Skip to content
    • About us
          • Digital Catapult is a deep tech innovation organisation driving business value by accelerating the application of advanced technologies.

            3,000

            Companies supported since 2018

            £555m

            Investment raised by startups since 2018

            20+

            Advanced technology facilities nationwide

    • Our ambition
          • Our ambition is to realise the practical application of deep tech through four interventions

            ambition-scale-deep-tech

            Enabling UK deep tech companies to scale

            ambition-improving-supply-chain

            Improving UK industrial supply chain resilience

            ambition-decarbonisation

            Driving industrial decarbonisation

            ambition-advancing-data

            Advancing UK development and use of data driven and open future networks

    • Our people
          • susan-bowen

            We are an organisation made up of almost 300 innovators.

            We pride ourselves on the skilled and talented people from varied backgrounds that make up our team – we harness the expertise, perspectives and connections of people of more than 40 nationalities, thereby bringing together a diversity of skills, experience and backgrounds.

            Susan Bowen

            CEO of Digital Catapult

    • Our places
    • Startups and scaleups
          • bfp cover

            Black Founders Programme

            The Black Founders Programme is an accelerator targeted at pre-seed or seed stage, Black-founded companies creating innovative products and services...
            ORCA-020

            Quantum Technology Programme

            Separating opportunity from hype to understand industry challenges that may be best solved by quantum computing.
    • Government and Public sector
          • 3d,Illustration,Of,Hydrogen,H2,Molecule,Model,-,Clean,Energy

            Hydrogen Innovation Programme

            Discover more about the the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative and the deployment of hydrogen technologies to address pressing energy and environmental...
            London,Office,Building,For,Network,And,Future,Concept

            Digitalising Energy Programme

            Energy Systems Catapult and Digital Catapult have partnered to explore the groundwork for a UK-wide initiative to accelerate a digitalised,...
          • Banner website digital twin 3

            UK Digital Twin Centre

            Delivered by Digital Catapult and funded by Belfast Region City Deal and Innovate UK, the UK Digital Twin Centre makes digital twins more accessible and meaningful in the UK. It actively enable industries and innovators to safely embrace, explore and realise their dynamic power.
            Find out more UK Digital Twin Centre
    • Corporates and Industry
          • Transparent,Clear,Colorful,Glass,Or,Liquid,Waves.,Neon,Pattern,Abstract

            Green Hydrogen Certifier

            This report looks at the Green Hydrogen Certifier - an end-to-end demonstration of a potential digital certification solution for hydrogen production...
    • Academia
    • Investors
          • bfp cover

            Black Founders Programme

            The Black Founders Programme is an accelerator targeted at pre-seed or seed stage, Black-founded companies creating innovative products and services...
    • Services
          • Bespoke software & data systems

            Developing proof-of-concept demonstrators to showcase the viability and benefit of deep tech solutions.

            Platform engineering service

            Designing, building and operating physical and digital facilities. Providing testbeds for deep tech discovery and experimentation.

            Technology & innovation consultancy

            Consultancy services helping organisations addresses market preparedness gaps, evaluate financial viability and navigate technology change management.

          • Acceleration programmes for business

            Creating acceleration programmes to support businesses.Helping them grow through mentorship, technology support, networking, and investment opportunities.

            Facilitating and convening

            Bringing together and developing ecosystems of companies to explore, test and demonstrate how deep tech works in practice.

    • Technologies
    • Facilities
    • Opportunities
          • newsletter

            Sign up to our newsletter

            sign up for alerts and be the first to know when new open calls are announced. Don’t miss your chance to stay informed and get involved!

    • Current interventions
          • ORCA-020

            Quantum Technology Programme

            Separating opportunity from hype to understand industry challenges that may be best solved by quantum computing.
          • Banner website digital twin 3

            UK Digital Twin Centre

            Delivered by Digital Catapult and funded by Belfast Region City Deal and Innovate UK, the UK Digital Twin Centre makes digital twins more accessible and meaningful in the UK. It actively enable industries and innovators to safely embrace, explore and realise their dynamic power.
            Find out more UK Digital Twin Centre
    • Case studies
          • Black Founders Programme Showcase event.

            SymphoMe: case study

            Part of the FutureScope's Black Founders Programme, Digital Catapult supported Nyangibo Gallery to get investment ready and receive business expertise
    • Events
    • Blogs
    • Publications
          • Glass globe encircled by verdant forest flora, symbolizing nature, environment, sustainability, ESG, and climate change awareness, generative ai

            Get involved

            Be the first to know about upcoming resources, events and activities in the BridgeAI programme.
            Glass globe encircled by verdant forest flora, symbolizing nature, environment, sustainability, ESG, and climate change awareness, generative ai

            The Programme

            Find out more about how the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme and how it aims to stimulate the adoption AI and...
    • Press releases
  • Search
  • Contact
Press Release

Further funding announced for three CreativeXR projects which reinvent traditional modes of storytelling

Posted 14 May 2021

Digital Catapult and Arts Council England have announced further funding for three projects from the 2020 CreativeXR programme, which supports the creation of new cultural experiences using immersive technology. The virtual and augmented reality experiences will receive a total of £189,000, supporting creative professionals across the UK to continue their development.

The chosen projects each use immersive technology to radically re-envision a classic form of storytelling, including a feminist reinvention of the superhero origin story, a contemporary reimagining of gothic horror and a fresh take on the art documentary. As the cultural sector begins to open and emerges from a period of unprecedented digital engagement, the funding will enable UK-based creators and organisations to continue realising the potential of immersive experiences.

The three funded CreativeXR projects are:

Blood Speaks: Maya – The Birth of a Superhero by Poulomi Basu and CJ Clarke

An immersive story following Maya, an ordinary 21st century girl, as she transforms into a uniquely female superhero whose powers derive from the process of menstruation. The audience follows Maya from her transformation into a superhero in rural Nepal to contemporary London where she forms a bond with a first generation South Asian teenager. Together, they engage in a series of thrilling adventures, breaking taboos and revealing the hidden modes of patriarchy and misogyny that exist in contemporary Britain.

(Hi)story of a Painting by Gaëlle Mourre and Quentin Darras

A five-episode series that pairs iconic artists with contemporary creatives to tell the story of an artwork’s context, meaning and significance through time. Each 12-minute episode reveals details about the artist’s practice, struggles and successes, aiming to inspire young audiences by showing that an artist can come from anywhere. (Hi)story of a Painting’s first episode What’s the Point? premiered at this year’s SXSW Festival. Narrated by British rapper Speech Debelle, the episode focuses on the work of Georges Seurat and his most famous painting La Grande Jatte, depicting his journey from underdog to icon. The VR experience allows anyone from anywhere in the world to form an intimate bond with the painting, which can be explored at scale within a pointillist cityscape mirroring its style. As part of the CreativeXR programme, (Hi)Story of a Painting also received support from StoryFutures Academy who provided essential formatting and narrative content insights.

The Invited by Davy and Kristin McGuire

A theatrical augmented reality experience that reimagines the gothic story of Dracula as a seance in which a pop-up book serves as a conduit for Dracula’s curse to re-enter society. Set in a dark secret location, the experience uses this elaborately crafted book and a tablet to summon the audience through an unsettling shared experience. Each turn of page reveals an exquisite new set and ghostly animations that seep from the page to transform the world outside into a gripping horror story.

Digital Catapult CEO Jeremy Silver said:

The creative sector has shown extraordinary resilience during these unimaginably trying times, with technology giving many in the industry new opportunities to engage audiences and stay relevant. The CreativeXR programme has been at the centre of this: supporting UK pioneers pushing the boundaries when it comes to storytelling.

“Harnessing the power of AR and VR to transport us to new worlds, these three projects will receive a well-deserved boost to take their ideas one step further, as the sector slowly opens up from the pandemic.”

Francis Runacres, Executive Director of Enterprise and Innovation at Arts Council England, said:

“The last year has been an extraordinary time for innovation in digital art and culture. We need to continue building on these developments as we move forward, and so we’re delighted to support these three projects, which explore the potential for immersive technology to reimagine traditional ways of storytelling and create new forms of cultural experience.”

CreativeXR Press