Billed as Wales’ first media innovation event, ClwstwrVerse touches down in Cardiff, Mon 4 July. Taking place in City Hall, the expo – which is also totally free, by the way, in case you didn’t read the title – aims to be as varied and creative as the organisations in attendance with a programme that includes workshops, demos, talks and other interactive experiences, all centred around media and cultural experimentation and boundary-pushing, with an emphasis on new and emerging technologies.
On a local level, Ffilm Cymru Wales, BBC MakerBox, YelloBrick and Hijinx Theatre will be in attendance, along with something called a ‘spatial audio mix’ featuring a mix of Welsh musicians created by Gruff Rhys using MakerBox’s audio orchestrator tool. Sounds intriguing! An international presence, meanwhile, comes courtesy of Universal Pictures’ Vice President of Technology Partnerships and Innovation, Greg Reed, who will demystify the Metaverse – aka Web 3.0.
Another interesting addition for TV heads is Painting Pictures, the design studio behind some of Black Mirror and His Dark Materials. They’ll be discussing the ominously-named Plan V, which isn’t doomsday prepping, but a virtual production tool for filmmakers that lets them construct sets and fictional spaces in 3D.
A similar idea for a wider audience, Reel Reality, developed out of the Clwstwr Ideas Lab, aims to bring residents and tourists alike (virtually) closer to famous filming spots in Wales. Developer Rachel Hardy explains:
“Walking around Cardiff Bay, I’d see people pointing out different locations, saying things like, ‘that’s the entrance to Torchwood!’ As a fellow enthusiast, I wondered if there could be something to accompany that fan tourism activity. With Reel Reality, you can unlock exclusive video content and AR items, such characters, props, and set pieces, to create your own AR film set.”
This expo isn’t just a playground for those interested in how we’ll be consuming and using media differently in the next few decades, though – it’s also a chance for Clwstwr to demonstrate what they’ve been pouring their resources into for the past few years.
“ClwstwrVerse brings together three years of work with more than 100 creative companies to bring to life a raft of exciting ideas” Professor Justin Lewis, Director of Clwstwr said. “This is a fantastic opportunity to see all this innovation in one time and place. There’s something for everyone here: new forms of film, TV and games, immersive and inventive media in sectors from tourism to healthcare, new forms of news that extend democratic participation for a wide range of audiences, and much, much more. This a chance to sample or engage with the best of Welsh creative innovation – don’t miss it!”
ClwstwrVerse will take place Mon 4 July, 9.30 am–6 pm at City Hall, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff. Free tickets here.
HANNAH COLLINS
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