Studio Innovation Fund creative tech supporting social causes

The Studio Innovation Fund
Awarded Projects in 2024

The Un-Truths: Jack Stoddart, creative lead of Ramshacklicious, has partnered with Common Wealth Theatre, to empower people to access and create innovative, cutting edge visual, musical, and digital performance that supports alternative and unheard voices to be heard.

Make Good Humans: James Levelle, filmmaker and adventurer, has partnered with web and brand designer, Joseph Lavington, to prototype a one-stop-shop web-tool to revolutionise volunteering. This project will explore building an interactive online map and use creative approaches to capture the stories and voices of grassroots groups, starting in the BANES area.

A Matter of Opportunity: Jenny Ford, founder of Materials in Mind has partnered with Nick James, Director of Sustainability at Futureground, to address the countless un(der)-used buildings in communities by exploring a new creative use of an increasingly common 3D space capture technology, to unlock increased social, environmental and economic value.

The Studio Innovation Fund
Awarded Projects in 2023

Deborah Beale worked with animated, motion sensitive puppet art/robots constructed from recyclable materials, to engage the wider community in Twerton for increased wellbeing and health support. Fran Chambers‘ project aimed to showcase and expand the use of technology, and specifically AI, in the creation of art, raising awareness and engagement with new audiences and participants. Lille Crabtree’s participatory music technology project sought to increase the engagement and wellbeing of young people at the Southside community centre, via the use of music with AI tools. The Egg Theatre’s project explored accessible creative technology in production design – such as digital puppetry, stage avatars and motion-capture – along with upskilling local disabled/neurodivergent associate artists. Antony Oxley’s sound art project worked to capture the ‘hidden’ sounds of Bath through community audio recordings of the electromagnetic field that’s all around us. Trigger Productions’ project aimed to raise awareness of the unethical patenting of botany and the indigenous communities affected through an outdoor performance piece with postable boxes and augmented reality.

Find out more about the 2023 projects, and watch our 2023 showcase video.

The Studio Recovery Fund
Awarded Projects in 2022

Nat Al-Tahhan developed Gimme Gargoyles, a browser game full of mini-games and activities that introduce the whole family to the idea of ethical use of NFTs. Emma Pauncefort, Phil D Hall, CRD Records and Elzware created a prototype of the world’s first classical music discovery assistant. Joseph Wilk used a custom built robotic drawing machine (pen plotter) to develop larger paint-based canvas work for exhibition and ran workshops, particularly for people with disabilities. Scarlett Mosnier expanded the reach, creative impact, and sustainability of Fringe Arts Bath by engaging with international curators and artists through innovative tech, and the development of a business plan. Silvia Carderelli-Gronau developed new user interfaces and approaches to support access to ‘Sonic Dancer’, a tool that uses movement and sound to enable connection in a virtual space for people that cannot rely on their vision or who are visually impaired. Dr Penny Hay and Dave Webb worked with Digital Wonderlab to prototype a ‘City of Imagination’ – an open source visual map of Bath’s creative ecology.

Find out more about the 2022 projects, and watch our 2022 showcase video.

The Studio Recovery Fund
Awarded Projects in 2021

Alyson Minkley and Dave Webb brought together artists, creative practitioners and scientists to explore how to create a virtual festival/club within the social distancing restrictions during the pandemic. Larkhall combined music and live algorithmic visuals in short concert performances that were live streamed through social media. Little Lost Robot researched and developed a ‘soft robot handbook’ and develop an affordable prototype posted kit, and series of accessible pre-recorded workshop video tutorials for primary aged children. Kilter Theatre developed an online Storyopathy, providing therapy through fiction. Silvia Carderelli-Gronau developed a sound-based framework called ‘Sonic Dancer’ that enables dancers to move and improvise with each other from different locations. Ximena Alarcon further developed her INTIMAL app, which reveals stories collected from Colombian migrant women living in Europe that change depending on the users direction of walking.

Find out more about the 2021 projects, and watch our 2021 showcase video.