Crossing genres with Wayne McGregor

·42 min·3 clips

Choreographer Wayne McGregor argues the human body is the most technologically literate thing we have, irreplaceable by any machine.

Host Shahid Abari introduces an episode examining attention and expression across dance, literature, and theatre. Wayne McGregor, choreographer and director, details his exhibition 'Infinite Bodies' at Somerset House, which uses technology to explore physical intelligence and kinesthetic empathy. He describes the first installation, 'Omni', developed with Industrial Light & Magic, which creates an infinite, dematerializing digital dance. McGregor explains his collaborative AI tool with Google Arts & Culture, which scans a 30-year archive of dancer movements to generate new phrases and counteract physical biases. Novelist Anne Enright discusses her essay collection 'Attention', reflecting on topics like Toni Morrison's language, James Joyce's Dublin, and the mother and baby homes scandal in Ireland. She shares an anecdote about an interactive Ulysses project that made participants self-conscious. Playwright Tanika Gupta talks about her adaptation of Ibsen's 'Hedda Gabler', set in 1948 England and incorporating the story of Merle Oberon, an Anglo-Indian actress who concealed her heritage due to Hollywood's Hayes Code. Gupta explores themes of identity, patriarchy, and post-war trauma. The conversation touches on mirror neurons, the uncanny valley in digital tech, physical signatures, and the domestic as a literary and theatrical space. Enright reflects on reading as an empathetic act and her complex relationship with Catholicism. McGregor emphasizes the body as a living archive and the importance of reclaiming physical intelligence. The episode concludes with details on the guests' upcoming projects.

As heard by us

A thoughtful, wide-ranging reflection on technology, attention, and the body in motion.

Wayne McGregor's Infinite Bodies begins with a familiar unease about digital technology and attention, then shifts the question toward how the body reads and occupies space.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for an animated mirror, a three-dimensional self, and Wayne McGregor's ideas about why the space behind you matters.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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