When a robot is dancing in a chorus

From choreographic intelligence to artificial creativity, a study on “Living Archive: An AI Performance Experiment” by Wayne McGregor

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6093/sigma.v0i8.11483
Keywords: choreographic intelligence, choreorobotics, artificial creativity, Wayne McGregor, artificial intelligence

Abstract

This contribution aims to analyze choreographic performances where the involvement of a robot on stage plays a significant role in defining the chorus’s action. Firstly, a brief overview is dedicated to the historical developments that have led choreography to intersect with robotics in the emerging field of study called ‘Choreorobotics’. Subsequently, the article analyses dance performances where the dramatic language is based on choreographic strategies designed to melt together both artificial and human agents and media and kinesthetic elements. This speculation reveals a crucial question: if a robot can be programmed to perform movements within a dance choreography, can it also be programmed to generate movement on stage and thus become a creative force in the choreographic process, influencing the actions of a chorus? The article addresses this question by examining the project Living Archive: An AI Performance Experiment by British choreographer Wayne McGregor, developed in collaboration with the Google Arts & Culture Lab in 2018.

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Author Biography

Letizia Gioia Monda, University of Turin

Letizia Gioia Monda is a Research Fellow in Performing Arts at the University of Turin. From 2017 to 2023, she was an adjunct professor at Sapienza University of Rome, where she obtained a PhD in Digital Technologies and Methodologies for Research in Performing Arts (2014). She has been involved in international projects such as the multidisciplinary project Motion Bank by William Forsythe (Frankfurt, 2010-2014) and directed by Scott deLahunta, and the project Clash! When Classic and Contemporary Dance Collide and New Forms Emerge (Creative Europe Program – EU), for which she coordinated the development of the Clash! eBook and directed the digital event Clash! International Festival. As a member of the équipe directed by Vito Di Bernardi at the Sapienza University of Rome, from 2019 to 2022 she curated the screendance archive of Il Coreografo Elettronico Festival stored at Museo Madre of Naples. She has published several contributions on subjects such as choreographic counterpoint, the concept of score in the dance field, digital choreography, screendance, and choreographic architectures. In January 2022, she achieved the National Scientific Qualification as Associate Professor in the Italian higher education system for the Academic Recruitment Field 10/PEMM-01 – Performing arts, music, cinema and media.

Published
2024-12-28
How to Cite
MondaL. G. (2024). When a robot is dancing in a chorus. SigMa - Rivista Di Letterature Comparate, Teatro E Arti Dello Spettacolo, (8), 149-161. https://doi.org/10.6093/sigma.v0i8.11483
Issue
No 8 (2024): Simultaneity and polyphony. Choir voices in contemporary drama and the arts
Section
Sezione monografica

Copyright (c) 2024 Letizia Gioia Monda

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