TORCH (The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities) at the University of Oxford is bringing Oxford’s gargoyles to life in an Extended Reality (XR) pop-up experience. The venture will showcase innovation in motion tracking technologies, provided by Vicon.
Visitors interact with a multisensory, gamified environment, guided by computer-generated gargoyle characters. They battle to protect the city from climate change.
Fantasy Futures is an experiment in XR, based on the research of former Director of TORCH Prof Wes Williams. It is co-created with experts from the gaming and arts sectors. Prof Williams said:
“The experience conjugates the visual exploration of hybrid ‘humanimal’ creatures with place-based gaming narrative to create an innovative experiment in participatory research. Fantasy Futures focuses on the often-overlooked representations of hybrid creatures in Oxford’s architectural heritage to bring to life for younger audiences the effects of climate change in the Anthropocene on the city’s built environment.”
Fantasy Futures is the result of an inspiring interdisciplinary collaboration with Creative Industries project partners Brian Mitchell (former Head of Audiomotion Studios) and Ian Wallman (a photographer and virtual content creator).
Through this partnership, TORCH has co-created a novel prototype experience. The aim is to widen impact by both engaging the public in the research outcomes and delivering socio-economic benefits to the creative and cultural sectors.
Brian Mitchell, Founding Director of The Mocap Academy (TMA), said:
“The Fantasy Futures project has been an interesting adventure that has enabled us to explore and get innovative with the technology for the shared experiences when telling this extremely engaging monstrous story. We have been supported by some great companies and individuals on the journey, from concept artists to character creation, game engine environments to audio recording and effects.
The motion tracking system we used for the viewer interaction was supplied by Vicon Motion Systems. Vicon is the market leader in this technology and are constantly pushing the limits to open up new opportunities. We will see more applications like this tech to create fully interactive shared experiences in all sorts of ways in the future.”
Fantasy Futures: Guardians of Oxford emerges from the wider Public Engagement in Research Project at TORCH called Fantasy Futures: Imagining Immersive Innovation.
The two-week event seeks to prove the success of the concept, and to secure commercial investment and partnerships with city cultural organisations in a more ambitious second phase next year.
To find out more and book your place, please visit: https://torch.web.ox.ac.uk/fantasy-futures
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