Nuno Correia: creative computing can turn creativity into innovation
On 9 September, Nuno Correia delivered his venia legendi lecture, “Leveraging Creativity Towards Innovation in Human-Computer Interaction”. The lecture formed part of the process of electing an Associate Professor in Creative Computing at Tallinn University’s School of Digital Technologies.
Nuno Correia presented creative computing as a multidisciplinary field that connects computing with art, design and other disciplines. It encompasses areas such as computational art, creative artificial intelligence, music technologies, tangible interfaces and movement-based interaction.
His interest lies not only in creativity itself, but in how it can bring about positive change. By turning ideas into practical solutions, creative computing can contribute to innovation both within the creative sector and in wider society.
The lecture traced the development of Nuno Correia’s research from interactive audiovisual art to technologies centred on movement and the human body. His doctoral research explored how sound, images and interfaces could be integrated into performances, online artworks and installations.
After completing his PhD, he began moving from creating his own artworks towards developing tools that other artists could use. This marked an important shift from practice-based research to co-design: working directly with creative communities through workshops, hackathons and artist residencies. His research into audiovisual user interfaces also examined how approaches developed for artistic practice could be applied more widely, including in games.
The Creative Europe project Moving Digits brought these methods into contemporary dance, combining movement with live visuals, sound, virtual reality, biosignal sensing and machine learning. At Tallinn University, the MODINA project placed artificial intelligence at the centre of this research, examining both its potential and the tensions that arise when dancers work with AI.
This work now continues through MOVIDA – Movement and Virtual Intelligence for the Development and Accessibility of Artists and Audiences. Running from 2026 to 2029, the project explores dance in connection with AI, robotics and extended reality. It also takes a further step beyond tools for artistic creation by focusing on accessibility and mental health.
According to Nuno Correia, one of the main challenges is to extend the knowledge created with artists beyond the cultural and creative industries. Creative computing methods could also contribute to such areas as cultural heritage, data visualisation, rehabilitation, sustainability, social inclusion, education and STEAM learning.
Nuno Correia also highlighted opportunities for collaboration across Tallinn University. His work connects with several areas of the Human-Computer Interaction group, including trust, health and well-being, affective computing, and design theory and methodology. Further connections exist with educational technology, games, the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School and the School of Humanities.
In teaching, he sees particular potential in AI and creativity, embodied interaction and creative coding. These subjects can help students approach programming through visual, auditory and interactive experimentation while creating pathways towards more specialised research.
The discussion following the lecture also addressed responsible AI. Nuno Correia highlighted questions concerning the ownership of AI models, the origins of training data, environmental impact and transparency. For creative practitioners, it is especially important to understand and retain control over the technologies and data they use.
At the heart of Nuno Correia’s vision is the idea that creative computing can connect disciplines, involve communities in developing technology and turn creative experimentation into solutions with broader societal value.