The Third Nature and Human Glitch

Between Screen and Stage

The upcoming collaboration with Bodies in Flight for their show, Third Nature, has pushed my creative practice into a freshly liminal space. For years, I have been exploring the 'dance' between human intent and machine logic — a process of dependent arising where the most compelling results occur not when we master the technology, but when we allow it to 'glitch' in ways we couldn't predict, or (usually) want. 

I worked with Bodies in Flight on three shows in the 1990’s, so this is also a wonderful reunion. I’ve already written much more about those three shows in the recently published Flesh and Text if you're curious.

The Beauty of the Uncanny

I have always been drawn to what lies outside the 'optimised' and 'accurate' world of mainstream AI. Whether it’s the way a neural network struggles to resolve an anatomical hand ... as you may have noticed, I quite like 'bad hands'! ... or the surreal fusion of clockwork and organic textures; I find that these moments of failure are where the art seems to happen.

For this production, I am leaning into this 'human glitch.' To an extent, the unusuaL AV will be delivered to the performers as a fresh, pre-rendered surprise. There is a palpable tension in that freshness — as performers react late in the devising process to an unpredictable, algorithmic co-star. It is an exercise in letting go, treating the AI/AV ‘output’ as a spectator might: as a delightful, slightly unnerving mirror of our own collective subconscious.

Why 'Third Nature'?

This work sits in the threshold — that liminal zone between the physical body on stage, the learned societal roles we play, and the synthetic, generative 'Third Nature' that is beginning to permeate our lives.

I’m looking forward to seeing how these glitch-infused soundscapes and often-surreal visual artifacts transform the stage into a space where the logic of a dream becomes the reality of the performance.

Following on from my recent explorations into 'halF unusuaL' aesthetics, the technical underbelly for this production involves unpacking AI using ComfyUI, bridging it with spatial logic in TouchDesigner, and weaving it all together through sonics composed in GRM Tools Atelier and Ableton Live. The result is a performance that bridges the gap between the performer's body and the synthetic phantom.

Come and see/hear the finished results at Bristol’s Arnolfini on Saturday 7th November. Information and Tickets.