New Works XR

New Works XR (NWXR) supports new voices in the development of creative technologies and embodied practice. XR (extended reality) is an umbrella term encompassing augmented (AR), virtual (VR), and mixed reality technologies. First developed in 2021 between New Works, dance artist Erika Mitsuhashi, and a team of consulting artists and technologists, the program was envisioned as a process-focused space to explore, learn, and expand individual practices on and off screen.

New Works is humbled to engage new voices each season to lead and coordinate unique, cutting edge programming in close partnership with community partners and mentors. In the shifting landscape of new technologies and practices, the program remains curious, investigative, and artist-led.

NWXR 2023-24

New Works XR activities are usually focused between January and May of each season. Led by a collaborative team of artists, the XR team is excited to announce the 2023-24 suite of workshops, labs, and community activations very soon!

Be a part of our XR Newsletter to receive updates on performances, workshops, events and call for applications.

NWXR Short Circuit Series

March 15-17

Short Circuit Series is a weekend long series of community offerings; from workshops, to discussions and a soiree, New Works invites you to participate in these free events.

Save the dates! More info and registration available soon.

Alexandra Caprara - XR Program Coordinator

Bio

Alexandra Caprara (she/her) is a queer interdisciplinary artist from Tkaranto, Ontario whose practice is grounded in performance making and design, with a focus on devised processes, movement, interactivity, and design lead creation. Her work often centers themes of femininity, autonomy, somatics, and queer ecology, and believes in making and producing work that center queer joy. She has worked internationally as a director, performer, and designer for lighting and video projection, and has presented her work across Canada alongside companies such as WorkMan Arts, Factory Theatre, Theatre Replacement, and Good Woman Dance. She is currently concluding her MFA at Simon Fraser University, where her research focused on developing devised methodologies that centered harmonious relations with technology, performance interactivity, and ways technology can embrace the organic in both form and content. You can find out more about her work at alexandracaprara.com. She is thrilled to be a part of the New Works team! // Photo by Chelsey Stuyt

Gemma Crowe - XR Program Director

Bio

Gemma Crowe is a new media artist and recent graduate of Emily Carr University of Art + Design’s full-residency MFA program. Crowe holds a bachelor’s degree in contemporary dance and has ten years of professional experience in filmmaking and video art, which influences how she approaches an audience of viewers and listeners. Her thesis research is concerned with the illusory potential of sound and the sensory apprehension of movement. Crowe received Canada Council and British Columbia Arts Council funding for her research into spatial sound and the bodily experience as well as a research award through Emily Carr University. Crowe completed a residency at Lobe Studio working with world-class 4DSOUND spatial sound software and delivered a presentation on embodied sonic design at the 2022 International Seminar on Sonic Design. Crowe will continue her research in embodiment, virtual theory, and audience perception in her role as New Works XR Program Director.

Sierra Megas - XR Program Manager

Bio

Sierra Megas is an artist and arts administrator grateful to be living on the traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Her practice attends to physical materials through dance, embodiment, and improvisation and has recently involved list making, long-distance friendships, collecting foods and trinkets to connect with ancestors, making ephemeral sculptures, and observing minutiae in natural environments. As an extension of her practice, Sierra seeks to work meaningfully towards greater sustainability for artists through community programming, producing, curation and outreach. She has worked with Still Moon Arts Society, The Dance Centre, Vancouver New Music, Dumb Instrument Dance, Mascall Dance, and EDAM Dance. Alongside Francesca Frewer, Erika Mitsuhashi and Antonio Somera Jr., she is a co-producer-curator of Here For Now Collective. Together they produce the bi-annual, multidisciplinary art showcase Here For Now, and co-manage the beloved DIY performance venue, Boombox. Sierra has been supporting New Works XR since its Pilot program in 2021 and is delighted to continue creating spaces for dance and movement artists to experiment with new technologies.

Two Year Cycle

2023-24 marks the first of an annual two year programming cycle which will see New Works sustainably balance XR resources between community building and direct artist support.

NWXR 2023-24 will be a Community Building year. This season will see New Works focus resources on supporting the wider ecology of artists and audiences engaged at the intersection of dance and XR technologies. We recognize that artists need more than space and funds to investigate their craft; NWXR looks to support education of audiences, cross-pollination of practices, and the fostering of critical conversation.

Watch below as workshops, peer-to-peer work sessions, open studio time, and more are announced throughout the season!

We are working towards NWXR 2024-25 as an Artist in Residence year. This season will provide direct support for dance makers and embodied practitioners in the early stages of creation involving technologies that fall under the umbrella of XR. Following an application process, selected artists will enter a developmental residency with access to skills building workshops, mentorship with senior artists, consultation with technologists, access to gear and studio space, and XR resource sharing.

Past Seasons

NWXR 2022-23

NWXR 2021-22

Top Photo: Carla Alcántara.