101. https://doi.org/10.25038/am.v0i28.502
[35] Twarowski, A. E., Bibu, N., & Brancu, L. (2024). New management paradigms determined by the pandemic: The digital revolution in the opera sector. The Annals of the University of Oradea. Economic Sciences, 33(1), 655–660. https://doi.org/10.47535/1991auoes33(1)072
[36] Vincent, C., Vincent, J. B., Vincs, K., & Johanson, K. (2017). The intersection of live and digital: New technical classifications for digital scenography in opera. Theatre and Performance Design, 3(3), 155–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/23322551.2017.1400764
[37] Vincent, C. (2021). Introduction to digital scenography in opera. In Digital Scenography in Opera in the Twenty-First Century (pp. 1–23). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003093305-1
[38] Webb, A. (2021). Digitalising live performance: A pathway for post-pandemic recovery in the performing arts. In Transformations of Regional and Local Labour Markets Across Europe in Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Times (pp. 333–356). Rainer Hampp Verlag. https://doi.org/10.5771/9783957104007-333
[39] Weintritt, S., & Barta, S. (2022). Future formats for classical music: A reflection on how digitalisation can breathe new life into an art form struggling to reinvent itself. In Neue Wege für die Kultur? (pp. 293–308). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-37862-2_20
[40] Zhang, Q., & Negus, K. (2021). Stages, platforms, streams: The economies and industries of live music after digitalization. Popular Music and Society, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2021.1921909
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Danylo Zholdak

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.