The river of no one: telematic choreography and postdigital performance

Xu, Z ORCID: 0000-0002-7819-4517 (2025) The river of no one: telematic choreography and postdigital performance. In: TaPRA Conference 2025, 27 - 29 August 2025, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.

Abstract

This paper examines 'The river of no one' (2022), a telematic performance project developed in collaboration with DAP-Lab and Third Space Network. Emerging during the pandemic, this work explored online performance as a site for reimagining choreographic relationships within a digital third space. Through the integration of the LiveToAir platform, the performance enabled cross-continental collaboration, challenging conventional notions of liveness and embodiment in digital performance. Building on Birringer’s (2022) conceptualisation of hydrocommons, 'The river of no one' engaged with ecological entanglements beyond human agency, investigating how digital choreography can articulate posthuman dramaturgies. However, the process also revealed the limitations of machinic co-presence - where the technical precision required for synchronisation constrained the generative potential of improvisation and corporeal interaction. As the choreographer and performer, I encountered challenges in navigating this hybrid space, where my embodied practice had to adapt to the absence of physical audiences and the presence of technological apparatuses. This paper reflects on how the creative constraints of online performance during the pandemic continue to inform postdigital performance-making in the AI era. By examining how movement, technology, and collaboration intersect in The river of no one, I propose that telematic performance offers a critical site for rethinking agency, coordination, and affect in an increasingly AI-mediated world.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Keywords:	dance, telematic choreography, telepresence
Divisions:	Bath School of Music and Performing Arts
Date Deposited:	03 Sep 2025 17:33
Last Modified:	03 Sep 2025 17:33
URN:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/17234

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