Public engagement

XR Stories works closely with cultural festivals and organisations across the Yorkshire region to share knowledge, facilitate new collaborations and provide R&D support with developing and using extended reality technologies.

We provide advice and expertise in immersive and interactive digital technologies to help organisations tell new stories to attract new and diverse audiences. 

We champion and participate in cultural festivals across the city, supporting behind the scenes and running free workshops to educate and inspire people of all ages. 

Cultural organisations

XR Stories works with cultural organisations to support the development of interactive and immersive digital experiences and facilitate connections with companies, creatives and researchers in our network. 

Visit our projects and news pages to find out about our recent activities including collaborations with the Captain Cook Museum and The Yorkshire Museum.

To enquire about our support services, please complete the XR Stories enquiries form.

Festival of Ideas

Led by the University of York, the Festival of Ideas takes place every June, offering two weeks of predominantly free events to educate, entertain and inspire audiences of all generations and backgrounds.

XR Stories hosted a series of ‘Toy Stories’ workshops to introduce children to motion capture technology. The workshops provided an opportunity for participants to craft their own story, direct a motion capture actor and watch a screening with their toy as a fully animated film star!

Aesthetica Short Film Festival

The Aesthetica Short Film Festival takes place in York every November, showcasing films, immersive VR and games alongside masterclasses, workshops and networking sessions. 

In 2024, XR Stories will co-programme the festival’s virtual reality (VR) strand. The team will also run the VR lab from the 14th century York Hospitium . Visit the XR Stories news page to find out more.

In 2023, XR Stories provided expert support and equipment for the festival’s immersive VR strand. In parallel we ran workshops and masterclasses including a free virtual production workshop in partnership with Viridian FX where participants learnt about the creative opportunities of VP technologies and gained hands-on experience in merging physical and virtual elements. 

The 2024 festival will take place from 6 – 10 November 2024. Subscribe for updates about the festival on the Aesthetica website.