The Abolition of the Frame: A Paradigm Shift from the Centripetal Image to Immersive Space

Abstract

This paper investigates the transition from the framed image to the enveloping image in the history of Western visual perception. For centuries, the frame has served as a cognitive and semiotic device regulating the distance between subject and representation. The rise of immersive media, from fulldome projections to virtual reality, has disrupted this paradigm. The analysis traces the philosophical roots of the frame concept (Simmel, Derrida, Marin), the art historical genealogy of proto-immersive practices (from Renaissance quadraturismo to nineteenth century panoramas), the media theories of the transition (Youngblood, Manovich, Eugeni), and the psychological implications of immersion (aesthetic distance, flow state, perceptual frame effect). The final section discusses the new cinematic grammars required for frameless storytelling and surveys contemporary experimentation in the Italian and international context.

Palabras clave

• immersion
• frame
• fulldome
• aesthetic distance
• somatic montage
• expanded cinema
• figurative space

Cómo citar

BibTeX

@misc{riccio_2026_19160989,
  author = {Riccio, Dario},
  title = {The Abolition of the Frame: A Paradigm Shift from the Centripetal Image to Immersive Space},
  month = mar,
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  doi = {10.5281/zenodo.19160989},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19160989}
}