VR has been hot topic this week due to the BBC's Voice of a Rebel experience being announced as an upcoming installation piece during the National Theatre's run of The Plough and Stars. The project tells the history of The Easter Rising and was the labour of love for resident and producer Catherine Allen. This is the second time in recent months where VR has been set up as a prelude to an NT show - an ambitious accompaniment that hints promisingly at a shift in mainstream attitudes towards the medium.

At the end of last month, Watershed had the pleasure of screening John Hull's award-winning feature film Notes on Blindness and accompanying virtual reality experience. The interactive element of the documentary involves participants being present in a 360 immersive environment intended to emulate John’s sensory and psychological experience of blindness. Resident Jon Aitken made a short video about the installation that can be viewed below, featuring commentary from iDocs director Mandy Rose.

Straying slightly from virtual reality and moving into the augmented reality domain, you may have recently read producer Hilary O'Shaughnessy's article in Bristol 24/7 about the current Pokemon Go craze and how it alludes to a positive step for integrating play into cities. Speaking of which, our 2016 Playable City Award is currently open for submissions. We're excited for the shortlisting process, having already received applications from a wealth of talent the world over. If you're sitting on an ambitious project, then act quick, as the deadline for applications is 13 September 2016.

It's always rewarding to watch the public engage with products conceived in the Studio. Such is the case with the new Watershed Jukebox that is happily residing in-house in the Watershed's cafe/bar. The jukebox's purpose is to showcase the work we've been able to support as an organisation due to the generous donations from individuals. The project itself was entirely funded by the generous financing of two New York-based Watershed supporters, Lesley Silvester and Terry Kahn, and was beautifully crafted by the Stand + Stare team, with additional production help from our Creative Technologist David Haylock, producer Katherine Jewkes and content creator Jon Aitken. Pop in to check it out and stay for the great coffee, a bite to eat and the relaxed atmosphere!

The Studio is preparing for a week of creative research workshops with the participants of Unfixed, due to occur next month. This exciting week will be the second stage of a two-part residency for Australian and UK artists who are investigating arts, disability and technology. The project is a partnership between Watershed, Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT), Unlimited and Access2Arts. Alongside the residency, we will be delivering a touring series of talks in partnership with Unlimited, including our unmissable Lunchtime Talk on Friday 16 September. 

To wrap up this post, we are delighted to introduce two new residents. Ellie Chadwick and Aaron Hussain of Sleight of Hand Theatre join our community to develop their current production. Ergo Sum aims to give audiences an insight into psychiatric and neurological disorders through multi sensory technology and immersive storytelling. And just like that, we return to the running theme of empathy. We think they'll fit right in.