The last couple of years threw us into a hybrid way of being. Life has, at times, been stranger than art.

And yet the participants of TalentLab XR – our first XR-focused programme – have rewarded us with final projects that continue to push the limits of our imagination.  They also show how art and media might be reshaped for a future world where we might need new ways to connect with nature, spirituality, and each other.

B3 Media started TalentLab XR with the aim to widen access for diverse, unheard, minority voices to develop artistic projects in this emerging new mode of creativity.

TalentLab XR 2022 brought together talented artists with backgrounds in film, theatre, architecture, illustration, dance and music – many of whom had no previous experience of extended reality. This “next generation” of storytellers broke new ground with their experimental creations, using XR to immerse, challenge and connect with a broad audience on a deeper level than traditional art forms.

We hope you enjoy our TalentLab XR Associate Artists’ project pitches. TalentLab XR is the first in what we anticipate to be a long line of XR-focused programmes. If you’re interested in supporting any of our featured artists or want to know more about our network, we’d love to hear from you.

We thank our funders, Arts Council England, for their contributions to the programme. Without them, we would not have been able to provide the bespoke support that helped to elevate our participants’ projects and boost their creative development.

We also send a massive “thank you” to all the mentors, speakers, industry supporters who, after delivering their illuminating introductions to XR and immersive storytelling, continued to offer our participants invaluable one-to-one support.

Finally, we want to give a special shout-out to Epic Games, Move AI and Magic Beans, whose support helped make this showcase happen.

Thank you!