N 4.0 is a live media performance derived from the immersive installation N (2010 - 2016). The original installation integrates real-time environmental data in an attempt to emphasise the interconnectedness of all elements, suggesting a novel perspective on the world. N 4.0, on the other hand, includes a performer whose movements directly interact with the visual net of the piece.

N 4.0 was born almost by chance, also thanks to the creative spirit of experimentation so common in the studio at the time. It had initially been conceived to react to the movements of the visitors via sensors. However, while in New York for the Celeste Prize (2011), a spontaneous connection was created with Simon Courchel, a dancer who offered to improvise in front of the piece. The first performance marked a pivotal moment in the story of the studio, revealing the power and emotional potential of performances combining dance and technology.

The software had been developed in openFrameworks and comprised 3 main elements - net’s behaviour, particle laws and fluid dynamics. Here, instead of responding to real-time environmental inputs, these elements directly interact with the performer’s movements in a relationship of symbiotic and reciprocal exchange. As the performer's gestures intertwine with the visual net, a crescendo of tension builds, culminating in a rupture of the net.

N 4.0 is the result of a series of unexpected events that paved the way for our interest in the relationship between body, technology and movement. It ignited a newfound curiosity for performative projects, and served as a gateway for the research that would later culminate in Ljós (2014), Dökk (2017) and the other live media performances of the studio.