Performing Identity through Wearable Sensing
Symposium:
Title:
- Performing Identity through Wearable Sensing
Organiser/Presenter(s):
Statement:
Workshop Statement
[Remark: the Workshop was XXLD]
Description: The current corporate technology fervour over wearable technology that collects everyone’s intimate body data, under the pretence of medical or fitness monitoring, highlights that it is time to ask critical questions and raise concerns around the ethics of corporate ownership of this data for a consumerism and surveillance agenda.
As part of a larger collaboration by the authors, this workshop aims to draw the performance community into the development, evolution of, and conversation around wearable technology, data collection ethics. It is meant to bring performers and researchers together to develop methods of using both commercial and handmade wearable sensing and smart textiles-based devices that transmit physiological data, to create unique interactive performances. It also aims to engage performers actively in exploring ways in which wearable technologies might enhance performance, while making playful, challenging and thought-provoking performance works.
This workshop is an all day workshop with a focus on the performance making process, while incorporating physiological data into the final performance, as a way to express identity. It will feature exercises with performers, and have them work with pre-created DIY soft circuit sensors, as well as a selection of commercial devices, in order to move or control an output, such as sound, visuals or video. The day will be organised around introductions to wearable technology, improvisation activities, and exercises to enable performers to create interactivity with devices and sensors, and a short devising activity to allow participants to perform their own ideas.
