On May 14, 2025, at 2:00 pm, Professor Louis-Philippe Demers from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) will give a Soft Talk seminar on “Kinesthetic Immersion and Engagement with Machines” at the University of Southern Denmark. This seminar is organized by SDU Soft Robotics – The Maersk McKinney Moller Institute and takes place in Odense campus at SDU TEK Ellehammer seminar room Ø28-600-3
Abstract: My focus is on understanding and shaping the human experience within art and technology, particularly the role of the body in creative practices and its impact on human-machine relations. I will present experiences that explore the multifaceted dimensions of human-machine interaction, including embodiment, empathy, and dramaturgical techniques. These presentations will showcase models and theories in kinaesthetic spectatorship, agency, and scenography, aiming to produce alternative scenarios for human-robot interaction research. I will analyse artworks involving unique bodily experiences, such as being touched by a robot (“The Blind Robot”), controlled by an exoskeleton (“Inferno”), merging with a machine (“Devolution”), and sharing proprioception between machines and humans (“Godspeed,” “Repeat,” “xLimbs”). These encounters, designed to elicit innate reactions, challenge participants to reassess their bodies and empathic responses to inanimate systems. I will address the conflict between anthropomorphic identification and anthropocentric separation in robotic representations. Additionally, I will explore spatial affordances, metaphors, and procedural authorship in staged experiences, emphasizing participation and engagement in immersive environments. This approach transforms the concept of action and perspective by making participants phenomenologically active in the artwork.
Bio: Louis-Philippe Demers is a Full Professor in Kinetic Imaging at VCUArts Qatar. A multidisciplinary artist, designer, and researcher, he is known for his interactive robotic installations and immersive experiential works, having created over 400 machines for diverse settings such as theatres, museums, and public spaces. His work has been recognized at major international festivals and events, including Ars Electroni-ca, Théâtre de la Ville (Paris), Vida, SIGGRAPH, ISEA, and the Helpmann Awards. Demers holds a Ph.D. in Robotic Performances, and his current research focuses on experiential and immersive artworks, participation, and procedural authorship as generative systems. Demers has been involved with institutions such as the University of the Arts/ZKM (Germany) and the School of Art, Design and Media at NTU (Singa-pore). He was a principal investigator at NTU’s Interaction and Entertainment Research Centre. He later served as Director of the Creative Lab and Full Professor of Creative Innovation at Queensland University of Technology (Australia), and has held visiting professorships at University of the Arts London, Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, and the Applied Arts University in Vienna.