Thanassis Rikakis

motion^e investigates hybrid physical-digital art forms and through them the hybrid physical-digital world we live in.

Human experience of the world is complex, multi-sensory and embodied. Digital media and computation have become a major part of our world but we still relate to them in simplified manners and use them most often as information tools. A frustrating dichotomy has emerged between mediated information that is seen as useful but also artificial and not engaging, and the natural, physical experience that is real, engaging but perceived as less utilitarian. Integrating computation and digital media into the physical human experience enhances their potential while promoting a human centric evolution of our civilization.

Art has for centuries explored, represented and communicated the human experience making it the ideal testing ground for the creation of hybrid physical-digital experiences. motione concentrates on three key issues of such experiences:

• Interacting with computing through communicative human movement. This requires the real time capture and multi-layer analysis of movement.
• Structurally consistent, multimodal, physical-digital environments. The extracted movement structure informs the creation of the digital graphics and sound environments which comment on the movement.
• Communicating an aesthetically coherent, engaging, physical-digital experience. The collective work of teams of artists and engineers working towards the common goal of producing a convincing, poetic whole.

In addition to the premiere of these works, the project has resulted in science and arts publications, new technologies, methodologies and tools. Breakthroughs achieved by the project are also supporting the development of interactive systems for movement rehabilitation, K-12 education, communication, movement training and dance analysis.

We are most grateful to all guest artists and researchers as well as our sponsors for their dedication and contributions to the project.