I R I N I  K A L A I T Z I D I

Feeding Birds

25min performance
OnassisAiR 2024
Athens, Greece

Two performers dressed like bird watchers in an open green-lighted space, Still from performance, Feeding Birds, Irini Kalaitzidi, 2024, photo @ Stathis Doganis

Still from performance, OnassisAiR Open Day #12, @ stathis doganis, 2024

Feeding Birds is a research project exploring the fluidity and arbitrariness of movement in relation to the stiffness and absolutism of classification AI practices. Part of this research manifested through a dance performance which premiered in OnassisAiR Open Day #12, June 2024.

Stills from performance, OnassisAiR Open Day #12, @ Pavlos Fysakis [1-2] & @ stathis doganis [3] for Onassis Stegi, 2024

With a critical eye towards artificial intelligence (AI), this performance is built upon the clash between the rigidity of classification technologies and the elusive nature of human movements. Can a movement ever fit within a single label in an objective and absolute way?

Through the (mis)labelling process, Feeding Birds explores the choreographic capacity of AI classification technologies. How does an engineer choreograph an AI model’s perception of a constantly moving body, and then, how does a trained AI model choreograph this body in return through its output (mis)readings?

Still from performance, OnassisAiR Open Day #12, @ stathis doganis, 2024

The project involves the creation of a dataset of human movements to train a Human Action Recognition (HAR) model. Originally designed for military surveillance, this technology is repurposed here as a non-sense device. The model labels human actions with terms like feeding birds or carving marble, as defined by the dataset it is trained on, thus shaping its biases and interpretative capabilities.

In this performance, the three performers create a tranquil space for human observers, akin to bird watchers, to identify and label movements, mirroring the work of data annotators who feed AI models.

C R E D I T S

Concept | Choreography | Tech development: Irini Kalaitzidi

Performers | Co-creators: Veatriki Kapnisi, Maria Vourou, Nikos Tsolis

Sound artist: Nikos Tsolis

Visual artist | Costumes: Chrysanthos Christodoulou

Digital media support: Stathis Doganis

Special thanks to Nefeli Myrodia, Sotiria Smirnaiou, Ioanna Zouli, Georgia Giannakea, Christos Polymenakos and the broader OnassisAiR team for the immense support.

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Poster for Feeding Birds by Chrysanthos Christodoulou, 2024

Different stages of the research took place during Irini’s residencies: