A pioneering initiative aimed at nurturing the creative potential of virtual, augmented, and mixed-reality technologies is poised to support over 200 artists and organizations, with the Wales Millennium Centre (WMC) taking a leading role in the project.
The WMC is one of the four key partners for the Immersive Arts project, which will leverage the Centre’s extensive work in the field. This work includes the dedicated extended reality venue, Bocs, the first of its kind in a UK arts centre, and its acclaimed virtual reality experiences.
Harnessing technology for immersion can involve a wide array of tools and techniques, such as games engines used in virtual and augmented reality apps, as well as advanced features like motion capture, LED screens, and spatial audio.
With a £6 million grant from XRtists, a partnership between the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and Arts Council of Wales, the three-year program will continue the UK’s tradition of supporting artists in embracing the creative potential of new technology.
The initiative will provide artists with access to training, mentoring, specialist facilities, and funding opportunities, including £3.6 million to support artists in Wales in bringing their concepts to life.
Graeme Farrow, the Artistic Director of WMC, has expressed excitement about the collaboration, emphasizing the program’s potential to provide a platform for creative exploration and new storytelling approaches. The convergence of immersive technology and live artistic work is undeniably intriguing, and this program will empower artists, young individuals, and communities to explore these possibilities and share their narratives as they see fit.
Heading the program will be the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), with the primary hub located at Pervasive Media Studio in Bristol and Watershed serving as the Executive Producer. WMC joins partners based in all four nations of the UK for this program, along with Nerve Centre in Northern Ireland and Cryptic in Scotland.
Lisa Matthews-Jones from the Arts Council of Wales has celebrated the collaboration as a unique opportunity to explore the potential of creative technology for impactful storytelling, with WMC ideally positioned to strengthen their ongoing work and support fellow artists in Wales for the benefit of audiences present and future.
UK Government Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has underscored the government’s commitment to driving advancements in visual effects, motion-capture technology, and AI for screen and stage industries. Substantial investments have already been made to establish a network of R&D labs across the UK, and the additional funding is expected to further enable artists and creatives to maximize the potential of innovative technology. This will help achieve the ambitious goal of growing the UK’s creative industries by £50 billion by 2030.
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