The paper identifies 'the atmospheric grid of cruising on the high seas' as collective basis for the individual atmospheric perception. Embedded in the current academic discourse on research involving atmospheres, we developed a theoretical concept that is tailored to the particular characteristics of cruise ships. Practical experiences, empirical analysis and discursive introspections show that the atmospheric grid can be broken down into the five dimensions of 'movement', 'disappearing', 'reflection', 'simulation' and 'guidance'. Since the analytically recognized atmospheric dimensions overlap, the 'atmospheric grid' is experienced as a whole on cruise ships. This forms the basis for each passenger's individual atmospheric perception of cruising on the high seas. Zusammenfassung: Der Aufsatz erarbeitet das ‚atmosphärische Gitter der Kreuzfahrt auf hoher See' als gemeinsame Basis zur individuellen Wahrnehmung des Atmosphärischen. Eingebettet in den aktuellen wissenschaftlichen Diskurs der Atmosphärenforschung wurde ein theoretischer Entwurf konzipiert, der auf die Besonderheiten des Ortes Kreuzfahrtschiff zugeschnitten ist. Im Zuge der lebensweltlichen Erfahrungen, der empirischen Analysen und der diskursiven Introspektionen konnten die fünf Dimensionen ‚Bewegen', ‚Entschwinden', ‚Spiegeln', ‚Simulieren' und ‚Führen' isoliert werden: Auf Kreuzfahrtschiffen herrscht ein ‚atmosphärisches Gitter' vor, in dem sich die analytisch erkannten atmosphärischen Dimensionen überlagen und als Ganzes wahrgenommen werden. Dies erzeugt die Basis für Passagiere zur individuellen atmosphärischen Wahrnehmung auf Kreuzfahrten.

This article proposes to shift the scholarly focus from the conceptually, terminologically, and methodologically fuzzy notion of “immersion” to the concept of “immersivity,” and thus from a discussion of experiences to an analysis of the productive forces that enable such experiences (aesthetic and otherwise). Using case studies from theme parks, film, and immersive theatre to video games and immersive educational spaces, we argue that immersivity is a distinct term that denotes an inherent quality of objects in general and of mediated, delineated, real and virtual spaces in particular. We assume that in all of these examples, spatial qualities and modes interact in particular ways to facilitate immersion. Elucidating these interactions requires discussing examples from different disciplinary contexts. It is precisely through this interdisciplinary approach that we take a first step towards understanding immersivity, as we pinpoint cross-disciplinary congruences wherever possible. The article thus offers the starting point for a transdisciplinary, qualitative, experimental, and analytical model of immersivity. Following a theoretical introduction to the topic of immersion, we will first conceptualize our interdisciplinary understanding of immersion and immersivity and then launch into a transdisciplinary dialogue about examples of immersive spaces.

The experiences of cruise ship passengers are influenced by cinematic representations and intensified and (re)produced by cruise operators. This paper conceptualises cinematic cruising as a phenomenon of reel and real spaces between imagination and experience for pleasure on the high seas. To date, the influence of cinematic representations on the experience of cruise passengers has not yet been studied in detail. To address this, our argument builds on the comparability of cinemas and cruise ships. They share similar characteristics as modern and postmodern places, as heterotopias, and as places of dreams. Both are places of illusion, places of compensation, and places where one can escape from everyday life; they take moviegoers and passengers to their places of desire. The following analysis illustrates the impact that films, television series and docu-series have on passengers’ imaginations who physically experience film-like situations on cruise ships. When compared to cinemas, the perception there is not limited to just audiovisual factors. Building on this, cinematic cruising might fulfil the dreams, desires, and longings of passengers, at least on the level of imagination.

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