Royal College of Art and Outernet Unveil New Partnership
We're pleased to announce a major new multi-year partnership with The Royal College of Art (RCA).
Together we will showcase students' digital work on the most advanced screens in the world. This ground-breaking educational partnership will see RCA students use our world-leading interactive platforms to showcase their innovative digital work and immersive experiences.
RCA students will be able to experiment with our digital canvas of screens. Outernet is the most advanced immersive space in the world, featuring 23,000 square feet of floor-to-ceiling, 360-degree, wraparound 16K screens across four storeys. We use the latest immersive technology to create new experiences for music, arts, culture and creators.
The RCA and Outernet London collaboration will be a leading testbed for creative and digital art, design and storytelling, public engagement and innovation. The partnership will launch with the RCA Digital Direction showcase from 22 - 26 February 2023, featuring work created by students on the MA Digital Direction programme, which addresses the urgent need for inclusive and relevant storytelling using new technologies.
This five-day festival of digital artworks and performances, including Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, 360 videos, games and multi-screen installations, will demonstrate the power of connecting world-class technology with creative vision.
Highlights include 'Follow The Name' by Yujie Wu, a captivating 3D video game which explores the deep connection between plants, places and people. The audience can find their way out of a garden of camellias by listening to the sounds of people calling the camellias by their local names, reconnecting this plant with its place of origin.
'Digital Death Masks' by Aiden Shabka, an installation inspired by the death of physical identity, uses multi-screen generative video to showcase the continuous building and destruction of identities procedurally forged from fragments of individuals.
Dr Paul Thompson, Vice-Chancellor Royal College of Art, said:
"At the RCA, we champion the value of interdisciplinary collaboration between the arts and sciences, and so we are proud to partner with Outernet Global to harness the power of immersive technologies to amplify the creative work of our students. I look forward to seeing the students' digital creations come alive through these innovative tools."
Philip O'Ferrall, CEO of Outernet Global, said:
"As a world first, Outernet was conceived with a pioneering mission to innovate in creative storytelling and deeply connect with audiences. What's so exciting about the partnership is that we have a shared vision with the Royal College of Art around how to do exactly that, and the screens and spaces at Outernet were built for this kind of creative endeavour. The incredible alumni list at RCA has shaped and changed the artistic and cultural landscape for many years. Now their current students can share their work on our immense digital canvas right in the heart of London."
Tom Simmons, Head of Programme, Digital Direction, Royal College of Art, said:
"Our partnership with Outernet provides a unique opportunity for RCA students to experiment with the scale and immediacy of immersive storytelling, exploring what digital storytelling can be, how it can bring people together, connect diverse experiences, confront social and ecological inequalities, and reveal more caring ways for us to live in our world today."
