For individuals and small teams, the best way to get involved with the Studio for the time being is to visit us during one of our public events:

  • Open Studio Fridays: hotdesking in our space 10am-5pm every Friday
  • Lunchtime talks: a talk from a member of our community every Friday at 1pm
  • First Fridays: our monthly social event, from 5-6pm on the first Friday of every month
  • Producer Wednesdays: hotdesking for anyone working as a Producer or in a producing role, 10am-5pm every Wednesday
  • Make Shift: our monthly event for creatives aged 18-30, from 5:30-8pm on the first Tuesday of every month.

You can also follow us on Twitter, Mastodon, Instagram or subscribe to our newsletter, which goes out every month and is packed with news and opportunities. That’s also where we will be announcing when the Studio is open for applications again.

Partnerships

For larger companies, cultural organisations, development bodies, research institutions etc, collaboration with the Studio may take a number of different forms.

The Studio and our community of residents work across cultural and commercial projects with partners from around the world. One of the guiding principles of the Studio is that working with people who are different to you makes all of our ideas better, and as such external partnerships have always been a big part of the evolving life of the Pervasive Media Studio. We sadly aren't able to work with everyone who asks, but are always open to a conversation about possible collaborations.

Do you have a project in the pipeline and would like to work with us? Have you come across one of our projects and would like to get involved? Do you want to pick our brains on something that we have done before? Do you want to invent something new together?

Every partnership is different, and depends on the strengths and passions of those involved, but to give you an idea of how we have worked in the past:

  • We partner with tech companies to liberate the process of technology and product development from of the lab. We bring in artists, designers and creative practitioners to the conversation to explore and expand what is possible, prioritising experience design and user-led iterative development. e.g. HP Labs, Ultrahaptics, Bristol Robotics Laboratory.
  • We collaborate with other creative and cultural organisations to share cross-disciplinary practice, develop new talent and new audiences, and introduce creative technology into creative practice. e.g. RSC, Punchdrunk, Bristol Old Vic.
  • We work with national and international development bodies to develop new projects, programmes, events and festivals together at the intersection of creativity, technology and culture. e.g. Arts Council England, British Council, Crafts Council.
  • We work with agencies, companies and institutions from all industries to share insights and experience, map future trends, and consider how emerging technologies and cross-disciplinary, creative practice might influence different sectors.
  • We connect with universities and research institutions around the world working together on research, teaching and knowledge exchange with industry. We have a formal partnership with UWE Bristol and the University of Bristol. Find out more about our University Partnerships here.

You can also take a look at some of our ongoing and past projects on our projects page.

To kick off a conversation about partnering with the Pervasive Media Studio, contact the Studio Community Lead, Martin O'Leary martin.ol@watershed.co.uk