nino
2025-26
Shadows play
on weathered textures,
landscapes both natural and surreal.
Light dances
on surfaces,
virtual and visceral.
Avatars breathe,
embodying the earth,
the sky,
and the storm within,
drifting between worlds—
animated by the unseen currents
of a dancer’s breath,
captured in the pulse
of motion.
The Novacene is the conceptual lens through which nino frames anxiety about AI, as well as issues of identity & connection prevalent in contemporary society and promotes a future characterised by increased connectivity, a return to the body, and a reconnection with the environment. The novacene, proposed by scientist James Lovelock, originator of the Gaia theory, describes a hypothetical new geological era succeeding the Anthropocene, one in which ultra-intelligent, self-improving artificial systems become the dominant force shaping Earth’s biosphere.
Through the use of virtual incarnation and social interaction, an immersive experience is created, facilitating connections and collaborations with the audience. Technology, including real-time motion capture, AI, and game engines, is employed to develop avatars and environments. The unconventional body types of the avatars invite consideration of how we define ourselves and how those definitions evolve interactions in virtual spaces. Developed from a 45min live performance during the residency at Trafo, the user becomes at once the author and the viewer of the artwork, in this speculative simulation -an unconventional gamelike experience.
Credits:
Gibson/martelli supported by modina.eu during a residency at Trafó, Budapest, with
music from Mechanoid Muse: Marcus Villaca.
Casually Here: Nic Nell.
Dancers: Balázs Oláh, Csilla Nagy, Mar Serra Martí and Helén Tamaskó, together with Eszter Gál
Unreal Developer: Bruno Martelli.
Special thanks to Liza Nagy, motionbank and Mark Coniglio and with clothing from Kitti Laposa.
With support from Gilles Jobin and #Studios44MocapLab, Geneva, C-DaRE Coventry University and Research England.
The project Movement, Digital Intelligence and Interactive Audience (MODINA) aims to expand the creative possibilities for contemporary dance performances, and augment the experience for the audience, using digital technology – with an emphasis on exploring artificial intelligence (AI) and audience interaction, on-site and online. This aim has two interconnected approaches, targeting dance artists, media artists (creative technologists) and audiences.
Exhibitions:
2026
FACT Liverpool, UK.
RBO/Shift – Royal Opera House, London.
Temps D’images – Festival For Dance And Technologies, Tanzhaus Nrw, Düsseldorf.
Modina Showcase Sõltumatu Tantsu Lava, Tallin, Estonia.
2025
Cofestival – Kino Siska, Centre For Urban Culture, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Project site ninoproject.cargo.site