In an interview with FOX 7 Austin earlier this month at SXSW, Prof Andrew Chitty shares his thoughts on how the UK creative industries is shaping the future of the sector. Live from a session with Royal Shakespeare Company's Dream - a new, cutting edge way to do theatre where an actor can perform on stage using a handy, portable version of motion capture. 

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Just released - watch sessions recorded at Audience of the Future Live @ SXSW in Austin, Texas. Co-hosted with Arts Council England, UNBOXED and the Department for International Trade, the workshops below feature ground-breaking UK creative R&D projects funded by UKRI and presented by the project teams themselves – technologists, producers, artists and actors, giving audiences an under the bonnet view of the creative and technical story behind the cutting-edge work. Enjoy!
 

Fifty of the next generation of UK creative talent have been recruited by StoryFutures Academy, to help develop and deliver StoryTrails, a unique immersive storytelling experience for audiences in 15 towns and cities across the UK as part of UNBOXED, the ground-breaking UK-wide celebration of creativity in 2022. The cohort brings together diversity and innovation to chart a new course for the future of storytelling, utilising state-of-the-art immersive technologies. 

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With the expansion of real-time Virtual Production (VP) filming techniques in the UK, StoryFutures Academy is conducting a comprehensive industry survey on VP following their Interim Report published last year. Supported by leading trade bodies including BFI, British Screen Forum, Pact, UK Screen Alliance and Ukie, they are seeking participation in the survey to help build their report. Responses will be anonymised and the survey results will inform the next phase of StoryFutures Academy, with an extensive report on VP later this year. The survey closes on 22 April (respondents will get early access to findings).

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Launched in 2020, UK-Canada Immersive Exchange is a talent development and co-production programme to support and champion UK and Canadian immersive technology creatives and producers. The programme funded six co-productions: four “prototype projects” each received £25k, and two “audience-ready” projects received £100k each, to pioneer groundbreaking new forms of immersive media projects and storytelling across VR, AR, MR and spatial audio. The projects: Acorn, Alone Together, Gloaming and Radio Ghost, were previewed earlier this week in Austin, as part of SXSW 2022.

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 8 April: Clwstwr, RIFA & CAF present Animation & the Climate Emergency

Clwstwr and Cardiff Animation Festival are joining forces with the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Research in Film Awards (RIFA) for an afternoon of screenings, talks, an interactive panel session, and networking on environmental sustainability in the media industry. The sessions are an opportunity to be inspired by content and films which are already raising awareness and advocating for change, as well as participate in discussions about ways in which the climate emergency can be communicated to different audiences using animation. 

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XR Stories’ sister organisation, the Screen Industries Growth Network (SIGN), has launched a new fund to address skills shortages in the screen industries and the lack of a diverse trainer pool in Yorkshire and the Humber. The SIGN Innovative Training Fund offers up to £20,000 to both new and established trainers and training providers to develop courses or workshops that tackle a skills gap or support the growth of a diverse workforce in the screen industries. The deadline for applications is 12 April.

➤ More info & apply

Join Future Screens NI in person at Ormeau Baths, Belfast to hear from Michael McGlade, the Founder and Creative Director of Belfast-based Yellow Design. Michael will be speaking about recent Augmented Reality projects for public and civic use, including the AR360: Augmented Reality for Tourism app that featured at the Titanic Quarter, Titanic – Back in Belfast, an AR walking tour of The Peace Wall and the bespoke DeLorean car racing feature, as well as the ROVAR app launched to host the BEYOND conference programme in 2021.

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Anyone interested in developing a new product or service using data can now apply for funding of up to £12,000, as part of the Creative Informatics Resident Entrepreneurs programme. In addition, successful applicants will receive mentoring, access to resources and additional support to support their creative project. The deadline to apply is Wednesday 20 April.

Creative Informatics are looking for individuals and organisations that would like to develop creative and artistic responses to the issue of data and creative practice. A minimum of four projects will be funded with a budget of £5,000, to cover fees and production costs for each creative work. Projects are expected to commence no later than June and conclude by mid-September for an exhibition and symposium at the end of September 2022. Applicants can attend the online Creative Horizon 4 Discovery Workshop on 29 April (3pm) and must apply by 27 April.

➤ More info & apply

Elvis & Kresse, an SME funded by Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology, has won the Common Objective – CO10 Award 2022. The CO Leadership Awards celebrate excellence in sustainable fashion and spotlight fashion businesses with great products or services - especially those that maximise benefits to people and minimise the impact on the environment. Elvis & Kresse rescues raw waste from landfills and transforms them into luxury accessories.

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After an incredibly competitive artist call, Bristol + Bath Creative R+D introduces Here + There artist in residence, Poppy Nash! Poppy will embed within the Here + There programme to expose its learnings to wider audiences through a new creative work. The artist will also engage in a creative learning programme connecting the region's arts schools, Bath Spa and the University of the West of England - UWE Bristol, and its students. 

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Opening on 25 April 2022, Innovate UK is launching a new competition on behalf of MyWorld, a project funded by the UKRI Strength in Places Fund. MyWorld is a 5 year programme with opportunities to create, deliver and understand experiences in creative technology, driving forward the future of media in the UK and beyond. The aim of this competition is to support business focused research and innovation in the creative industries in the West of England. A webinar on 4 May offers more information and support and the deadline to apply is 1 June.

Join the LGBTQ+ Tech Leaders Trade Mission 

The Minister for Exports and Equalities is inviting LGBTQ+ founded or majority-owned tech companies to apply to join The LGBTQ+ Tech Leaders Trade Mission to Austin, Houston and San Francisco. Learn about doing business in Texas and California, supply chain diversity initiatives and opportunities, as well as visiting major US Tech headquarters, meeting with diversity and inclusion champions, and attending networking events hosted by Consul Generals in Houston and San Francisco. Apply by 18 April.

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Venture Capital (VC) funding in UK CreaTech rose 16% to £1.14bn in 2021, as new research commissioned by the Creative Industries Council reveals. Tech Nation estimates that since 2017 more than £5bn has been invested in UK businesses innovating at the intersection of creativity and technology.
Half of UK CreaTech businesses receiving VC funding last year were at the ‘seed stage’ of early development, suggesting there’s room for future growth in investment and exports, and other forms of value creation. Sign up below to hear when applications open for the 2022 list.

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Immergency is an immersive experience about tackling climate change, in which audiences journey their way through the escape room and discover policies needed to combat climate change. At the end, teams are able to browse ways to get involved and commit to a couple of actions over a drink. This creates a moment of excitement and togetherness for people to get in touch with their inner climate activist. Supported by Innovate UK, the Immergency pop-up space is based in London and open until 10 April (Thursdays to Sundays). 

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The deadline for submission of abstracts for Papers and Projects for the Digital Research in the Humanities and Arts (DRHA) 2022 conference has been extended to 30 April. DRHA 2022 takes place online and at Kingston University London between 4-7 September. The conference will bring together artists, scholars, educators, curators, digital researchers, and entrepreneurs interested in the ways digital technology intersects with the arts and humanities. The conference theme is ‘Digital Sustainability’ in light of the immediate challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the longer-term shadow of climate catastrophe.

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This Creativity, Culture, Capital project explores multimedia and interactive content with a new Spotlight series. The first Spotlight illuminates the Future of Live Performance, using the Royal Shakespeare Company's Dream (funded by the UKRI's Audience of the Future Challenge) as a starting point. The Spotlight is a 3D space featuring four connected spaces, each showcasing a different element of our exploration. 

➤ Explore now