PHASE II (H)

The first short paper you can download from the PAPERS pages contains roughly the same content you will find here in the following four sections.


Introduction   Objectives   Experiments   Summary [as of 31/05/04]

The Choreography and Cognition project began a few years ago as a discussion between London-based choreographer Wayne McGregor (director of Random Dance) and arts researcher Scott deLahunta (Ass. Research Fellow Dartington College of Arts) about finding new ways of understanding the choreographic process that might lead to alternative creative and collaborative approaches to making dances. Starting from a mutual interest in artificial intelligence, their discussion eventually led them to develop a project for exploring insights into the choreographic process that might emerge from the interdisciplinary research context of cognitive science.

For Phase I, they organised a series of meetings in November 2002 with cognitive scientists in the United Kingdom and France. Positive reactions to these meetings inspired them to continue with another set of exchanges; and funds were secured from a unique new arts and science research scheme making it possible to continue working with five of the individuals from the original series of meetings. (1) In addition, James Leach, a social anthropologist doing fieldwork on creativity and knowledge exchange within the context of arts and science collaborations, was invited to participate.

Phase II was planned as a six-month project from September 2003 to the end of February 2004. (2)


Random Dance Photograph Random Dance Photograph Random Dance Photograph
From sessions in London and Cambridge. Click on images for larger photograph. Photo Credits: James Leach and Scott deLahunta

(1) Phase II was made possible through a six-month Arts and Science Research Fellowship for Wayne McGregor hosted by the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge; part of a new scheme jointly funded by Arts Council England and the Arts and Humanities Research Board.

(2) Phase II participants: Alan Wing and Kristen Hollands, SyMoN, University of Birmingham; Rosaleen McCarthy, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK; Anthony Marcel and Phil Barnard; MRC Cognition and Brain Science Unit, Cambridge; Alan Blackwell of Crucible/ Computer Lab, University of Cambridge; James Leach, Research Fellow in Kings College Research Centre.

Arts and Humanities Research Board