MOVING PHOTON

Moving Photon is an interactive installation/performance created by installation artist Friendred Peng that explores embodiment, social connection and remote presence during the age of the pandemic. This work translates physiological data from live EEG recordings to an installation and explores embodied approaches in computational synergized space.

In this piece, EEG data is streamed live to control the morphology of an installation during a dance performance. The perception of the machine by the participant is translated into movement, manipulating the viewers’ experience and creating a perceptive feedback loop of human-machine communication.

Visitors may also register for an interactive experience with the installation, where wearable devices will capture the movement of the body to orchestrate the motion of the installation.

There will be a virtual event during one of the evening performances during which participants will be able to interact remotely through a web browser and their mobile phones to explore a sense of presence through a virtual interface and experience collective social connection.

Bookings

Participation in Moving Photon can be in 5 different ways, including a Phantom performance, interactive installation, interactive performance, interactive performance with EEG and a remote performance.

During the Phantom performance which will happen every morning, you will be experiencing an environment consisting of pre-recorded brain wave data from previous participants while they watch the dancer improvising. During the nights there will be performances you can register to attend. You can either choose to wear an EEG cap to watch the performance while the data is live streamed feeding into the installation directly or to be a spectator. The dancer will improvise according to the live manifestation of brainwave data. In the afternoon prior to the evening performances, you can book an interactive installation ticket where you can experience the installation using wearable sensors and data to directly control its movement.

*If you choose to participate for the EEG, you will be contacted by us prior to the performance with more detailed information.

*If you choose to participant participate remotely, a few things you might want to know before attending the performance:

• Instructions will be sent out to you, and you will be asked to download an app on your mobile device
• We will have a technical support team to help you to download and connect to our server to control the performance onsite
• You will need to attend the performance online half an hour before it starts

Performance dates

5th – 9th January 2022

About the artist:

Friendred is an installation and computational artist currently based in London. He is a lecturer in Digital Media at UCL and is in completion of his PhD at Goldsmiths, University of London, researching the intertwined relationship between technology and performance arts in the field of HCI.

Friendred has been focused on disciplines crossing arts, technology and sciences. His recent work bridged the conversation between movement and algorithmic machines, exploring the sensory apparatus and interactive systems. Through the exploration of technologized elements and societal influences and entangled relationships with other disciplines, the emergence of embodiment, technologized performance and the architectural body have emerged as his main interests.

His works were published on several well-known design and technology platforms including DesignBoom and CreativeApplications and has won several prestigious awards including Shanghai Da Shi Award, the Bronze prize in the third Cultural and Creative Design Competition amongst others. Friendred has exhibited his works at Tate Britain, The Design Museum and several other museums and galleries.

Friendred’s website and social media handles

https://friendred.studio/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friendred0.0/

Studio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friendred.studio/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StudioFriendred

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_friendred

Credits:

Moving Photon is directed by Friendred Peng, danced and choreographed by Serian Griffiths, scored by Danny Hynds. Our collaborative team also includes Jacob Heredia, Narayan O’Hanlon, Laura Rai, Hennie Lee. Photos by Friendred Peng and Arturas Bondarciukas. This work is supported by Jamie Ward, the ERC Neurolive project and The Royal Society