TOMtech, The Old Market’s innovative tech powered arts strand, returns for its fourth year with another dynamic immersive VR season. Throughout the month, The Old Market will be transformed into the largest VR experience of its kind for any theatre across the UK. This season takes place during the Brighton Digital Festival, featuring exciting new works from some of the leading UK and international studios.
This year, TOMtech will be showcasing virtual reality experiences that help illustrate the best of what truly is possible with a medium like VR. From the enchanting world of the natural world with a one-on-one digitally realised Sir David Attenborough, teaching you about how to examine remarkable specimens at the Natural History Museum’s collection to the chilling, boundary-defying Doom Room, a VR experience which tests your thoughts, feelings, and sensations.
Creative Producer at TOMtech, James Turnbull, says “TOMtech allows us to dream on what the entertainment of the future will be. Over the last few years our VR shows and events have seen sold out crowds coming to the venue to try the latest experiences. It offers something for everyone to experience in a new futuristic style.”
20-30 Sept sees Doom Room enter TOMtech, an exhilarating live VR experience from Danish collective, Makropol. Explore a blindfolded guided meditation where you are transported to the afterlife. This intense experience is one that will keep you and your friends talking for weeks, but be warned: it contains scenes of an extreme nature, so it’s not for the faint hearted. (See website for trigger warnings before booking).
A 10-day curated installation (20-30 Sept) VR Parlour brings you some of the finest immersive works from across the world, curated for small groups over one-hour sessions. Hold The World sees a one-to-one encounter with a digitally realised Sir David Attenborough, going behind the scenes to areas typically closed off to the public. Is Anna OK?, follows the story of twins thrown apart by one night, exploring memories through objects and both perspectives. Empire Soldiers tells the stories of the forgotten Caribbean and South Asian soldiers of World War I, following the emotions, experiences and journeys through to the present day.
Come together to improve your mental wellbeing with NOÖSPHERE: Mindfulness in a Hyper-Connected World (20-23 Sept). In such a hyper-connective world, perhaps it’s possible to use technology as a tool to connect with ourselves, our emotions and hopefully regain control over ourselves.
One of Brighton Digital Festival’s most popular events returns – vrLAB (4-7 Oct) combines immersive experiences and experimentations from the wonderful art, gaming, documentary and film world. If you are new to the VR world, it’s a great place to start out and experiment with loved ones.
It’s not completely about VR, opening TOMtech this year, is Bring Your Own Beamer (BYOB, 14-15 Sept), bringing two nights of projector powered digital art. Now in it’s seventh year, but first at TOM, The Old Market will be transformed into a beautifully digitally creative wonderland.
TOMtech LABS helps bring artists and technologists to explore and work together. This year sees the launch of TheatreXR, a technology training course designed for theatre makers to learn about and create digital immersive products, helping bring a new level of curiosity and agency to audiences. Creative Producer for TOMtech, James Turnbull says “Immersive technology offers artists a new medium with which to engage audiences.” It’s a five-day intensive course running from 3-7 September, with a showcasing of work during the vrLAB event from 4-7 October at The Old Market.
Tickets for all VR events are £15, with some £5 tickets available for young people as part of the 16/25 scheme. For more information and tickets, visit: theoldmarket.com/tomtech
