Discover HKBU
Unlocking the immersive interactive dance experience
31 Jul 2026
eMBody—everybody in motion (eMBody), a groundbreaking immersive installation presented by HKBU and Tai Kwun, invites audiences to move, respond and co-create an immersive dance experience that redefines the relationship between performers, audiences, and space, pioneering new entertainment experiences for the future.
Merging performing arts, human-computer interaction, and advanced computer graphics, eMBody delivers a unique multi-sensory experience. At the heart of this innovative project is HKBU’s “nVis 360-degree 3D Immersive Interactive Cinema” (nVis), which allows multiple participants to interact simultaneously.
Where art and technology meet
As visitors navigate the 360-degree environment, virtual dancers mirror their movements, while imagery and spatial sound adapt in real-time to their interaction. This creates an evolving performance, distinct from a conventional exhibition, shaped by every participant.
“Rather than confining dance as a performance with a fixed spectacle, eMBody constructs a co-creative platform where audience become collaborative performers who create movement, atmosphere and meaning together, dissolving the boundary between stage and spectator. It ignites reflection on the role of immersive technologies in contemporary performance culture, laying a foundational form for Future Cinema Systems,” says Professor Jeffrey Shaw, Chair Professor of the Academy of Visual Arts and Director of the Visualization Research Centre at HKBU.
Powering the interactive experience of eMBody is nVis, an output of HKBU’s “Future Cinema Systems: Next Generation Art Technology” project co-developed by Professor Jeffrey Shaw and Professor Sarah Kenderdine, Visiting Professor of the Department of Computer Science at HKBU and Professor at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne, in collaboration with City University of Hong Kong.
The virtual figures projected on the 360-degree screen of nVis were modeled on professional dancers from the world-renowned Company Wayne McGregor. Their movements were captured at the HKBU Motion Capture and Visualization Laboratory using advanced infrared digital cameras, then brought to life through high-resolution visualization and spatial tracking technologies. This mix of art and technology gives the installation a sense of immediacy, where the virtual dancers do not simply appear on screen, but inhabit the entire space.
From HKBU to the world
These cutting-edge technologies were also applied to the immersive installation Wayne McGregor: On The Other Earth co-produced by HKBU, Hong Kong Ballet, and Studio Wayne McGregor, London, which is making its Asia premiere concurrently at Tai Kwun following critical acclaim in Venice and London.
"On The other Earth and eMBody are successful demonstrations of the pioneering art tech project Future Cinema Systems. Powered by HKBU’s achievements across different disciplines, including artificial intelligence, computer vision, virtual reality and other advanced technologies, and enriched by contemporary music, this project has opened up boundless possibilities for the arts and creative industries and redefined the future of entertainment. This knowledge breakthrough at the intersection of art and technology is applied to the real world and set to inspire more innovative ideas, cross-sector, cross-regional collaboration, transcending cultural boundaries and strengthening Hong Kong’s unique role in fostering arts and cultural exchange between the East and the West,” highlights Professor Terence Lau, Interim Chief Innovation Officer of HKBU.
After its exhibition at Tai Kwun, eMBody will be presented in December at the newly opened Museum of Contemporary Art in Suzhou, and at the ZKM Centre for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Germany, one of the world’s largest art and tech museums, in 2027.
