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These questions are at the heart of our joint research project with Artist and Choreographer Silke Grabinger.
Through iterative development sprints with dancers from the Ballett Dortmund / NRW Juniorballett, students, inclusive ensembles, and amateur groups, we are developing rules for interacting with humanoid robots and testing them through artistic and choreographic means. The movements are captured using motion capture and generative AI. The goal is to create a behavioral library for interacting with humanoid robots over the course of the project. At the conclusion, the findings will be presented to the public through one-on-one performances and showcased at festivals.
The research process is supported by academic institutions (including TU Wien, JKU Linz, and the University of Art and Design Linz) and is subject to public discussion. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML, Dortmund) has also joined as a partner.
“[Who] Rules to Encounter” is funded by the Federal Cultural Foundation as part of “Art & AI – Fund for New Artistic Perspectives on AI and Society.”
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Through its “Art & AI” program (2024–2028), the German Federal Cultural Foundation is supporting the development and implementation of eleven projects in which cultural institutions and female artists collaborate with international research institutions. They are experimenting with AI technologies in their artistic work and exploring the societal implications of current and future technological developments.
On Friday, May 29, 2026, the kick-off meeting for the three-year project [Who] Rules To Encounter took place at the Academy for Theatre and Digitality.
The joint kickoff provided the participating groups with an opportunity to get to know one another, discuss the project and its goals, and explore key questions in greater depth. Following an introductory session, the focus shifted to a discussion among all participants.
In the afternoon, Martina Mara (JKU Linz) and Oliver Schürer (TU Vienna) presented two important academic insights that opened up new perspectives on the project’s themes and research questions. The event concluded with a joint discussion session.
Mario Pfeifer. Zustand der Nation, State of the Nation, Albertinum, Dresden State Art Collections (Saxony)
Alphabete der Automatisierung, Annette von Droste zu Hülshoff-Stiftung Havixbeck (North Rhine-Westphalia)
SPECTRAL DIALOGUES, gamut inc GbR (Berlin)
Uncertain Intelligences, Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin)
Our Brood, Haus der Kunst München (Bayern)
Echoes of the Unwritten, Jewish Museum Frankfurt am Main (Hesse)
Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst: Starmirror, K21 Art Collection of North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf (North Rhine-Westphalia)
The System Cannot Fail (working title), Musiktheater im Revier, Gelsenkirchen (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Kaspar 2028, Residenztheater, Munich (Bavaria)
School of Cow Comfort, Kunsthalle Osnabrück (Lower Saxony)
[Who] Rules to Encounter, Theater Dortmund (North Rhine-Westphalia)