Encoding Embodied Creativity studies and develops methods for transferring creative approaches in the field of dance to other artistic domains. The project is based on the premise that a well-founded understanding of embodied forms of creativity in combination with the adoption of state of the art methods in dance digitalisation, machine learning, and generative art can inform the development of novel approaches for creating computer-based art. The project aims to showcase through conducting several practical case studies how such a transfer of creative principles from dance into computer-based art can take place. 

The main research questions addressed in the project are: how can creativity that is grounded in bodily experience inform artistic strategies that deal with the digital domain? What insights can be gained about embodied creativity by analysing and re-interpreting choreographic works through methods from machine learning and generative art? How can computational tools for artistic creation foster new forms of collaboration in the field of dance and technology?

Embodied Machine is the final result of a two-year project supported by the European Commission within the Horizon 2020 program. The project counts with an international multi-disciplinary consortium made up of artists and scientists aimed at unlocking embodied creativity for the benefit of interdisciplinary art and science research. The goal is to deepen the understanding and effective communication of the choreographic principles associated with creation in dance and transfer them to other disciplines such as music or visual arts.

The project consortium is made up of three institutions from three different countries:

Instituto Stocos, Instituto Stocos is a non-profit organisation that conducts research and development concerning the interaction between body gesture, music and visual imagery.

Motion Bank, dance and technology project of the William Forsythe Company, a pioneer in producing new models for the digitization of dance. Currently based in Mainz (Germany). 

C-DaRE (Center for Dance Research, University of Coventry) Research Center for Contemporary Dance of the prestigious Coventry University in the United Kingdom.

The project is focused on the dissemination and exploitation of these technologies through workshops, integration of the tools in choreographic  and music centres, creation of an online repository and finally with the production of Embodied Machine, a dance piece by Instituto Stocos, which will integrate this cutting-edge technology in a artistic work for the general public: