Over £2 million has been allocated to 142 artist-led projects across the UK in the second round of Immersive Arts funding – a scheme supporting artists of all backgrounds and experience to work with immersive technologies.
With three distinct grant amounts available – £5,000, £20,000 and £50,000 – the funding supports artists at different stages of their creative development: to explore, experiment or expand how they make work that uses technology to actively involve an audience.
The consortium delivering the project is led by UWE Bristol, with the lead hub at Pervasive Media Studio in Bristol, and Watershed as Executive Producer.
Working in close partnership with the University of Bristol and cultural organisations in Belfast and Derry (Nerve Centre), Cardiff (Wales Millennium Centre) and Glasgow (Cryptic), as well as Crossover Labs, Unlimited, XR Diversity Initiative and the Innovate UK Immersive Tech Network, Immersive Arts will generate a rich programme of inclusive and accessible opportunities, breaking down the barriers for artists of all backgrounds to engage with immersive tools.
Immersive Arts received over 2700 applications from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – surpassing the number received in the programme’s first funding round. The response shows a strong and continuing demand from the UK’s artists to be able to develop brave, innovative, sensitive and challenging work using immersive technologies as an integral part of their creative toolkit.
The 142 successful artists represent a truly UK-wide cohort. They are based as far north as the Outer Hebrides, to Falmouth in the south, from the Llŷn Peninsula in the west to Margate in the east, as well as across the border regions of County Derry and Tyrone in Northern Ireland – reflecting the breadth and geographic diversity of immersive talent across the UK.
£2,060,000 has been awarded in this second round of Immersive Arts grant funding – nearly double that of the first round:
- 80 x £5,000 – Explore grants
- 48 x £20,000 – Experiment grants
- 14 x £50,000 – Expand grants
Funded artists are working across a breadth of artforms including sound, music, theatre, dance, game design, visual arts, sculpture, photography, animation, architecture and filmmaking. They will be working with a huge range of immersive technologies including virtual, augmented and mixed reality, 360o film, spatial sound, haptics and tactile interfaces, artificial intelligence, biofeedback and responsive environments.
Professor Verity McIntosh, Director of Immersive Arts and Professor of Immersive Arts and Culture at University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), said: “We are delighted to be able to support so many extraordinary UK artists and projects through this latest funding announcement. Our thanks to the incredible partners and funders who continue to make it possible for artists to develop their practice and make bold new works with powerful cultural impact, connecting UK creativity with audiences around the world.”
Commenting on behalf of the programme funders, the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Arts Council England (ACE), the Arts Council of Wales (ACW), Creative Scotland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI), AHRC executive chair Christopher Smith said: “The first cohort of Immersive Arts-supported artists have illustrated how immersive technology can fuel growth and innovation within the arts and culture sector. We are very excited to support an even larger cohort of UK artists through this latest funding round, and very much look forward to following their progress as the work evolves.”
Further details of all funded projects can be found on the Immersive Arts website along with details of funders.
The Immersive Arts team is encouraged to see that artists with a broad range of backgrounds and lived experiences chose to apply to the scheme. Over a quarter of applications and awarded artists in this round are from the global majority, over 55% identify as a woman, transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, agender, or other marginalised gender, and over 45% identify as disabled, D/deaf, neurodivergent or having a long-term physical or mental health condition or chronic illness.
Professor McIntosh added: “Research suggests that each of these communities remain significantly under-represented in the arts and technology sectors, and we are delighted to see such strong representation from incredible artists across the cohort.”
Asha Easton from XR Diversity Initiative, an Immersive Arts consortium partner, said: “In my dual capacity representing the XR Diversity Initiative and the Innovate UK Immersive Tech Network I am deeply proud of the fact that the Immersive Arts programme has attracted applications from artists from an incredibly diverse range of backgrounds and lived experiences from across the whole of the UK.
“We are excited to see that diversity continues to be reflected in this cohort of funded projects, exceeding all targets for the second time in a row. I attribute this success to the level of care and detail the team has put into making the application process and programme delivery as inclusive as possible, while always being open and adaptable to the feedback from the artist community we serve.”
Funding for Immersive Arts is provided through a collaboration between the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Arts Council England (ACE), the Arts Council of Wales (ACW), Creative Scotland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI). Funding from Creative Scotland, ACW and ACNI is provided by The National Lottery.
