How might sharing learnings from immersive venues create more Spaces for Immersion?
Immersive venues: purpose-built spaces designed for new forms of storytelling - are still rare but across the UK, a scattering of these spaces are emerging. This panel offers a unique opportunity to learn from curators, artists and venue producers as they share their varied approaches; what’s working, what’s challenging and what’s possible.
Featuring Near Now Creative Producer Lee Nicholls, each speaker will offer a presentation about their venue or work, followed by a discussion exploring themes like audience development, distribution, climate impact, access and belonging.
The tone will be open and reflective, designed to spark honest conversation and practical exchange. Participants are encouraged to join the discussion, share experiences, ask questions, and leave with ideas and connections to help grow the field.
Together, we’ll imagine how lessons from today’s immersive spaces can shape the venues of tomorrow.
Speakers
George Lovesmith
George Lovesmith is an architect, public artist and educator with a practice focussed on social engagement. Recent collaborations include Undershed, a gallery “dedicated to the best immersive and interactive artwork,” conceived both to foster togetherness – where conversation is actively encouraged and to be wildly regenerative, with materials that speak of the natural world. Internationally, George has executed work at the Taiwan Design Expo and as an Arts Council International Fellow in Spain.
Sarah-Jane Meredith
Sarah-Jane is Senior Manager - National Lottery Audiences Projects at the BFI, providing oversight and management of the Audience Projects Fund, supporting nationally significant projects to engage audiences in independent film and broader screen. Projects includes film festivals, cinema programmes, film seasons, projects exploring audience and venue engagement in immersive work. Based in SW England, before the BFI, Sarah-Jane worked at Creative England. Prior to that, she worked at South West Screen. As well as supporting audience facing activity, she exec produced the UK Film Council’s Digital Shorts Scheme, commissioned short films for broadcast and artists’ film for cinema distribution.
Deepa Mann-Kler
Deepa Mann-Kler is a trailblazer in immersive storytelling - XR Lead (Maternity Cover) at Atlantic Institute, CEO Neon, Director Belfast XR Festival and Executive Producer Aura Studios. A multi award-winning artist, she’s also aVisiting Professor at Ulster University and a proud member of the Euromersive Board and BAFTA Connect. Through Neon, she creates powerful AR and VR experiences like The Metaverse & Me, Discover ME and The Baby Factory Is Closed, a groundbreaking VR exploration of the menopause. A TEDx “Being Human” speaker, she drives conversations on leadership, ethics and innovation.
Lee Nicholls
Lee Nicholls (he/him) is Creative Producer at Nottingham's Broadway, one of the UK's leading independent cinemas and creative hubs. He leads Near Now, Broadway’s studio for arts, design and innovation, supporting Nottingham’s arts/tech community to develop new projects and partnerships.
Lee currently heads a BFI Film Audience Network project helping cinema venues explore immersive and interactive programming, and works nationally with venues to support the collaborative touring of immersive work.
He has over 15 years’ experience producing projects at the intersection of art, design, technology and play.
David Massey
David Massey is an Executive Producer and Immersive Experiences programmer based at Wales Millennium Centre. David has over two decades experience of leading, producing and touring exciting, unique, and award-winning creative programmes. He has worked with some of the world’s leading artists and studios working at the intersection of art, storytelling and technology to premiere their work in the UK. David also has extensive experience working with arts and broadcasting organisations to produce a portfolio of work that is both engaging and immersive. He has commissioned and co-curated XR projects that have been recognised by the AIXR VR Awards, FIVARS and Creative Review.
The Big Thing
The Big Thing is the Immersive Arts programme's annual gathering, where the immersive art community—at any stage in their journey—can come to connect, spark new ideas, and push the boundaries of their practice.
The Big Thing will bring together artists, producers, technologists, researchers and the wider ecosystem of venues, distributors, curators and funders from the UK and beyond.
With hands-on workshops, inspiring keynotes, thought-provoking panel discussions, and much more, buy tickets on Eventive.