gesture
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Plateholder is the second performance of Marije Baalman that explores the use of gesture, or in this case rather posture, as a method of writing code.
In Plateholder the performer holds a plate in different postures in order to write code to sequence sounds. Each new variable needs to be defined as a new posture. The challenge in the performance is for the machine learning algorithm (a linear support vector algorithm) to learn an increasing amount of postures and for the performer to come up with new postures that will not confuse the machine and that the performer can remember over the course of the performance.
The title is a word play on placeholder, as the plate, dependent on how it is held, temporarily represents either a keyword or a variable in the postural coding language (PoCoLa), and the performer holds that plate, though may be replaced in the future by a machine as well?
Photos from Live Coding Sessions #9 on January 15th, 2026, by Dave Pelham
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The performance the machine is learning is a theatrical performance highlighting the process of training a machine with realtime gestures: the labour that is absent from most dialogues on machine learning. In an attempt to livecode with gestures, the performer finds herself directed by the machine to repetitively make gestures to generate time series data samples for the machine to learn from.
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Wezen is a serie of a music-theatre works where I try to explore the relationship between theatrical gesture and musical instrument, between the body and the sonic world. In Handeling new approaches are explored using the same gloves as in Gewording, extended with gyroscopes and magnetometers. In this performance, the focus is on the role of the hands, giving a distinct role to each hand in the musical control: one hand for selecting, starting and stopping musical processes, and one for shaping them.
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GeCoLa or GEstural COding LAnguage is a project that looks at how a coding language written by gestures could function.
The programming language is a minimal language to create sequences of sounds and manipulate these. All the keywords in the language and the variable names are expressed by gestures.
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A cocoon lies on stage, barely recognisable in the dim light. An almost static chord is sounding in the space. The light changes in color – the chord is changing slowly in pitch and texture. The cocoon seems to move – the light seems to get brighter and gradually shift color. Suddenly a fast movement – a sound erupts into the space, the light flashes – then again everything quiets down – the movement, the sound, the light.
Wezen is a serie of a music-theatre works where I try to explore the relationship between theatrical gesture and musical instrument, between the body and the sonic world. In Chrysalis the focus is on slow movements and the body as a whole - becoming conscious of the minimal movements within and of the body. These minimal movements are amplified through the use of sensors and light and sound, and physical connections to the cocoon-like structure.
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Wezen is a serie of a music-theatre works where I try to explore the relationship between theatrical gesture and musical instrument, between the body and the sonic world. In Gewording (Becoming) the link between physical and sonic gesture is explored during a live performance, combining movement of the body and live coding.
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Wezen - translation: be, character, creature, essence, gist, nature, being, intelligence, also orphans
Wezen is a series of solo music-theatre works where I try to explore the relationship between theatrical gesture and musical instrument, between the body and the sonic world.
Residency at Constant (December 2012)
The first stage of development was supported by a residency at Variable/Constant in Brussels.