Matt Gough Blog [closed]: chaos emergence and structure
Thursday, Jun 10 2004, 01:50
Often, when I have discussed my system for autonomous dancing avatars, it has been suggested that it will only result in random chaos. However, although my solution is randomly seeded it is not a chaotic system, but a complex adaptive system that is also emergent. emergence is the mid point between chaos and structure. The random seeding is part of a larger tool kit of adaptive and structured systems that together provide a bottom up solution to movement simulation and synthesis.
complex adaptive systems [cas] may display emergent properties [ep]. ep's may include patterning flocking following. to make the emergent properties more 'visible' the number of 'agents' in a system may be increased. this allows the multiple rules and resulting properties to be observed by gestalt principles of perception; similarity, proximity, continuity, and closure
where as many dance technology projects investigate ep's as choreographic tools, my realtime movement simulation / synthesis [rmss] uses cas to 'drive' the movement and facilitate the interpretation of visual and physical stimuli [via motion capture / tracking], whist providing a mechanism for the interpretive presentation of xdsn scores.
in the xdsn / rmss approach the perception of ep's is secondary to the interpretive functionality they allow. in the multiple avatar solution ep's may be visible as a secondary result of choreographic decisions made by the system but are not the principle goal of the system.
although separate projects, xdsn and rmss are complementarity. xdsn could provide machine readable scores that the rmss 'performs'. depending on the use of alpha numeric or abstract symbols [scribbles] the rmss will interpret the notation with varying levels of interpretive freedom and variation depending on the structure and content of the score.
the use of figurative representation to suggest body position and tanzkurven could also be implemented with a strict of presentational rules. such figurative representation could be used in place of, or converted to motion capture data by the rmss toolkit [the conversion of mocap data into figurative tanzkurven representation is already possible].
© toru nakata
both xdsn and the rmss can handle motion capture data. it is possible to use xdsn to convert mocap data in human readable notation and vice versa. the rmss doesn’t require the use of xdsn to use motion capture data but shares a common toolkit with xdsn software for handling the mocap data.
if mocap data is given as a live feed the rmss interprets the movement kinematically and uses cognitive modelling to create a movement response. the system may also choose not to respond at all. the level of response is not only variable but determined autonomously by the system. the rmss is also able to use standard choreographic approaches such as mirroring, cannon etc, as well as more complex or improvised solutions. the rmss is self-organizing.
the modelling of the system also allows for object handling / contact [in a performance rather than task based capacity], collision detection / avoidance and decision making. this capability allows for contact improvisation [ci] between avatars or an avatar and objects. avatar to avatar, or avatar to object ci can also be achieved with a xdsn score. part of the testing schedule for xdsn and rmss [both separately and in combined use] includes human to avatar comparisons of ci score performances .
i believe that all movement is emergent and that specific styles of movement are bound by particular constraints and rules.
Filed by Article19 at 1:50 PM | 
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