Physical modelling for interactive installations and the performing arts

This article explores new artistic possibilities through four different examples of digital environments where live performance and virtual physical models come together. Physical models (specifically mass-spring systems) are used to enhance mappings between human movement and digital rendering. In the case of multi-modal rendering, physical models improve the cross-modal coherence. Given a physical model's capacity to simulate physical behaviours, they can also be used to visualise or to simulate human movement qualities, and even to simulate a dancer's virtual partner. More applications certainly remain to be tested, but the present study opens new avenues for the exploration of the complex and physically plausible behaviours of mass-spring systems in the context of both artistic practice and art pedagogy.