credit: theguardian.com
Technological advancements within the music industry are typically met with open arms; however, the use of holographic projections of deceased artists has largely been met with scrutiny. Holographic technology, though most controversially utilised to “resurrect” deceased artists, has been integrated into performances by artists Janelle Monae and M.I.A, and Chief Keef. This technology has provided an insight into the possible future of music through a vocaloid software voice bank, Hatsune Miku.
An article from The Canadian Press via Global News stated, “Most performances are not just an illusion on the stage – the faces of the deceased performers are transposed onto the bodies of living actors”, raising uncertainty around the ethical standpoint of holographic technology being used to resurrect deceased artists. The article continued, “In the case of [Roy] Orbison, another musician imitated his performance before the singer’s famous face was digitally pasted onto the body of the stand-in”. Leaving the question, whether the use of holograms is a technological advancement or an abuse of power?
In an interview with Tamron Hall, Brian Becker the CEO of Base Hologram, defended the production of the Whitney Houston hologram tour, relating it to biographical films like Ray and Bohemian Rhapsody. Detailing that artists together with their legacy, leave behind their art that “lasts for decades or for hundreds of years and it gets reinterpreted and it gets revised and it gets put together in different ways and I think that’s what this is”. It could be assumed that developers are rushing to showcase these new-era “live” effects without the consideration of repercussions.
credit: ispr.info
Jeff Wayne, composer of the War of the Worlds album, has used holograms alongside virtual reality to create a “multi-sensory experience”. In an article from The Guardian, Wayne revealed to The Observer, “The key thing for me is the integration of the technology with my musical score”. Despite that, Wayne had initially used the late actor Richard Burton as a hologram to use on the tour but argues, “Of course, there is always a moral question, but in our case in 2006, Sally Burton, his widow, was fully supportive”. The role was later replaced by Liam Neeson in 2012.