Abstract
Movement is ever-present. On a corporeal, quantum, and cosmic scale, movement persists regardless of our ability to perceive it. How then, do we make distinctions between movement and other-than-movement? Over centuries, the boundary between movement and stillness has been reconfigured time and again by scientific advances, as well as shifting theoretical frameworks in which previously imperceptible movement comes to matter. Integral to the study of movement across disciplines are ongoing processes of aesthetic differentiation by which discrete movements become intelligible within the continuity of motion. Once a movement has been discretized—for example, one gesture, one heartbeat, or one step—it becomes available for analysis and representation. The discretization of motion is shaped by the motives and methods of practitioners and becomes inscribed within technologies and techniques for the study of movement on both micro and macro scales. These processes of segmentation and inscription are not neutral; rather, they are mediated by what I term the choreographic gaze—a distributed and pluri-sensorial orientation towards movement that emerges from the entangled capacities of humans and machines. As movement is continuously fragmented, encoded, and classified within media systems—from cinema to motion capture to AI-driven tracking—the choreographic gaze shapes how motion is made legible and to whom. In this sense, it is not only an aesthetic phenomenon but an ethical and political one, embedded within broader infrastructures of mediation, surveillance, and control. The notion of the choreographic gaze allows for a critical interrogation of the value systems underlying movement analysis, representation, and automation.
Presenters
Teoma NaccaratoResearch Fellow, Centre for Blended Realities, Falmouth University, United Kingdom
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Philosophy of Movement, Choreographic Gaze, Aesthetic Differentiation
