New R&D projects develop innovative fan experiences for live events
XR Network+ has launched two new research and development (R&D) projects as part of an R&D challenge to accelerate innovation in the live events sector.
A joint initiative with MusicFutures, the Future Live Fan Experiences R&D challenge has awarded grants of up to £25,000 for university-led and SME-led projects to develop and test new fan experiences across live music, sport and cultural events.
XR Network+ projects
Resonant Rooms: Audience-responsive sculptural sound for festivals and live events.
A project led by the University of the West of England is developing an audience-responsive spatial audio system for festivals and live events. The project is undertaken in collaboration with experimental artists Copper Sounds and Undershed, Watershed’s immersive gallery in Bristol.
A collaboration led by The Royal College of Art is exploring how immersive and responsive environments can transform the way young people encounter and perform classical music. The project is undertaken in partnership with Kingston School of Art and ARCO – Music for All, a community music charity in Islington working with Gen Alpha children from Global Majority backgrounds, including SEN/D learners and children from low-income families
MusicFutures projects
GIRLGANTUA: New live performance strategy
A project led by electro-pop art rock band Stealing Sheep is reimagining live performance through real-time digital puppetry, fan participation, and Scouse K-Pop. The project will develop a new live performance strategy where musicians directly puppeteer digital characters and visual worlds in real time, exploring real-time motion capture, experimental sound design, and immersive 3D animation.
A project led by interdisciplinary designer and visual artist, Scott Jones Studio is developing a new crowd-response framework that enables the collective behaviour of an audience to shape live experiences in real time.
Funded projects began on 1 October 2026 and will run through to March 2027.
Published on 5 October 2026
Filed under: Research, Technology, XR Network+, XR Stories