Open-source Operating System for the Bodymind.

EightOS /#eightos/ is the open-source bodymind operating system. In our practice we study how we can use physical movement to better understand the dynamics of interaction and to then scale this understanding into other contexts. We also explore the aesthetic, ethical, and scientific implications of this approach.
At the core of EightOS is a set of principles — adaptivity, variability, confluence, integrity, resilience, modularity — that we experiment with and implement into the everyday. In our work we combine complex systems and network science, technology, music, contemporary dance, Systema martial art, and artistic practices to cultivate a new kind of aesth/et(h)ics based on ecological interaction, confluence and evolutionary creative flow.
Using the agile approach we develop the education technology based on embodied understanding, bringing the body back into the equation in this digital age. We explore the behavioral and organizational patterns that emerge as a result of this practice and how it can be implemented in other contexts outside of the purely physical domain. We also study and document the effects and the implications of this approach as part of our ongoing research both in the scientific and in the artistic realms.

Latest Updates and News

Why Variability is Good for Health

Variability is one of the main qualities that EightOS practice cultivates. Our practice promotes variability on the physical level, through movement and breathing, but also on the cognitive level, through perception, learning, and communication. But why is variability so important and how does it affect health and well-being?

Selfsense @ Martin Gropius Bau

In September 2022, we hosted a series of immersive events at Martin Gropius Bau in Berlin. This event was a part of Breathe, a discourse programme that unfolded in echo to the exhibition YOYI! Care, Repair, Heal and explored how different power relations impact our ability to breathe. The programme was curated by Magnus Elias Rosengarten.

EightOS Motion Capture Sensors

Motion tracking tripod sensor that can be used to provide haptic, sonic, and visual feedback on movement and control the sound using the body.

Motion Tracking Sensors for Choreography and Music Production

The new sensors that can detect movement and current dynamics for multiple participants, sharing the data via Wi-Fi with the others and via the OSC protocol to produce a musical landscape.

Confluence AI by EightOS @ Gwangju Biennale

Confluence AI 0.18 beta by ∞OS The Procession: Through the Gates Minds Rising, Spirits Tuning The 13th Gwangju Biennale 2021 떠오르는 마음 맞이하는 영혼 제 13회 광주비엔날레 A machine-guided procession on the nature of violence, collective movement, resilience, and cathartic release. Haptic feedback motion sensors, as well as the auditory and visual cues, are used…

Resilience and Adaptability as Sympoietic Practices

Resilience is the ability of a system to maintain its form and, at the same time, to be flexible in relation to external impulses. This makes resilience a close relative of adaptability, although the two are not synonymous. Both terms have been on the rise especially during 2020 [1] as humanity has been facing something that…

Fractal Choreography using Motion Capture and Haptic Sensors

In this article, we present a novel way of choreographing movement with fractal feedback using motion caption and haptic sensors. The practitioners receive a visual, sonic, and kinaesthetic signal about their current dynamic state, which they can interpret to change their movement pattern or to maintain it further.

Swarm Formations and Choreographies

Swarm formations are very common to find in nature. They are based on a few simple rules that lead to complex behaviors. Taking as inspiration the studies that have been done on swarms in biology and for military applications we demonstrate how these principles could be used to choreograph collective actions.

Learn more about EightOS:

The best way to experience EightOS is to join one of our online or offline activation programs, which are hosted several times a year in different locations around the world. These programs include physical body and movement practice, organizational behavior seminars, and creative work with various digital tools, sound and visualization (see examples).

Level 1: Research Lab

Request an invitation to join a research lab session of EightOS (usually 1 to 2 hours long) and experience a certain aspect of the practice. We have both online and offline events, which usually take the shape of a workshop where we mix both theory and practice / physical movement. We host multiple events throughout the year around the world, so when you sign up you will receive the full schedule for both online and offline events available. If the dates do not suit you, you can cancel and get a refund.

Join a Demo Session

Level 2: Activation Program

If Level 1 is a demo version of EightOS software, then Level 2 is a full activation license. It is usually comprised of several sessions with a certain narrative (about 12 hours long in total), combining physical body practice, research, and creative work. You also get access to special training materials, digital and artistic software and hardware tools we created to facilitate EightOS practice in other contexts. You will have a chance to learn and enhance your embodied understanding of EightOS approach and integrate it into your daily practice.

You can join one of the four sessions that we host every year. The number of places is limited, so it’s better to get your pass early. Your ticket is refundable and transferable, so you can return it or give it to somebody else.

Join our September 2021 Session

Level 3: Custom Session

We can also organize custom-made ∞OS experiences for a specific contexts. It can be a presentation, a performance, a workshop, a participatory experience or any other event. You can see reports from our previous events or check the examples of the modules that we can provide. Send us a message to receive more information.

You can also join the custom sessions as a participant, in which case we advise you to apply for the Level 1 or Level 2 as you will then be informed about the external events.

Contact Us

∞OS Methodology: A New Way of Learning

Metaphor is a powerful tool that helps us understand things better. The core of ∞OS approach to learning is to offer a direct experience of a metaphor on the physical level. This provides a much more efficient pathway for information and ensures that it is incorporated on the level of reflexes, using the most efficient neural network there is: our bodymind. We also make use of dynamical systems theory and network science, as well as the various techniques and tools from agile development to create an adaptive, iterative, robust, sustainable and creative approach to learning. To make sure that our approach has practical implications we ensure that ∞OS is interoperable: applicable in any context, beyond the realm of the physical, as well as able to function together with other practices.

Procedures: Implement ∞OS Principles into Real Life

∞OS is a portable practice, you can apply it in any context: from fitness and self-defense, to intersubjective relations, business, and politics. Our set of principles helps you see tensions as opportunities and our procedures offer concrete formulas you can apply to reach your objectives. Choose the procedure below to see how ∞OS can be useful for you, depending on the situation you’re in.

Software for the Bodymind Hardware.