Charged Objects of Performance: Amplifying Materiality, Movement, and Interaction through XR

Project partners: University of the Arts London (UAL), Nissen Richards Studio, The Horniman Museum, Border Crossings’ ORIGINS Festival

XR Network+ supported a collaboration between UAL, Nissen Richards Studio, The Horniman Museum and Border Crossings’ ORIGINS Festival to explore the use of extended reality technologies to affect public understanding of under-represented cultures.

The project team worked with Yoruba and Pan-African diaspora artists in London to co-create prototype hybrid production methods for digitising the movement of Yoruba performance.

The collaboration used volumetric capture technologies to amplify the materiality and movement in a real, richly costumed and fast-moving Yorbura performance.

The prototype serves as a digital asset that can be used as part of interpretive storytelling around cultural knowledge and values to present an authentic, immersive experience for museum audiences.

The project team is now planning the next phase of their research – to produce a digital, public performance at the Horniman museum in collaboration with Yoruba co-creators.

The collaboration is one of seven initiatives supported by the XR Network+ Prototyping, Impact and Acceleration (PIA) funding call, with grants of up to £10,000 awarded to researchers at UK universities to develop new ideas and complete existing research related to VP.

Eight people from the 'Charged Objects of Performance' project team stand in a row smiling at the camera. The person in the centre of the photo wears an intricately designed, richly patterned Yoruba costume and headdress.

The project team.

Categories: Arts, Performance, Research, Technology