Improvising with digital touch

Abstract

This research is concerned with the use of wearable technology in the process of improvising and how the partnership of the body and technology influences the kinaesthetic awareness of the dancer/choreographer. The project sought to produce a prototype that made touch contact with the skin via patterns of vibration effects. This was achieved by creating a circuit with a haptic motor controller, microprocessor, vibration motor and battery. Contained in two bracelets, the technology was used in a series of workshops enabling participants to explore passive digital touch as stimuli for creative movement. By implementing embodied methods to gather qualitative data, I was able to combine my own embodied participation with movement analysis (Laban Movement Analysis) and the participants’ perceptions of the experience. Codes identified from the transcribed interviews and fieldnotes were collated into a matrix with the movement analysis and then thematically analysed, revealing that the experience of repeated touch stimuli marked the continuum of consciousness and facilitated a reference point, creating a heightened awareness or foci for the moving body. I propose that this process disrupts the boundary of the body and plays a significant role in recalibrating the dancers’ kinaesthesia.