Cardiff friends! Our exploration of Cardiff’s cultural scene continues today with a peek inside CULTVR. Genuinely one of my favourite venues in the city, CULTVR is one of the only spaces of its kind IN EUROPE (never mind Wales / the UK), and it celebrates its fifth anniversary this year. Big thanks to the team at CULTVR for taking time to chat with us about their amazing venue.
Q. For those who have never heard of CULTVR Lab, can you describe it to us please?
We are a test bed to research and develop immersive art projects and XR live performances. We deliver our activities through three platforms, with CULTVR Lab bringing together producers, technologists, film, theatre makers, artists, academics and performers to explore the limitless potential of immersive storytelling through the digital arts. Our educational platform CULTVR Academy facilitates workshops, lectures and curriculum based activity to advance the knowledge of emerging technologies and skill transfer. And finally, we have created CULTVR Portal, an immersive digital archive for future generations capturing the creativity of Wales and showcasing the best of contemporary Welsh culture in a free for all online platform.
We never anticipated that we would be the first immersive arts lab to open in Europe focused on fulldome cinema, XR live performances and digital arts. We were hosting live immersive events four years before the Sphere in Las Vegas opened its doors! And we did this totally independently of public funds and corporate investors, which is incredible. We have the largest screen in Wales with 225 sq mt of surface area, which makes our arts centre quite unique.
Where did the idea for CULTVR come from?
We have been creating immersive films for the last 10 years and making XR live performances since 2017. We had to travel to the other side of the pond to create and present our work, as simply we could not showcase it anywhere in the UK as the infrastructure was not in place yet. Additionally, we had experience touring portable domes across Wales and internationally so we decided to create CULTVR to be able to showcase our own XR projects and also to facilitate the presentation of immersive art creations from fellow artists working in this medium.
Without experiencing the transformative power of immersive spaces it’s difficult to be inspired enough to commit to the hurdles needed to be overcome to produce for the medium. It’s even harder, if when you are hooked you have no way of testing out and learning as you create. Domes and immersive rooms need to be more accessible and greater in number, and luckily the overall excitement towards immersive technologies is helping significantly in lowering the price of entry into this arena. So for us to be able to produce content, we soon realised that we also needed to create the physical infrastructure to be able to R&D and present immersive work to audiences.
Please introduce us to your team!
Our team consists of six talented artists, designers, producers, engineers, and creators at the forefront of technology. We believe in cross-disciplinary practice and collaborate with a team of specialised freelancers for specific projects when we need to expand the team in a certain direction.
Our directors, Matt Wright and Janire Najera focus on the creative and artistic aspects of CULTVR while working with organisations, artists, and technical teams to produce immersive experiences. Lauren manages CULTVR’s daily operations, ensuring the smooth functioning and alignment with our mission. Mauricio Martin leads the creative aspects of our XR programs, while Rhys Davies oversees immersive filming and live event activations. Jamie Wilson specialises in 3D design and animation supporting the delivery of digital art experiences.
What kind of events have you held at the venue?
Since we opened our doors, we have presented film screenings, dance, theatre, live music performances and have hosted conferences, networking events, training sessions and brand activations to name a few!
We delivered the first programme of immersive art residencies in Wales back in 2021, supporting 12 artists to create their own XR (Extended Reality) projects. And we continuously receive visits from schools, college and university students from Wales and beyond to get an introduction to immersive media and learn about the opportunities and the skills needed to produce for this medium.
We have also established international partnerships with other immersive centres presenting the work of international artists at the Lab and have hosted international festivals that attract delegates from around the world. We also regularly host visiting Delegations of International visitors (from Norway to Quebec and the Basque Country to Hong Kong) to showcase the space as a best in class European facility that helps to drive forward a creative medium by lowering the barriers of entry to all.
Often people tell us when they come that it feels like they have travelled to Berlin, which we take as a great compliment.
You have had a bit of a bumpy journey opening just before the covid pandemic started – can you talk a bit about that, and how it’s affected what your vision was for the venue?
We never anticipated that we would have to close our doors a few months after opening our arts centre. Although we could not bring audiences together under the physical space of the dome, during the pandemic we expanded our team as many organisations all of a sudden realised the value of interactive and immersive experiences as a way to engage with their audiences. We came together during this period and the team concentrated on expanding our spaces and creating new areas within the Lab for when we reopened. It was an incredibly rocky and challenging first few months and we couldn’t quite believe our luck, but eventually we rose above the challenges and ironically ended up being one of our most productive periods. Needless to say we haven’t looked back since and continue to slowly grow however we won’t lie, the current post pandemic climate and general cost of living places huge pressures on the smaller independent grassroots venues.
Are there any frustrations or difficulties you face running the venue?
A colleague once mentioned that being a pioneer often means struggling to get the support you need at crucial moments, as you need to wait for the sector to catch up. It was very hard to explain to funders and other organisations the potential of immersive arts as it is an ‘experiential’ medium (you need to be in the space to fully get it) so we created the space in the hope it would be easier to showcase what we had envisioned. In other cities we’ve worked in, projects like this are embraced from the start, as they recognise the value for the local community and the international exposure it brings. However, here in Wales, it has been challenging to navigate the existing frameworks that primarily support established organisations, as we’ve emerged as a new arts venue with a different vision. It is in our DNA to embrace multidisciplinary practice and operate across sectors, so we fall through the funding gaps as we are a cinema, a theatre, a live music venue, a research centre, a gallery and an immersive arts lab at the same time.
Are there any events coming up over the next 12 months that you’re really excited about?
We are incredibly proud to be hosting FDUK for the second year in a row. Fulldome UK is the UK’s longest running immersive arts festival and fulldome artists and filmmakers from around the world will be descending on Cardiff to experience a curated programme of the world’s best fulldome films alongside a packed schedule of talks, presentations and immersive live performances.
In addition, to celebrate our 5th anniversary, we are presenting a new collaboration we have been making with the incredible Slowly Rolling Camera (performance at the Lab on 6 December 2024) . SRC was the first live XR performance we programmed at the Lab in 2019 when we made an immersive visual score for their album ‘Juniper’, and we are very much looking forward to this show. 4Pi are creating the visuals in house and can not wait to present the outcomes live on the 6th of December. It’s sure to be an amazing night and those lucky enough to get hold of a ticket (which are selling fast) will no doubt have a night they won’t forget.
Next March, we are hosting the Best of Earth Awards Ceremony, a coalition of some of the most prestigious and respected fulldome film festivals from around the world, including FullDome Festival in Jena, (Germany), Dome Fest West in Los Angeles, (USA), Dome Under Festival in Melbourne, (Australia), SAT Fest in Montréal, (Canada), and Brno Fulldome Festival (Czech Republic) and FDUK. Audiences in Cardiff would be the only ones that would have access to watch all of the selected immersive films.
How can people support the venue?
There are many ways that people can support us, including financial contributions via our website and in-kind donations that help us to deliver our artistic and educational programmes. Other forms of support can be by hiring the space for private events, buying tickets for our shows and mainly spreading the word of what their experience was like when they visited us! We also have volunteering opportunities.
We will continue to throw all of our efforts and resources to support the wider Welsh community in embracing and engaging with the transformative possibilities of cultural immersion and we are always on the lookout for collaborations that facilitate this. Our aim is to create a permanent facility with one of the world’s first LED domes in Cardiff, so currently we are looking at various opportunities that can facilitate this.
Also, finally, HOW DO WE PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME! Is it Cult – VR, or “culture” … or is it up to us to decide? 🙂
It is a play on the word culture and what we do at the Lab, shared virtual reality experiences. Both pronunciations work well and we enjoy having a playful name that can be interpreted by audiences. Ultimately, we promote cultural immersion so hopefully our name transmits this connection.
BOOK TICKETS FOR UPCOMING EVENTS AT CULTVR!
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon immersive experience (multiple dates, ending Saturday 19 October)
Pink Floyd’s iconic album ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’, originally released in March 1973, turns 50, and what more fitting a place to celebrate it and experience it than in a 360º cinema, through the music set to visuals. With the help of modern technology, the idea of a show combining breathtaking views of the solar system and beyond, played out to 42 minutes of The Dark Side Of The Moon in surround sound, has been embraced by the band. NSC Creative have led the visual production efforts, working closely with Pink Floyd’s long time creative collaborator Aubrey Powell from Hipgnosis.
Mesmerica (multiple dates, ending 8 November)
Mesmerica is a visual music journey presenting music of Grammy-nominated composer and percussionist James Hood together with visually-hypnotic, 3D animated art curated from artists around the world.
FDUK (Fulldome UK) Festival 2024 (11-12 October 2024)
FDUK 2024 will take place on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th of October and will feature the work of leading fulldome artists and producers from the UK and around the world. The event is a great opportunity to experience fulldome creativity in all its diversity, and to meet and learn from fellow immersive creatives.
FDUK 2024’s Live Immersive Showcase (12 October 2024)
Prepare for a night like no other, with the multi-talented Beardyman and the captivating Teddy Hunter, alongside DJs and VJs sets featuring João Saramago and Andrew Wagstaff. Presented by Cardiff Music City Festival.
The Voyage of Arka Kinari (17 October 2024)
Immersive documentary film about the extraordinary journey aboard the 70-ton sailing ship, Arka Kinari, ingeniously transformed into a cultural platform to amplify the urgent call for action on the climate crisis. Delve into the inspiring voyage across oceans of musicians Filastine & Nova, connecting distant shores through the unifying language of music and art to raise awareness about climate resilience on a global scale.
Black Mantis immersive cinema experience (19 October 2024)
Devil’s Flower by Black Mantis is a new project from South Wales based producer Deri Roberts. His latest album Devil’s Flower sees him delve into his darker electronic side fusing together his love for sound sculpture, electronica, and jazz, resulting in an ever changing world of sound with a visual score produced by the award winning immersive studio 4Pi.
Slowly Rolling Camera (6 December 2024)
Join us for a special live performance with Slowly Rolling Camera celebrating 10 years since their first album. With their sixth studio album ‘Silver Shadow’ being released this summer this performance will envelop audiences in the dynamic interplay of magnetic melodies and cinematic visuals. Accompanied by an immersive visual score created by award winning studio 4Pi Productions, this XR performance pushes the possibilities of storytelling within shared immersive spaces inspired by the visual and musical interplay found in moving images.
DJ Yoda – 50 Years of Hip Hop XR performance (7 Feb 2025)
DJ Yoda returns to CULTVR to present the XR live performance: 50 Years of Hip-Hop. This event is not just any club night; it’s an immersive experience that combines the best of hip-hop music with 360º visuals. DJ Yoda will feature some of the genre’s most iconic tracks presenting for the first time a fully immersive AV set dedicated to hip-hop in the UK.
Emika – If We Disappear live performance (25 April 2025)
If We Disappear is an immersive acoustic-visual journey crafted by Berlin multimedia artist and sound designer, Emika. Set against the backdrop of her latest album, Falling In Love With Sadness, this unique live show is designed for the planetarium, combining Emika’s distinctive voice, piano melodies, and hypnotic beats with 360º visuals. The performance delves into themes of love, loss, and the search for meaning in chaotic times, inviting the audience to reflect on where love goes when everything else is falling apart.
HUGE THANKS TO THE CULTVR TEAM! If you want to follow and support, here are all the links you need
CULTVR website
CULTVR Instagram
CULTVR YouTube
CULTVR Facebook
CULTVR Twitter
We Are Cardiff 