Blending cultures: the intersection of A.I., VR, and intercultural identity in techno-choreography

Xu, Z ORCID: 0000-0002-7819-4517 (2023) Blending cultures: the intersection of A.I., VR, and intercultural identity in techno-choreography. In: TaPRA Conference, 30 August - 1 September 2023, University of Leeds.

Abstract

This practice-based research aims to investigate the potential of using artificial intelligence (A.I.) and virtual reality (VR) to enhance choreographic practice and explore the concept of ‘hybrid cultural identity’ through professionally trained dancing bodies, by incorporating cultural objects such as chopsticks, fans, gaoqiao and silks. The hypotheses are that cultural objects as instruments could influence the generation of movement consequences and that VR and ChatGPT could help choreographers generate new movement vocabularies, patterns and structures in the process of techno-choreography. As an intercultural artist with touring and working experiences in China, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Belgium, and Malaysia, I argue for ‘identity as a dynamic concept’, as Cantle points out in the study of interculturalism. It should not be solely labelled by race or skin colour, especially for choreographers and dancers (2020: n.p.). Artists' identities are formed according to the hybridity of their inner world, which is built up by training, dancing experience, learning different cultures and techniques, and the outer world, which is the environments they engage with. The use of VR and ChatGPT, along with the incorporation of cultural objects, enables me to create immersive and interactive environments that can inspire new choreographic ideas. Additionally, ChatGPT is utilised as a tool to generate new movement patterns and narrative structures that can be incorporated into the choreography. The outcome of the research is the generation of interactive performance frameworks that enable embodiments of cultural objects and dancing bodies in digital performance. This study contributes not only to aspects of choreography and dance research in the contemporary global and intercultural contexts in which I have worked but also to cultural studies and computer science studies that engage body-worn technologies or develop human-computer interfaces.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Subjects:	A General Works > AI Indexes (General)
Divisions:	Bath School of Music and Performing Arts
Date Deposited:	09 Oct 2023 13:43
Last Modified:	09 Oct 2023 13:43
URI / Page ID:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/15771

	Request a change to this item or report an issue
	Update item (repository staff only)