New £6m investment to help artists and cultural organisations unlock creative potential of immersive technology
Immersive Arts – a new three-year, cross-UK programme announced today - will support over 200 artists and cultural organisations to develop the knowledge, skills and networks to create new work using virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies. These technologies are known together as extended reality, or XR.
The programme is funded by a £6million investment from an ambitious partnership between Arts Council England, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Arts Council of Wales. It is designed help advance the role of artists and cultural organisations across the UK in contributing to the development of immersive storytelling.
As a cross-UK programme, Immersive Arts will be delivered by a partnership of four arts organisations, with one in each nation of the UK – Watershed in England, Cryptic in Scotland, Nerve Centre in Northern Ireland, and the Wales Millenium Centre. It will be led by the University of the West of England, with the lead hub at Pervasive Media Studio in Bristol.
Several other organisations will support the programme with specialist expertise, including:
Crossover Labs, experts in training and artist development using immersive media.
Unlimited, who work with disabled artists and audiences, to challenge the culture sector and change perceptions of disability.
XR Diversity Initiative, which works to make the XR community more inclusive.
Darren Henley, CEO at Arts Council England, said “Creative producers and cultural organisations have always been vital in unlocking the potential of new technology, as we are seeing in the innovative experiences artists and cultural organisations are creating for immersive platforms. We are excited to launch Immersive Arts with our UK-wide partners, to help the cultural sector develop the skills to push the creative potential of emerging technologies even further, and create opportunities for more artists and organisations to work with these technologies for the first time.”
Lucy Frazer, Culture Secretary, said “The government has already invested £75 million to build a network of R&D labs across the UK that will put us at the forefront of advancements in visual effects, motion-capture technology, and AI for the screen and stage industries. This new funding will help even more of our brightest artists and creatives harness the power of this innovative technology. Developing the skills and infrastructure underpinning immersive technology will maximise the potential of our powerful creative industries and achieve our goal of growing them by £50 billion by 2030.”
Saqib Bhatti, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, said “From the printing press to digital streaming, leaps forward in technology have always led to advances in art and creativity. The Immersive Arts programme will ensure that British creatives are given access to the tech they need to push new creative frontiers. Blockbuster shows like Abba Voyage demonstrate that extended reality brings about artistic innovation and a list of economic benefits that goes on and on and on.”
Professor Christopher Smith, Arts and Humanities Research Council Executive Chair, said “To maintain the UK’s place at the vanguard of the creative industries, we need to invest in the skills and technologies that underpin them. Extended reality is an exciting new frontier in creative technology that offers world-expanding possibilities.
“This investment in the Immersive Arts consortium by an ambitious partnership of the UK’s arts councils, Creative Scotland and AHRC will allow us to support skills development and unlock further innovation and economic growth, bringing the power of this technology to new audiences and partners.”
Applications to the programme will open later this year.