ABSTRACT
This introduction to Live Visuals: History, Theory, Practice provides a contextual framework for Live Visuals by retracing the history of images that created worlds of illusions via pictorial, sonic, performative and architectural elements. The chapter outlines the general history of Live Visuals and audio-visuals, referring to key movements, figures and works that are covered throughout this volume and framing the complexities of contemporary Live Visuals as ephemeral and repeated ‘unique’ participatory and performative events. As this chapter makes clear, Live Visuals is much more than VJing and projection mapping and has a long history which is entwined with philosophy, visual arts, instrument design, film, electronic music and much more.
