An immersive audio experience that seeks to explore the relationship with artificial intelligence will be showcased at the University of Salford’s MediaCity campus.
Electropop artist Richard Evans will deliver a research showcase of his new album Quantum in a special event on Friday 22 August.
The free experience will feature a live performance of tracks from the album followed by a Q&A discussion with the artist and an album listening party.
The Manchester-based artist’s performance will be presented with a 7.1 spatial audio mix – the same level of experience cinemagoers would expect – and be presented on the widest sound stage possible.
Dubbed as ‘the future of live music performance’, the experience will also involve a hologram-style avatar projected alongside Richard, allowing audiences to see the visuals without the need of any eyewear or headsets, with the avatar’s actions synced in response to the live music.
Ahead of the free event, Richard said: “For a while now, I’ve been looking at what performers can do with 3D visuals and sound to make performances more immersive without the need for them to wear any tech.
“What we’ve been able to develop is something that I view as the future of live music performances – where through spatial audio and 3D technology – artists are able to perform in a truly immersive manner.”
He continued: “This kind of thing is already common place at some of the big venues, but what we’re seeking to achieve is to be able to offer that technology to small production companies and artists for their own performances, in perhaps a more cost-effective manner, so it can be presented anywhere, on any stage.
“Ultimately, we want this to be accessible to all, where any artist can work with it and that it will enable a new generation of multi-media artists and independent artists to have viable careers in this space.”
Richard will be in residency at the University’s Development Lab at the MediaCity campus for the full week beginning Monday 18 August where he will access support from the University’s industry-leading creative technicians ahead of his performance.
Roger McKinley, Creative Technology and Content Manager at our MediaCity campus, said: “We are delighted to invite Richard back to take the continue the research started during the Cultural Accelerator programme at the MediaCity Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub (MITIH).
“Finding affordable, efficient ways to develop novel, hybrid, digital 3D and immersive live experience, on a smaller scale and in different kinds of venues, will open up the technology to much more creative talent.
“Ultimately this will push the immersive experience-based industry and audiences into newer, different, and more challenging spaces. The Development Lab and University of Salford is delighted to be supporting this journey.”
The technology was initially developed pre-pandemic but has taken a leap thanks to financial support from the likes of Creative UK, Arts Council England and the MITIH who awarded Richard with funding from their Cultural Accelerator programme for the first iteration, that was then presented at the 2024 Beyond Conference.
A British-Irish electronic musician, writer and digital media artist, Richard has had a luminous musical background.
His first album Sentinel was critically acclaimed and received global airplay and he previously worked as a keyboardist with the band James, with whom he also co-wrote and recorded material, in addition to being a guitarist and songwriter for St. Vitus Dancers.
Quantum, which was released on May 2, is a nine-track electro pop collection inspired by and themed around artificial intelligence – probing its impact upon us, how algorithms are changing us and questioning what responsibility we bear for the things we create.
The album was released to positive reviews from online and print music publications around the world.
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