biometrika – call for applications

Each year, Ohme supports and offers its expertise to several artists in artistic and technical residencies. Through this initiative, and according to the specific needs of each artist, Ohme actively supports the conception and the conception and production of innovative artistic projects, provides solid technical and scientific support in research and development, networks with experts and researchers, and promotes exchanges between art, science and technology.

Together with Pilar (House of Art and Science of the Vrije Universiteit Brussels – VUB) and FARI (Research Institute in AI, data & Robotics for the Common Good in Brussels), Ohme is launching an open call for an artist residency focused on exploring the interactions between biometric technologies and human expression in live performance.

This residency takes place in the wider framework of biometrika, an artistic and technical long term project exploring the potential of biometrics at the service of the live performance.

The biometrika project is rooted both in the original concept of biometrics – the measurement of biological parameters – and in the research undertaken by Ohme Lab over the last 3 years in this field. Ohme has developed technologies to capture biosignals from the body and its environment, translating them into real-time bidirectional interactions with artworks. The use of such signals to reveal mental, emotional, and/or physical states involves the integration of sensors, acquisition systems and (AI-based) methods for the pre-processing, classification and interpretation of these signals. These developments, led by Ohme Lab, have so far focused on integrating biometric data and biosignals into the creation of digital art installations, exploring how the public’s reactions to a work of art can influence that work in real time, and vice versa.

With biometrika, we propose a shift in focus from audience biosignals to those of the performer(s) themselves. This project explores how real-time biometric data—reflecting the physical, mental, and/or emotional states of the performer(s)—can influence their performance. The performer(s)’ internal responses become part of the artistic creation, enhancing the interaction between artist and artwork. Such biosignal-driven performances could enable audiences to experience a more intimate connection, as the technology makes the performer’s emotional and physiological engagement with their art more explicit and perceptible in real time.