Immobilis in mobili: performing arts, BCI, and locked-in syndrome

Abstract

There are actors who cannot move. The question is, can they act? The traditional conception of performing arts would demand an answer in the negative. However, technology provides a way to go beyond the traditional definition and present people with locked-in syndrome or other severe motor impairments with the opportunity to claim a place in the performing arts. BCIs in particular represent an interesting venue for reaching this goal as they aim to provide an efficient mechanism of control of external systems and these external systems might, in turn, be defined, designed, and built with artistic expression purposes in mind. This paper proposes three conceptual models to guide the design of such systems.

Keywords:

• BCI
• locked-in syndrome
• art
• disability
• symbiotic technology

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Alberto Vega for being a source of inspiration and encouragement. The author would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.