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.
Poster for Feeding Birds by Chrysanthos Christodoulou, 2024
Different stages of the research took place during Irini’s residencies: