XR Stories at The Big Thing
Bradford – various venues
XR Stories is taking part in The Big Thing, an annual gathering from Immersive Arts for the creative community to connect, spark new ideas and push the boundaries of their practice.
Taking place at various venues across Bradford from 9 – 11 June 2025, The Big Thing includes hands-on workshops, keynotes, panel discussions, music, dancing and performance.
XR Stories is running three sessions at the gathering, all on Wednesday 11 June.
Immersive Insights with XR Stories’ Creatives in Residence
12:00pm – 1:00pm at The Great Victoria Hotel, Bradford
Join an informal conversation with four creatives working with immersive technologies across production, documentary, photography, music, animation and interactive design. Curated by Melodie Ash, Creative Producer at Field, this reflective discussion will explore participant experiences as small business owners and freelancers navigating the creative industries landscape in the Yorkshire region. Participants will discuss the challenges and opportunities of working with immersive tech, and share their insights on subjects including access to infrastructure, funding and support. As former or current creatives-in-residence with XR Stories, participants will also discuss their experiences as residents with the University of York project and the impact of the programme on their projects and businesses. There will be an opportunity for audience Q&A at the end of the session.
Using Realtime Technology to Augment Performance: Applications in Film, TV and Music
2:30pm – 3:30pm at The Loading Bay
An informal, hands-on workshop for attendees to delve into live networked performance with creative technicians from XR Stories and artists working with the technology.
There will be a demonstration of Fully Novel’s virtual production project, developed during their residency with XR Stories. A digital character (puppeted by a hidden performer, using motion capture technology) will interact with the audience in the event space in real-time. Fully Novel will be in the event space to discuss the technology and processes involved, and the benefits that this approach can bring to live TV production.
There will also be a demonstration of a Virtual Reality (VR) experience created by XR Stories and the University of York AudioLab. Audience members can wear a VR headset and experience a virtual recreation of Maida Vale recording studio, with a band of Metahumans performing a song.
Performance Capture Drop-in session
3:30pm – 5:00pm at The Loading Bay
An informal, drop-in for attendees to chat to creative technicians from XR Stories and the University of York and immersive artists about the technology and processes involved.
Booking info
Cost: Various passes available