1994
This roundtable took place on Sunday, April 24, 1994, as part of the Second Charleroi International Dance Biennial, directed by Frédéric Flamand.
Under the theme "Dance Machines / Soft Technologies," this meeting explored the integration of digital and interactive technologies into choreographic performance.
The roundtable brought together pioneers of digital and sound art to discuss how technological tools are redefining movement:
David Rokeby: A Canadian artist known for his Very Nervous System, a device that translates body movements into sounds in real time, transforming space into an instrument.
Max Neuhaus: A major figure in sound art (cited in Blake Johnston's thesis mentioned earlier), who contributed his expertise on the perception of space through sound.
Martin Spanjaard: Creator of the robotic sculpture Adure, exploring the autonomy of machines in the artistic space.
Carlo Infante: Italian critic and theorist, expert in performance arts and "techno-culture," who served as moderator or analyst of the socio-cultural issues surrounding these technologies.
This edition of the Biennale marked a key milestone in the history of contemporary dance in Belgium, establishing Charleroi Danse as a research center for human-machine interaction. Frédéric Flamand presented his own collaborations with architects and digital artists, questioning the place of the physical body in the face of the omnipresence of technology.