DANCING WITH SPACE: Towards a Performative Model of Interactive Architecture

Abstract

This thesis investigates how an interactive architectural space can respond in real time to the qualitative nuances of human movement, with dance as a primary model of embodied and expressive interaction. The research addresses the limitations of static architectural space and conventional reactive systems by proposing a spatial environment that actively participates in a dialogue and exhibits autonomous behavioural expression, positioning architecture as a co-creative participant rather than a passive container. The theoretical anchoring draws on performative architecture, embodied interaction, cybernetic theory, and spatial atmosphere, reframing architecture as action rather than an object and shifting the Cartesian paradigm toward experiential knowledge “I experience, therefore I am” (Simanowski, 2011). Interactive spaces are interpreted as cybernetic systems that, through sensing, interpretation, and spatial response, form a continuous feedback loop between the human body and its surroundings. Sensory congruency is examined as a key condition for atmospheric coherence across individual sensory modalities (light, sound, texture) to produce a fluid, positive experience (Spence, 2020). Projects, including Mapped Empathies (Requena, 2018), No One is an Island (Random International and Studio Wayne McGregor, 2020), Messa di Voce (Levin and Lieberman, 2004), Shylight (Studio Drift, 2014), and Sky Symphony (Skyform Studio, n.d.), inform both conceptual and technical development. This work, using the presented theoretical foundations, proposes a conceptual model of interactive architecture organised into three interdependent layers: sensory, cognitive, and expressive. It describes how sensory technologies record human movement, how computational processes interpret the qualitative aspects of movement, and how spatial responses are realised through light, sound, or kinetic transformation. Methodologically, the research applies practice- based design experimentation, combining motion capture technologies (Kinect and MediaPipe), real-time data interpretation within TouchDesigner, and iterative prototyping of individual responses. These investigations explore how movement can be translated into spatial, visual, and auditory responses through cyclical interactions. The thesis demonstrates how strategies such as “imperfection to emergence” (Mun, 2023) can foster discovery and co-creation by introducing controlled uncertainty into interactive systems. The final prototype and installation design contribute to the contemporary discourse on interactive architecture by advancing models of embodied spatial experience that integrate technological response, architectural agency, and human perception.