Projects
Embodied Stories/Flexible Narratives
Embodied Stories/Flexible Narratives
Exploring how our bodies carry stories, how this can creatively interact with the spatial, sensory and responsive elements of immersive technologies.
Embodied Stories/Flexible Narratives’ is the beginning of new work using immersive technologies to explore the interplay between mind and body, storytelling and movement. It will investigate the sensory and spatial potential of VR and body movement in non-linear documentary storytelling, while looking for ways to build a deeper connection with the audience, develop more of a sense of place and presence, and a stronger sense of empathy.
The project will receive guidance from researchers in gaming for rehabilitation, creators, developers and producers of story-led interactive experiences and projects centred around embodied interaction. During the project, lead artist Gemma Thorpe will be mentored by Sarah Ticho, creator of award-winning VR project Soul Paint.
Explore
£5,000
Aims of the Project
The project offers a period of discovery, experimentation and interrogation to enable artist Gemma Thorpe to expand her practice beyond traditional 2D, linear forms of storytelling and create more experiential and impactful work.
It aims to connect her to people and opportunities in the realm of immersive, and gives the opportunity to attend conferences, labs and workshops to start to build a network in this field. It will give an invaluable insight to, and practical experience of, the process and application of new technologies such as body tracking, motion capture, the use of spatial sound and narrative design for VR.
The project aims to equip Gemma with a solid understanding of the production process of an immersive project, and with guidance and feedback from people working at the forefront of the field it is hoped that by the end of the ‘explore’ period, the project will be refined and ready to be taken forward to the next stage of development and into production.
Meet the artist
Gemma Thorpe
Lead artist
she/her
Gemma is a visual artist working in documentary storytelling – her work is narrative based and focuses on themes of identity and belonging. Her previous projects have centred around sports, subcultures, environmentalism and the outdoors and she was a Creative Producer on the 2023 SXSW-nominated StoryTrails project.
She is currently making a feature documentary about radical football fans in Shanghai, China and is expanding her work into immersive storytelling.
Gemma is drawn to the creative aspect of physical movement and the sense of community that sport and activity can bring, how we embody stories and carry heritage and tradition through generations.
