Imagining Future Neighbourhoods Through Immersive Tech

Jessica Warren (Hoffmann) is talking about immersive tech and neighbourhood visioning at the Pervasive Media Studio on Friday 30 October. It's a lunchtime talk, running from 13:00 to 14:00, so it's one you can drop into over your break.

Warren is the Co-Artistic Director of the theatre company Uninvited Guests and a resident at the Pervasive Media Studio. She also co-runs the Future Places Toolkit, a Bristol-based social venture she shares with fellow residents Paul Clarke and Duncan Speakman, along with Jack Norris from Zubr. The talk draws on a recent collaboration with Bristol City Council that brought together arts, culture and immersive technology to look at neighbourhood visioning in South Bristol. Beyond that, she'll be talking about her company's approach to helping more diverse communities get involved in local placemaking and decision-making.

If you've ever wondered how things like VR or AR actually get used for something other than gaming—like helping people imagine what their own streets might look like in a few years—this is exactly that. It's about the practical side of how technology can open up the conversation about where we live, and who gets a say in how it changes.

The talk is at the Pervasive Media Studio Event Space, inside Watershed at 1 Canon's Rd, Bristol BS1 5TX. It's free and open to all, from 13:00 to 14:00 on Friday 30 October.