Retraining Bodies, 2023

Performative lecture

Retraining Bodies is the winning project with Special Mention of the Art Prize "SPARKS AND FRICTIONS" by Re:Humanism.

Retraining Bodies is a performative lecture that explores learning methods between the human body and artificial intelligence. Through the use of bodily architectures for sensing body movement, the machine learns to associate gestural expressiveness with the production of sound forms. Neural networks process sensor data, serving a dual role: teaching the machine expressive body-sound associations and recognizing behavioral states affecting software and sound. When encountering new gestures, distinct from previous training, the software produces unexpected sound results, rendering the machine “creative” in its own right. In this way the machine influences the performer in the execution of new movements. The project establishes an inquiry into learning methods between humans and machines. If initially the research question was about what we can teach an artificial intelligence, now the interest has shifted to what and how much artificial intelligence can teach us.

Performances:
8/10/2023 - DIGITALIVE, Re:Humanism, Romaeuropa Festival (Rome, Italy)
14/12/2023 - IED Istituto Europeo di Design (Milan, Italy)
21/12/2023 - Hong Kong University of Scence and Technology (Guangzhou, China)
13/01/2024 - WeSA Gathering (Seoul, South Korea)
15/05/2024 - RUFA Rome University of Fine Arts (Rome, Italy)