Two-day event will showcase 20 innovative AR/VR/immersive projects in front of international immersive commissioners, distributors and funders

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Digital Catapult and Arts Council England are running a two-day event (9-10 October) to showcase 20 prototype immersive projects that have received funding through the CreativeXR programme.

The event is being held at Digital Catapult’s offices in London Kings Cross, and aims to bring together international immersive commissioners, distributors, funders, exhibitors and stakeholders.

Attendees at the CreativeXR Showcase and Market will be “one of the first to experience and immerse themselves in this pioneering content from the programme and beyond,” says Digital Catapult.

CreativeXR supports the development of new forms of creative content enabled by immersive tech. It wants to create “riskier, content-driven projects, opening up novel ways of engaging audiences and telling new stories.”

The showcase event is taking place in association with the BFI London Film Festival (LFF), and in partnership with StoryFutures Academy: The National Centre for Immersive Storytelling and CreativeXR’s AR and MR partner RYOT Studio.

Jeremy Silver, CEO at Digital Catapult said: “Telling new and compelling stories in new and compelling formats is still an opportunity that virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies offer. If it were easy to turn these stories into mainstream, popular experiences, then our CreativeXR programme and its accompanying market would not be necessary, but they are. It’s vital that we encourage both the creative talent to pioneer new formats and encourage commissioners to be confident to invest.”

Francis Runacres, executive director, enterprise and innovation at Arts Council England, adds: “These projects provide a valuable insight into the increasing quality and diversity of immersive storytelling across the cultural sector, and we’re proud to present them in partnership with Digital Catapult.”

The 20 projects in the CreativeXR Showcase and Market are:

  • Interference by Abandon Normal Devices - an immersive audio-visual experience that brings together Jodrell Bank Observatory’s groundbreaking heritage site and world leading research.
  • DAZZLE 2020 by Gibson/Martelli and Peut-Porter - reimagining the 1919 Chelsea Arts Club Dazzle Ball, DAZZLE 2020 embraces participatory forms of theatre and inclusion in XR.
  • Invisible Light by 59 Productions - a mixed reality theatrical project that combines live performance, set design, projection mapping, 360 degree sound and augmented reality.
  • Therese & Peta: A Tale of Two-Spirits by Queer Media UK – A virtual journey to retrace the story of the most famous photo of the AIDS crisis.
  • Rory Mullarkey’s Flood by Megaverse - A VR experience that dives into a gritty, full-body sensory experience anticipating the climate disaster that’s part fantasmagoria, part physical theatre, and totally live.
  • BEDLAM by Minky Productions - A virtual reconstruction of Bethlehem Hospital, the world’s first “hospital for lunatics” in the early 17th century.
  • Under Attack by Also Known As - A room-scale VR installation that uses spatialised sound, smells and haptic feedback to enhance the sense of immersion and to inspire participants to invest in protecting media freedom.
  • Goliath by Anagram - a powerful interactive theatrical documentary following the story of a man who, after spending a decade in psychiatric hospitals battling psychosis, finds redemption and friendship in the world of online games.
  • Now Was The Time by imitating the Dog - a mixed reality production that explores new alternative versions of European history.
  • The Time Machine by The Old Market (TOMtech & Make Real) - An experience which blurs the world of live performance, XR and gaming. Mixing theatrical storytelling with multi-platformed technology, the project brings us a new form of playable theatre.
  • Breathe by Darkfield - A location based experience in total darkness, which communcally explores conscious dreaming, using speech recognition to deepen the audience’s connection with recorded characters.
  • UnDust by Satore Tech - an augmentation of Akram Khan’s Dust for the English National Ballet, tracing form, movement and light to perform scenes from Khan’s piece.
  • Basic Tension 3 by Basic Tension and Off World - A mobile-based mixed reality experience intended to challenge social, racial and psychological perceptions of the body.
  • What is Normal? By Call & Response - an immersive conversational experience with people with learning disabilities and autism.
  • Present by Fight in the Dog - an immersive, augmented reality comedy experience for couples and individuals, guided by stand-up comedian Jordan Brookes.
  • Zia Dance Duet by BespokeVR Ltd - a full body immersive experience, dancing with an artificial intelligence dancer named Zia who responds fluidly to your unique dancing style.
  • Through the Wardrobe by Colour My Reality - a mixed reality installation where the user is invited to touch and explore items that unlock the endless possibilities of gender identities and expressions.
  • Madrid Noir: The Prologue by No Ghost - an interactive VR detective game for the new immersive era.
  • Basilisk: Enter the Fold by Studio Leg - A semi-fictional interactive VR experience, where a mind-reading superintelligence carries out its own product launch.
  • Game Over by Blackwatch Entertainment in association with Circa69 - combining AR, audio installations, 360 degree video and live action, the project creates an audience-led immersive and interactive promenade theatrical experience using multiple performance spaces.

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