UWE Bristol’s Immersive Arts launches funding opportunities for artists

Immersive Arts, a nationwide initiative aimed at supporting artists in creating and sharing immersive works, has opened its first round of funding applications.

The programme offers grants of £5,000, £20,000, and £50,000, as part of a three-year project designed to help over 200 artists explore immersive technology in their creative practices.

Led by UWE Bristol, with the main hub at Pervasive Media Studio in Bristol and Watershed as executive producer, the project collaborates with the University of Bristol and cultural organisations in Belfast, Derry, Cardiff, and Glasgow.

“We want to support this growing community of artists who are wanting to engage with this technology, to create things that we would never have expected and to open up new conversations with audiences,” said Verity McIntosh, associate professor of Virtual and Extended Realities at UWE Bristol

The programme aims to provide inclusive and accessible opportunities, breaking down barriers for artists from all backgrounds to engage with immersive tools. Artists will have access to training, mentoring, specialist facilities, and essential funds, with a total of £3.6 million available in grants from 2024 to 2027.

The first round of funding invites artists to apply for one of three funding strands:

• Explore (£5,000): For individuals, small groups, or organisations with limited experience in immersive arts, to explore technologies, develop ideas, or meet collaborators.
• Experiment (£20,000): For individuals or micro-entities to create experimental immersive artworks or prototypes for small audience testing.
• Expand (£50,000): For advancing existing projects to the next stage of development, testing, or presentation.

The training and showcasing programme will be led by Crossover Labs, with strategic input from Unlimited, Innovate UK Immersive Tech Network, and XR Diversity Initiative, supported by an international Advisory Board.

Verity McIntosh, principal investigator and director of Immersive Arts, emphasised the innovative spirit of artists and the challenges they face in accessing immersive technologies. She said: “Artists have always been incredible innovators; they explore different mediums, techniques, and ways of expressing ideas, using a vast range of materials to connect with audiences in unexpected ways.

“We know that artists often ask brilliant questions of technology through their work, but one of the challenges for artists in recent years is that immersive technologies have been difficult to access and work with and many have felt cut out of the sector.

“We want to support this growing community of artists who are wanting to engage with this technology, to create things that we would never have expected and to open up new conversations with audiences that examine the role that technology plays in contemporary society.”

Funding for Immersive Arts is provided by a collaboration between the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Arts Council England, Arts Council of Wales, Creative Scotland, and Arts Council of Northern Ireland, with National Lottery funding from Creative Scotland, ACW, and ACNI.

For more information and to apply, visit immersivearts.uk

To receive ongoing information on the project and funding opportunities, artists can sign up to the Immersive Arts mailing list

All photos: Jon Aitken

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