Trial lecture
"The advancement of creative computation by machine learning and artificial intelligence”
Time and place: September 19, 2023 11:15 AM, Forsamlingssalen, Harald Schjelderups building at RITMO Centre
Main research findings
The inherently subjective notion of quality in creative artefacts gives rise to both technical and philosophical questions regarding AI-generated art. In this thesis, the development and evaluation of AI-generated dance forms the context within which these questions are explored. Dance is a multifaceted art form and a rich, complex data source. The main objectives of this thesis are to understand more about how deep learning can be used to capture salient features of dance movement using full-body motion capture data. We further explore how such technology might be aimed to benefit the creative practice of dancers. Our work includes the collection of a data set of improvisation performed by individual dancers and the implementation of generative models trained on this data. We evaluate the models’ ability to learn the intricate relationship between music and movement and investigate the trained model's generative versatility. We also examine the generated dance through subjective assessment in a survey, and through dialogue and embodiment exercises with experienced dancers and choreographers. This work broadens our understanding of how leveraging the ability of AI to go beyond a mere replica of human movement can itself lead to engagement and inspiration.
Adjudication committee:
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Associate Professor Sarah Fdili Alaoui, LISN - Université Paris Saclay, France
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Professor Geraint A. Wiggins, Computational Creativity, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Queen Mary University of London, Belgium/ UK
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Professor Carsten Griwodz, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
Supervisors
- Dr. Charles P. Martin, College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics, The Australian National University
- Kristian Nymoen, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo
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Jim Tørresen, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo
Chair of defence:
Link to streaming of the trial lecture and disputation
Contact information at Department: Pernille Adine Nordby