17 March 2021 at UK House
Japan has been at the forefront of developing technology from robotics, AI, to VR. Big tech companies have invested in developing ground-breaking technologies. The UK has a vibrant creative arts and tech sector with a penchant for experimentation with technology. With increasing interest in immersive technology, more investment is going into programmes that support Research and Development of creative tech projects.
On Wednesday17 March 2021, a series of sessions will be hosted online at UK House, coinciding with SXSW, to showcase key arts and tech programmes such as the Audience of the Future project Dream and the Royal Opera House Current, Rising, and to explore how these projects emerged from cross-disciplinary working, research and development. We seek to explore what is the relationship between the independent artists, musicians, technologists and the advances in creative tech? How do artists, technologists, academics, and scientists begin to work together? What are the challenges and opportunities for making UK and Japan connections?
An insight session into the current Japan arts and technology sector will provide an introduction to what’s exciting in Japan and where to start in forging connections for future collaboration.
Join us for discussion panels and networking to see the best of UK arts and technology collaboration and insights and connections into Japan. It is free to attend for artists, creative professionals, thinkers, makers, and investors around the world to meet and exchange.
09:00 - 10:20 (GMT), 17 March 2021
Dream and the Future of Live Performance
Host: Clare Reddington (CEO, Watershed)
Panelists:
Robin McNicholas (Creative Director, Marshmallow Laser Feast)
Alex Rowse (Senior Producer, Punchdrunk)
Luke Ritchie (Head of Innovation & Partnerships, Philharmonia Orchestra)
meriko borogove - technologist, photographer, and advisor of teams who push engineering boundaries in the service of art and justice
This panel is taking the opportunity to talk about technology in the future of live performance. Discussing the current Audience of the Future project Dream, and other work which is exploring this with a panel that has spearheaded multi-disciplinary approaches and collaborations. Join this range of practitioners to discuss their work and ideas on the future of live performance.
Presented by Arts Council England and British Underground Future Art and Culture in Partnership with British Council
10:20 - 10:40 (GMT), 17 March 2021
Making of Current Rising
Host: Annette Mees (Head of Audience Labs, Royal Opera House)
Speaker: Simon Reveley, (CEO, Figment)
Current, Rising is a 15-minute hyper reality opera experience, combining virtual reality with a multisensory set, inviting audiences to step into a bespoke ‘Opera Tardis’ and experience a dream-like journey carried musically by a poem layered in song. Developed by a female-led creative team, Current, Rising is a timely experiment blending historic stagecraft, artistic excellence and cutting-edge technology, turning the notion of what it means to go to the opera on its head. The project is a unique collaboration between the Royal Opera House’s innovation programme, Audience Labs and Figment Productions, with audience insight research undertaken by Royal Holloway, University of London. The project is funded by Innovate UK and Figment Productions as part of the Audience of the Future programme. Inspired by the liberation of Ariel at the end of Shakespeare’s Tempest, Current, Rising takes four people at a time into its magical universe, traversing together the landscapes of the night, from twilight to dawn - exploring ideas of isolation, connection, and collective reimagination – a prescient moment and experience of our time.
Presented by Arts Council England and British Underground Future Art and Culture in Partnership with British Council
10:40 - 10:55 (GMT), 17 March 2021
Spotlight Japan
This spotlight session with Maurice Jones, Artistic & Communications Director from MUTEK Japan will offer valuable insights into the Japanese arts, music, and technology sector. Looking at the key opportunities for connecting and collaborating with the Japan sector through artists, creative producers, and technologists.
Speaker: Maurice Jones (Artistic & Communications Director, MUTEK.JP)
Presented by Arts Council England and British Underground Future Art and Culture in Partnership with British Council as part of the UK – Japan The Future of Arts and Technology.
11:00 -11:55 (GMT), 17 March 2021
Blowing off Steam: Festival UK*22 - An Experiment in Creativity
Host: Sam Hunt (Programme Director, Festival UK* 2022)
A session discussion exploring how 500 creatives drawn from across the worlds of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics were brought together to imagine and design Open, Original and Optimistic concepts that will reach millions and the role of creativity in people’s lives and policy development.
Presented by Arts Council England and British Underground in partnership with Festival UK*22