The Running Nude

Inspired by Étienne-Jules Marey’s early chronophotographs of human locomotion and Marcel Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, this project reimagines the traditional art theme within a VR space enriched with generative AI storytelling. The spoken narrative is generated by the artificial neural network (Neural-storyteller), a machine learning system trained to craft romantic novels. Responding to renderings of the nude navigating a machinic, industrial, dark, and eerie environment, the Neural-storyteller produces a compelling narrative.

The AI-generated storyline is dissected into sentence blocks, which are then shuffled and edited by a software system inspired by Dadaist poetry and Raymond Queneau’s “A Hundred Thousand Billion Poems.”

Upon entering this immersive world, users are confronted with the sight of a running nude figure whose limbs, hands, and body swiftly morph into soft, elastic, and easily deformable forms. The appearance and form of the nude are contingent upon computational errors within the 3D rendering software, molding the deconstructed, jelly-like body renderings. These unique body captures materialize within 3D spaces, allowing users to traverse ghostly appearances reminiscent of early locomotion chronophotographs.

As users engage with the experience, their roles shift from passive observers to active agents. They gain control over the direction of the nude, navigating obstacles and seeking an escape from the dark and oppressive space.

TO MAKE A DADAIST POEM
(from dadaist manifesto by Tristan Tzara, 1920)

Take a newspaper.
Take some scissors.
Choose from this paper an article of the length you want to make your poem.
Cut out the article.
Next carefully cut out each of the words that makes up this article and put them all in a bag.
Shake gently.
Next take out each cutting one after the other.
Copy conscientiously in the order in which they left the bag.

The Running Nude (generative VR experience) from Vladimir Todorovic on Vimeo.

Directed/produced by
Vladimir Todorović

VR programming
Sulaiman Abdul Rahman

Sound design / music by
Ross Adrian Williams

AI Integration
Viktor Gal

Voice over
Nadja Todorović

Technical info
country: Singapore, Australia
duration: 6 minutes
year: 2018
language: English
format: generative VR project
engine: Unreal Editor 4.19
Machine learning software: Neural Storyteller
image: B&W, VR
sound: spatial, 3D