2024 roundup – A creative and immersive year at XR Stories

2024 has been a year of transition, innovation and growth – for XR Stories and for the researchers, businesses and creatives that the project supports.

In the last 12 months, the XR Stories team has helped more than 100 SMEs, freelancers and University of York researchers working in digital and creative technologies to unleash their full potential. 

From their office and specialist research and development (R&D) lab in the centre of York, XR Stories has connected local creative communities with University of York expertise and infrastructure. The project’s activities have played a key role in driving York’s cultural agenda as a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts, for the benefit of the city and the wider region.

Joe Rees-Jones in the XR Stories immersive technology R&D lab.

Highlights from a creative and immersive year include:

1. Supporting University of York research projects to enhance R&D activities and create new digital experiences including two projects at Maida Vale Studios (led by the AudioLab in the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology) and a collaboration with the Department of Archaeology and the York Museums Trust at The Yorkshire Museum.

2. Helping University of York students develop XR skills and experience via internships at the Captain Cook Museum, Whitby.

3. Providing specialist support to University of York students looking to start their own business in the immersive sector.  

4. A new residency programme supporting SMEs and digital artists to experiment and innovate, inspiring new ideas and opportunities for growth.

5. Collaborating with industry as a trusted and specialist partner to share knowledge, best practice and access to infrastructure. 

6. Working with the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to support development of the region’s creative industries via the new Creative Industries Policy Research Group.

7. Championing York’s status as a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts, including representing the University of York at the UNESCO Expo. 

8. Supporting cultural events in the city of York including the Festival of Ideas, and co-programming the Virtual Reality Lab at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival. 

9. Connecting the University of York with local creative communities including the Sheffield DocFest Queer Realities Director’s Lab and York Creatives.

10. Leading the XR Network+ project to set a ten-year UK research agenda for digital content creation and consumption in virtual production (VP) and related technologies. XR Network+ activities across the year have included:

• A second round of VP research and development projects to transfer expertise and learning between academia and industry, test new ideas and complete existing work. 
• A six-week XR Network+ accelerator programme that helped to plug research into the creative and technology sectors, equipping early-career researchers working in virtual production technologies with entrepreneurial skills. 
• Launch of an industry-led R&D challenge with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
• Publication of a white paper that presents a comprehensive outline of the current landscape, challenges and opportunities within VP and XR technologies.
• Two panel sessions and a a live performance showcase at Beyond Conference.

In 2025, XR Stories will launch a new programme of research and business support activities to widen access to University of York expertise and infrastructure, and further strengthen the local creative industries ecosystem. 

Performance capture in the XR Stories immersive technology R&D lab.

Published on 10 December 2024