heidi j. boisvert

BIOADAPTED

Technology and Innovation Director

Bioadapted is a theatrical reenactment documentary from Transforma Theatre that sees actors portraying real people and scientists to interrogate a version of the future where AI propagates in unethical ways. The piece was first workshopped and performed at the Culture Lab LIC for their 2023 Emergence Artist Residency program. The Bioadapted team was also invited to workshop and present Bioadapted in residency at the North American Cultural Laboratory. It was later picked up for a month of full theatrical releases at the Culture Lab LIC.

Heidi served as Technology and Innovation Director. For the production, Jingyao Shao served as her Technology and Innovation Assistant. They implemented a biomedia calibration process for Bioadapted. Heidi used biophysical sensors and survey data to bio-adapt real-time visuals. The theatrical experiment used an EGG headset to generate BCI (brain-computer-interface) signals that were mapped as movement choreography for an actor to embody. The actor was linked to a haptic vest and LED costume during the performance. The piece also employed the use of texts directly from AI text generators in the script. As part of the show’s grand finale, the audience was asked to place GPT-3 on trial in real time.

Bioadpated was covered in several news outlets: The New York Times, Hollywood Soapbox, The Front Row Center, and Thinking Theater NYC. Click here for an interview about the show with creator, Tjaša Ferme, and Heidi Boisvert

Bioadapted was made possible with support from  the New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Edith Lutyens and Norman Bel Geddes Design Enhancement Fund, Statewide Community Regrants Program, and NYCAP3D Studios.