Manifestations of Immersion in Modern Cultural Practices

The aim of the article is to investigate the main characteristics and features of the phenomenon of immersion in the context of cultural practices. The results of the research are based on identifying various types and specific aspects of the functioning of immersive practices in the cultural space. It is determined that immersion is a unique property of the cultural practice environment, which is a systemic self-organising construct, endowed with the properties of deep immersion, the presence of a subject in it, interactivity, intrasubject spatial localisation, cognitive access, saturation, plasticity, and integrity. The purpose of immersion is to create a direct connection between an object, an event, an action, and its perception by a person for deep immersion in a cultural environment: theatrical, cinematographic, exhibition, museum, excursion, entertainment, etc. The article demonstrates that immersive cultural practices create an immersion effect through the use of special technologies — light and sound installations, video installations of various complexity, virtual/augmented reality. Scientific novelty. The article examines the phenomenon of immersion, the main characteristics, and features of its manifestation in the context of cultural practices. A definition of immersion and a typology of immersive cultural practices are proposed. Conclusions. The article describes the specific characteristics of immersion (violation of a person’s state of psychological security (comfort zone) and perception of a cultural product “from the inside”; influence on the peripheral anatomical and physiological system; creation of the effect of true reality within the framework of cultural practice). The article shows that modern immersive cultural practices can be typologised according to the formats of immersion; the technologies used to create the immersion effect; the venue; the form of the proposed cultural experience.