[Call For Participation] I Resist The Body Electric Workshop - NIME 2026, 32-26 June - London

[Giacomo Lepri]

*** Apologies for cross-posting ***

---------->Subverting the Capture of Musical Gestures to Train AI Models<-------------

We invite participation in a speculative workshop exploring resistance to AI extraction of gestural and embodied data in musical performance.

Generative text-to-music systems have been trained on vast amounts of musical data scraped without consent or remuneration. But so far, one thing remains beyond reach: the embodied, performative dimension of live musical practice. Advances in robotics and LLM-powered systems suggest that the live performance space may soon become a target for large-scale extraction by AI companies.

Drawing on anticipatory ethics and speculative design, this workshop invites participants to first imagine hypothetical technologies designed to covertly steal gestural data from performers - and then build conceptual prototypes to protect against them. Through collective speculation and discussion, we aim to surface the ethical, technical, and political questions surrounding gestural data and AI-driven music.

We invite interested participants to submit a speculative device designed to steal gestural data: a brief description, and optional media, focusing on a particular musical gesture and how your device would capture it covertly. Submissions can be written, drawn, crafted, or a combination, up to two pages. 

Submit your fictional object via the application form.

Important dates:

• Application deadline: 8 June
• Notification of acceptance: 12 June
• Conference: 23-26 June

Workshop website: https://resist-the-capture.surge.sh/

Conference website: NIME 2026

Organisers: 

Fabio Morreale (Sony AI)

Morgan Scheuerman (Sony AI)

Giacomo Lepri (Università di Genova)

Liam Pram (University of Auckland)

Astrid Bin (Universität der Künste Berlin)