Artist-in-Residence Program Bridges Art and Technology Through Immersive Performance

Georgia Tech’s Institute for People and Technology (IPaT) artist-in-residence program recently concluded a new collaboration with Corian Ellisor, a distinguished educator and performer in concert dance and theater. The residency explored the intersection of art and technology, resulting in an innovative, multi-layered experience that invited audiences to engage with themes of joy, peace, and community.

The project began when Clint Zeagler, principal research scientist and IPaT’s director of strategic partnerships, invited Ellisor to “think big” and imagine how technology could amplify his artistic vision. “This was definitely a moment for me to step out of my comfort zone and to think on a bigger scale,” said Ellisor. “Coming from a poor artist background, we’re always just struggling to make anything. This was an opportunity to dream.”

“Artist residencies within Georgia Tech’s research centers and interdisciplinary research institutes help to drive innovation in our research enterprise, to discover new applications of our research within the arts, to build strong connections with community partners, and — most important of all — to create impactful new works of art,” said Jason Freeman, associate vice provost for the arts at Georgia Tech. “IPaT has long been at the forefront of GT’s initiatives to collaborate with Atlanta-area artists. I am thrilled to see the success of this latest collaboration between Clint Zeagler and Corian Ellisor.”

Ellisor, an Atlanta-based performance artist with a focus on dance theater, was selected as the IPaT’s  2025 artist-in-residence. Ellisor has worked with arts communities locally and internationally including Georgia, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, Washington DC, New York, Guatemala, Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany and The United Kingdom. He was awarded the choreography award at the University of Houston, The Walthall Fellowship through WonderRoot, “Top 20 people to watch in 2013" by Atlanta’s Creative loafing, an Atlanta Beltline Grant in 2014, an artist in residency award with the Lucky Penny in 2015, and the Best Choreography Award at the Houston Fringe Festival in 2019.

World Building Meets Performance Art
Ellisor’s concept centered on world building, a technique often used in gaming but adapted here for live performance. The goal was to create an immersive environment where audiences could interact and react, while maintaining an uplifting aesthetic. “I wanted something that leaves the audience feeling good—something hopeful,” Ellisor explained. To develop the project, Ellisor and Zeagler hosted workshops with Georgia Tech students and community members, encouraging free-form creation and dialogue around the question: How do people find joy and peace in a chaotic world? Three teams of Georgia Tech undergraduate students were assigned to collaborate with Ellisor and make an avatar of him. The first team was assigned to reproduce Ellisor’s voice. The second team was assigned to generate a visual likeness of Ellisor. The third team worked on the outside aesthetics of a story booth.

The Story Booth: Technology Meets Emotion
A highlight of the residency was the Story Booth, a tech-enabled installation designed to collect personal narratives about joy and solace. Outfitted with full-body scans and voice capture, the booth featured a digital representation of Ellisor and used sentiment analysis to translate stories into color projections. “If someone shared something happy, the booth glowed orange; if it was sentimental, it turned blue,” Ellisor noted. These dynamic visuals illuminated both the booth and its surroundings, creating a striking display of emotion through light.

An Hour of Galleries Time
The residency culminated in “An Hour of Galleries Time,” an event combining video installations, interactive storytelling, and live dance performances. Dancers engaged with projected visuals before joining together for a collective performance against a massive, illuminated backdrop—transforming the space into a living canvas of movement and light. The interactive performance was held November 23 at the Goat Farm Arts Center, a visual and performing arts center housed in a 19th-century complex of industrial buildings in west midtown Atlanta.

Reflections on Collaboration
Ellisor described the experience as transformative, “I am very happy to have met this community of technologists that I would have never met because our worlds just do not cross at all. Another enlightening experience was trusting myself and trusting the vision—and then letting other people do what they’re supposed to do. Usually as an artist, we are sort of a solo factory. But having the trust in other people to make your vision happen—and it happening—was a really lovely experience.” He added, “I am very grateful to have gone through this with Georgia Tech. There are some tech folks there that were very happy about the final product, which makes me happy.”