Performer-machine scores for choreographing bodies, interaction and kinetic materials

Abstract

Recent advances in digital fabrication and computationally controlled environments have produced new forms of performative architecture that exhibit dynamic kinetic behaviours in physical space and time. This opens up the design process to choreographic thinking, in which patterns, compositions and dynamic qualities of movement are defined across heterogeneous elements of bodies, kinetic materials, spatial structures and software code. The generation of choreographic tools for exploring and notating movement in the design process poses the problem of representation and language translation across disciplines. Our contribution lies in a new tool to extend an existing design methodology. We propose the use of a performer-machine score, a choreographic tool which can be used in conjunction with many other choreographic and design tools, such as spatial diagrams and computer-aided design models and simulations, to aid the iterative creative process of designing the movement-based interaction, performance and behaviour of human performers and computationally controlled kinetic materials.