XR Stories and XR Network+

We're taking a break over the festive period but will be back on Monday 6 January. Merry Christmas from the team at XR Stories and XR Network+ and we'll see you in 2025 for a creative and immersive new year!

Great to look back on the UNESCO City of Media Arts Expo courtesy of this video from Aesthetica Magazine. The Expo celebrated 10 years of York's designation as the only UNESCO City of Media Arts in the UK and showcased some of the the businesses, institutions and individuals working across digital, media and the creative and cultural sectors in our region (including XR Stories!). In the new year we'll be continuing our work helping businesses and individuals working in digital and creative technologies with a new programme of support activities. Watch this space for more information, coming in 2025. 🎆

Head over to the XR Stories and XR Network+ YouTube channel to catch up on our latest online seminar on digital avatars and character design. Hear about the design features and challenges that come with delivering real-time mocap performance for a non-human avatar, as part of the mixed-reality experience-in-development, Shapeshifter, led by The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Also hear about a project led by University for the Creative Arts in collaboration with SKC Games Studio that developed a system that produces real-time performance for both in-game player and AI-driven non-player-character avatars. Access the video: https://bit.ly/49HCct5

"It’s getting people into that playful state of mind... getting people out of their heads and into their bodies." We talk to Sarah Ticho, creator and co-director of award-winning immersive experience, Soul Paint. Fusing storytelling, wellbeing and virtual reality, Soul Paint encourages users to draw the sensations and emotions within their bodies, before interacting with others who have gone through the same journey. Sarah shares some of the decisions and thought-process that went into making Soul Paint, the story of the team behind the piece and her vision for the future of immersive experiences in healthcare contexts. Visit the XR Stories website to read the interview: https://bit.ly/4gfXi4A

📣 Help to shape SXSW London 2025 and vote for the ideas that you'd like to see come to life (including ours)! SXSW will make its European debut in East London from 2-7 June 2025 and we've submitted an entry for a panel session entitled 'All the World’s a Stage: virtual performances for global multi-platform theatre'. With colleagues from the Royal Shakespeare Company, CAMERA at the University of Bath and The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, our proposed panel will explore how we can preserve the true magic of traditional theatre - its intimacy, liveness and uniqueness - whilst innovating. We'll talk about the RSC's work with UK universities to tackle these questions including the development of new tools, workflows and ideas to shape the future of theatre and live performance. If you'd like to hear more then please consider voting for our submission by the following easy steps: 💠 Register on the SXSW awards platform: https://bit.ly/3DhSs80 💠 Search for 'All the World’s a Stage: virtual performances for global multi-platform theatre' 💠 Vote! Please note that voting closes at 23:59hrs on 19 December 2024.

A submission from XR Stories, XR Network+ and the University of York has recently been published as part of the House of Lords Communications and Digital Select Committee inquiry on Scaling Up: AI and creative tech. The inquiry seeks to understand specific barriers to SMEs scaling in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and creative technology, and propose changes to Government and industry practices that can be delivered over the next five years. The evidence presented is based on XR Stories and XR Network+ activities supporting and funding research and development. The submission examines the specific barriers faced by SMEs seeking to scale in AI and creative technology, and the effectiveness of existing industry schemes and Government programmes in addressing these issues. Read the evidence: https://bit.ly/3OHQJvm 

📢 The first XR Network+ roadshow of 2025 will take place on 12 February at University of the Arts London (UAL). Join us at UAL's East Bank Campus to find out about opportunities for researchers, businesses and creatives working in virtual production (VP) and extended reality (XR) technologies. Experience UAL’s specialist XR research lab and hear from Professor Jane Harris, Director of the UAL Fashion, Textiles and Technology Institute about the institutes’ ambitious plans for XR textiles and dress research. Hear an update from Professor Andrew Chitty, Chair of the CoSTAR (Convergent screen technologies and performance in realtime) network and find out about two cutting-edge research and development projects funded by XR Network+ that are using XR technologies to diversify and democratise access to fashion and culture. The session includes a networking lunch and a chance to explore some of the immersive experiences created by UAL Virtual Reality students. Find out more and book your ticket today at https://bit.ly/3Bc0nmJ

A fantastic live performance from Alexander Whitley Dance Company and Daniel Strutt, Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London at this afternoon's BEYOND Conference. The session showcased a new tool for remote digital dance composition and collaboration that integrates two existing platforms – Alexander Whitley Dance Company’s ‘Otmo’ app and Goldsmiths’ Mocap Streamer. The tool allows choreographers and dancers to work together in real time, from remote locations and in this afternoon's session, one dancer performed live in motion capture on stage in Salford alongside another dancer performing in mo-cap in London. Visit the XR Network+ website to find out more about the activities taking place as part of this project: https://hubs.li/Q02ZJDp-0

📣 Today's announcement from the DCMS about a new wave of creative clusters is fantastic news for the UK's creative industries. 📣 The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, has awarded £13.5m to boost Merseyside’s thriving live music sector and help creative firms in the West Midlands revolutionise live performance with Virtual Reality (VR) and immersive technology. 📣 As a delivery partner on MusicFutures, we're looking forward to working with the Liverpool City Region cluster, led by the University of Liverpool with Liverpool John Moores University, to support musicians, educators and small businesses to harness new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Extended Reality (XR), and explore how to make the live music sector more environmentally sustainable. Visit the University of Liverpool website to find out more: https://lnkd.in/exHDNPEJ

Our panel discussion on 'Immersive Technology for the Future of Live Performance' is underway at today's BEYOND Conference as participants from the Royal Shakespeare Company, Liminal Stage Productions, University of York, Sarah Brin Consulting and Ruth Mariner explore the demand for live experiences and consider where we might be in ten years time. 🔮