We are kicking off the research and development phase of an exciting new live cinema project called “SOUND IN PICTURES” next month with an intensive two-day animation workshop exploring “visual music” at the amazing Stour Space in Hackney Wick, East London on the 27th & 28th of October 2018.

We are looking for 12 participants, a mix of hearing, deaf and partial hearing participants to take part in this process. There will be four different animation techniques explored in the workshop each being lead by a different artist. We have the absolute pleasure to be working with animator Emily Scaife and visual artist Rueben Sutherland (Sculpture) on this project. Two of these animation units will explore the translation of a piece of existing music into a collaborative animation and two will explore the generation of silent animations that will then inform a new piece of music.

The resulting work from the workshop will be edited into two short experimental films that will feature on the Anim18 website and that will be screened at a special showcase event in the Theatre space at Rich Mix on the 1st of December this year.

This initial phase of the project is being supported by a grant from Anim18, a year-long celebration of British Animation led by Film Hub Wales and Chapter and being developed in collaboration with Live Cinema UK. Our long-term goal for the project is to create a new live cinema show that is partly audiovisual performance and partly expanded lecture that will bring both deaf and hearing audiences together to explore participation and interaction on a multitude of levels.

Deadline for applications is the 7th of October. We hope you can join us on this exciting journey!

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We are very proud to have a new film commission as a promenant part of the new permanent exhibition on design: Designer User Maker at the New Design Museum that just opened its doors in West Kensington, London. The film greets people visiting the landmark exhibition on a huge portrait lazer projection and is the result of six months of filming across the UK looking at different processes connected to design, use and making. Check out this short film featuring Christopher Thomas Allen, the projects producer & director, explaining his ideas and approach to making this landmark work for the museum. Full documentation to follow soon.

Our live cinema project SuperEverything* returned to Brighton for the Brighton Digital Arts Festival in September featuring a special line up including live strings from members of The Heritage Orchestra.

In September Christopher Thomas Allen was invited to lead a three day experiment in theatre and technology at The Old Market Theatre (TOM) in Hove. The project was part of TOM’s #TOMtech program which seeks to accelerate learning, promote collaboration and seed new creative ideas in digital theatre. This “hack style” lab focused on exploring how to share a VR experience with a audience who are not in VR and how VR could be utilised in a theatrical situation.  Chris invited leading interactive designers The Workers, interactive sound designer Dave Meckin and Choreographer Annie Lunette Deakin-Foster to collaborate and used the new HTC Vive VR technology to create a series of experimental dance pieces. There is a short film about the process here made by TOM. More documentation of the results to follow shortly.