Digital Umbilical
Digital Umbilical began during a hackathon organized by Sadlers Wells Dance in 2019. In response to the question "How can technology be used to bring people together through dance?" we conceived of a piece that connected dancers and audience through heart and breath sensors. The data from the sensors drove the environment (lights, sound) and fed back to the performers.
With the advent of the global pandemic in 2020, we adapted the piece into a remote, networked performance (Digital Umbilical Online - DUO). We created an iPhone app capable of measuring users' heartbeats using Photoplethysmography (PPG), sending this data across the internet to the dancer who used the beats to inform their performance. The performance was then streamed back to the audience, with the dancer's heartbeat creating haptic beats on their phones.
Our input encompassed concept development alongside technical implementation. We created WiFi-enabled Arduino modules to transmit sensor data to our server and researched various physiological sensors. We developed the iOS app for heartbeat capture and built a Node.js server to handle data transfer. Additionally, we configured the video streaming service and developed a WebSocket interface for VVVV app communication.
Digital Umbilical is a groundbreaking project that explores the intersection of technology, physiology, and human connection. Initially conceived during a Sadlers Wells Dance hackathon in 2019, the project investigates how technology can unite people through dance.
The project demonstrates significant technical innovation through its real-time physiological data transmission using WiFi-enabled Arduino modules, multiple sensor types for both performers and audience, and a sophisticated data interpretation system that transforms physiological signals into environmental changes.
With the onset of the global pandemic in 2020, the project evolved into Digital Umbilical Online (DUO), featuring an innovative iPhone app that captured users' heartbeats through Photoplethysmography (PPG) technology. This data was transmitted to dancers in real-time, influencing their performance, while the dancers' heartbeats were sent back to create haptic feedback on viewers' phones.
The project received support from prestigious institutions, with funding from BNP Paribas and Arts Council England.
The project reflects a broader artistic exploration of the relationship between mind and body, physical and virtual realms, demonstrating how technology can create meaningful connections between performers and audience members through shared physiological experiences.
Project Team
- Choreographer: Renaud Wiser
- Creative Technologist: Simon Hangii
- Design: Lara Buffard
- Consultant Neuroscientist: Danbee Kim
- Dancers:
- Adam Seid Tahir
- Roseanne Brienns
- Edd Arnold
heartbeat by diyah farida from Noun Project (CC BY 3.0)