The new opportunities for creative expression offered by Hybrid Performance are exciting and myriad! How can we give artists access to the many platforms becoming available through emerging technologies as innovative ways of story sharing, interactivity and creativity?
IJAD is well-positioned as an innovation conduit between organisations, tech companies and artists, through its Connective Matrix forum and its artist residencies and creative outputs. The aim is to open up discussions and opportunities, and evolve this new sector to benefit all of us.
In 2022, through Open Online Theatre and OOTFest22, we redefined Hybrid Performance as the seamless integration of narrative and technology, where each element is indispensable to the other. This approach ensures that both in-person and online audiences experience the richness of liveness, regardless of physical location, and gives artists access to a diverse array of tools and platforms as part of the creative process.
After OOTFest22, our successful hybrid festival – which we believe was the first of its kind in the UK – we felt the need to connect and interact with more artists, venues, and researchers, to position ourselves in context, and see what needed to be done to share the rapid learning that resulted from our work.
We fulfilled a dedicated six weeks’ briefing with OOTFest22 artists, partners and venues, which clarified that the infrastructure for collaboration between new technologies and art is in its infancy, even though these new formats originated in the 1950s with Fluxus and Gutei, two international 1960s avant-garde movements that attempted to establish new artistic vocabularies. How have we progressed since the 1950s. And why the delay?
IJAD then embarked on a far-reaching UK exploration including discussions with academics, tech companies, artists and venues, and combining this with a healthy curiosity, we came up with an action plan: an Innovation Lab Day, Jan 2024, as part of an NCACE Ideas Pool 3, supported by City University AI Research Department.
This dynamic initiative was conceived as a proactive strategic forum and meeting of minds. The event brought together a diverse array of stakeholders invested in the dance/theatre hybrid sector. The concept was simple yet profound: to foster creative experimentation and collaboration at the intersection of performing arts and technology.
Participants immersed themselves in four presentations led by Lucy Bayliss (Dance East) Rachel Drury (Collusion) and Neil Maiden (City A.I.) and included many discussions and exchanges, delving deep into the current state of the sector both locally and nationally.
The aim was clear: to identify challenges, unearth opportunities, and chart a course towards a thriving cultural ecosystem. From shaping the future of hybrid performances to navigating new audience structures, from fostering community building to addressing the needs of artists and venues, the conversations were rich with insights and possibilities.
One of the key objectives of the Innovation Lab was to discuss whether sharing production costs can contribute to sector development? How can we share the load to make things happen?
Our evaluation of the event revealed the following insights:
- Over 30% expressed a strong desire for a repeat of the event, underscoring the genuine interest in the innovation-driven initiatives spearheaded by IJAD.
- Approximately 32% expressed keen interest in the development of connective networks, (such as IJAD’s connective matrix initiative) highlighting a tangible demand for sustained connections and collaborative opportunities within the community, as well as opportunities to create opportunities to share their productions
- The rest of the percentage questioned the funding system available at the moment, and if it needs to be redesigned,
- Inquired around the methods of knowledge exchange between makers, researchers, tech companies and the venues.
As we reflect on the outcomes of the Innovation Lab Day and OOTFest22, (with sold out performances at Rich Mix and ticket-buying virtual audiences from 58 cities) and we contemplate the next steps in our innovation journey, one thing is clear: the potential is immense, and the offer to audiences is abundant with imagination, immersion, interactions and many as-yet-unimagined possibilities.
These conversations are at an early stage. We invite you to join us in shaping the future of Hybrid Performance, whether through participating in Connective Matrix round table discussions, sharing your experiences, sending us info about your work, contributing to the development of connective networks, or suggesting a theme for our next discussion.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Our next Connective Matrix event is a lunchtime online round table discussion:
Save-the-date! March 25th 13:00 – 14:00 on the Open Online Theatre platform.
There will be provocations and opportunity-sharing from guest speakers, names to be announced.
We will
· inquire how the intersections of technology and performing arts can more successfully centralise the human element, fostering deeper connections, nurturing creativity and inclusivity.
· discuss ways to facilitate knowledge-sharing and creative opportunities in the hybrid landscape.
· grow our collective understanding of what needs to be done to foster innovations that can evolve the sector as a whole.
Upcoming events and news
GLoW: Illuminating Innovation 8 March – 20 April
Arts Council England has supported many XR works, as well as its new ‘Immersive Arts’ scheme: a £6m, three year, UK-wide scheme that will offer an inclusive and accessible programme of research, training, funding opportunities and events for over 200 artists.
In the spirit of collaboration and innovation, let’s come together to explore the possibilities at the intersection of art and technology. Your input and perspective are invaluable as we navigate the next phase of our journey. So, let’s connect over coffee and delve deeper into the insights gleaned from the Innovation Lab Day, and together chart a course towards a future where creativity knows no bounds!
Art Will Go on!