Embodied Simulation – Tribeca (2024)

I am writing this today, as a collection of trillions of cells. A trillion autonomous, intelligent little machines — more than half of which are not even human, but other microbial organisms.

Trillions of intelligent little machines work together, to keep me alive, so that I can keep them alive.

Trillions of intelligent little machines work together, yet somehow, through their interactions, I emerge. Me. One me. At least to me, it feels like I am a single unitary entity. A single unitary entity with clear boundaries, that I call my skin. But I know, intellectually, I realize, I am in fact a network. I am a network of cells and organisms within this boundary that I call my skin.

But I am more than that. I am not just the network of the cells within my body. I am also the network of atoms that I exchange with my environment, with other living and non-living things. The atoms that I eat and drink; the atoms that I inhale and exhale. The atoms, that I borrow from my environment, that constitute my body. The atoms, forged in the dying hearts of stars exploding into supernova, billions of years ago, billions of light years away, spewed across galaxies to come together — for a very brief moment in time — to momentarily form me, and you.

But I am still more than that. I am also sub-atomic vibrations. I am localized oscillations in infinite cosmic quantum fields permeating all of space-time. Yet, somehow, I am conscious, I feel and I experience my existence, and I am aware of my experience of my existence. How is it that localized waves in infinite cosmic fields are somehow aware of itself as a ‘thing’, a ‘thing’ that can ‘think’, and experience pain, joy, sorrow, excitement, pleasure and so much more?

And I am still more than that. I am also my thoughts, my beliefs, my values. I am also the network of every book I’ve read, every film I’ve seen, every song I’ve listened to, every conversation I’ve had, every thought I’ve thought, every interaction I’ve had with any person or being, human or non-human, living or not.

And in turn, every being that I’ve ever interacted with, is also a network of every being they’ve ever interacted with.

All intelligence is distributed.

I am not apart from the universe, I am not even in the universe. I am part of the universe. The universe is in me. Just as ‘waves’ are something that the ocean does, I am something that the universe does.

We are all connected, to the universe, physically, through our atoms; to the planet, biologically; and to each other, spiritually, mentally, emotionally; through our words, thoughts and experiences.

We know intellectually that we are all connected, that we are all one. But how can we feel this, how can we embody this knowledge?

‘Embodied Simulation’ by Memo Akten and Katie Peyton Hofstadter is a multiscreen video and sound installation that aims to provoke and nurture strong connections to the global ecosystems of which we are a part. The work combines artificial intelligence with dance and research from neuroscience to create an immersive, embodied experience, extending the viewer’s bodily perception beyond the skin, and into the environment.

We know that we are deeply embedded within complex webs of living and non-living things. Interdependent and entangled physically, chemically, biologically, across multiple scales of time and space.

It’s one thing to intellectually know this. But how do we feel it, and embody this knowledge?

Dance is one of our earliest biotechnologies. We dance to express ourselves, to connect to each other, to connect to our environment, to connect to the ‘divine’. We dance to experience union with the universe directly.

The cognitive phenomenon of embodied simulation (an evolved and refined version of ‘mirror neurons’ theory) refers to the way we feel and embody the movement of others, as if they are happening in our own bodies. The brain of an observer unconsciously mirrors the movements of others, all the way through to the planning and simulating execution of the movements in their own body. This can even be seen in situations such as embodying and ‘feeling’ the movement of fabric blowing in the wind. As Vittorio Gallese writes, “By means of a shared neural state realized in two different bodies that nevertheless obey to the same functional rules, the ‘objectual other’ becomes ‘another self’.”

Our work leverages this phenomenon in an immersive, ritual space, connecting us to each other, connecting us to our environment. It is a sanctuary, in which invisible dancers create an embodied, mirrored experience in the viewer. The experience extends our bodies beyond the skin, and enhances our understanding of the environment as part of our body: the forest and oceans are extensions of our lungs, heartbeats, etc. — and vice versa.

The work is designed to be adaptable to various spaces and presentations. This includes — but is not limited to — fully immersive projections on all 4 walls and floor of a large room; multiple free-standing screens distributed around a space; dome projections; and more.

The piece consists of large-scale digital video animations, created through algorithmic processing of footage of dancers.

In the animation, the dancers themselves are not visible. They are only perceptible through the way they move, and through their movements they create, bend, warp and transform natural forms such as trees, flowers, coral, plankton, galaxies, microbes, waves, mountains and more. And as these elements move, they create shapes that resemble human forms, in motion.

We possess a remarkable ability to recognize human movement, even in abstract forms. So while the human dancers remain sub perceptual in the animation, the viewer still feels the mirroring of their movements, reflected in the environment. In effect, the viewer is able to feel the movement of the trees, corals, plankton, etc. – as if it is happening in their own bodies. This creates a powerful, immersive experience, extending their sense of embodiment beyond their own skin, and into the environment.

Researchers have shown that transformative action must arise not only from knowledge but from feeling. We know how to intellectually express the interconnected nature of our planetary systems. In this work, the viewer is invited to feel this connection within their own bodies, a powerful ritual to empower us to consider our connected future.