Magnificent yet daunting, Moby-Dick stands as one of the great classics of American literature, much admired but – sprawling and intimidating – seldom read. Now an unlikely combination of fans including David Cameron, Tilda Swinton, Stephen Fry and Simon Callow are set to change that after joining the cast of the ambitious project, Moby Dick Big Read – www.mobydickbigread.com.

With 135 audio chapters, read by 135 individuals, released over 135 days, accompanied by images inspired by the book from contemporary artists including Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley. The platform, developed by i-DAT www.i-dat.org, has exceeded 400 000 plays in the 3 weeks it has been live.

Undertaking such a ‘leviathan’ of a project – sourcing, recording, editing and distributing 136 readings alongside an international body of artwork to accompany each chapter – has been made possible by the extraordinary commitment of a dedicated team of people, who for nearly two years have been united by a vision to create a new way of retelling the story of Moby-Dick for a 21st Century audience.

The project was dreamed up by author Philip Hoare and artist Angela Cockayne, and developed in collaboration with Peninsula Arts, i-DAT, Intercity and Deep Blue Sound, through generous support from Plymouth University and the Leverhulme Trust.

This Lunchtime Talk is part of Open Studio Friday, which takes place at the Studio every week.

Do you want to find out what is going on at the Pervasive Media Studio? Are you interested in meeting our residents, talking about a specific project or curious about pervasive media? Why not pack a sandwich and join us for one of our Lunchtime Talks and Open Studio Friday.

Lunchtime Talks are informal presentations by Studio residents and associates. They normally take place at 1pm on Friday, are free and open to everybody who’s interested in what we do.

After the Talk, we also invite you to stay with us for the afternoon to continue the conversation or work on your own projects. We provide chairs, tables, wireless and a great space. You bring what you need to work with (laptop/mobile). Our open afternoons close at 5pm.

Let us know if you’d like a tour of the space and we'll be happy to show you around. Send an email to admin@pmstudio.co.uk