Celestial Has Collaborated with Bath Spa University to Develop Outstanding New Drone Light Shows That Respond to Performers in Real-Time with MyWorld Funding
Drone art company Celestial have been awarded a share of £1 million as part of MyWorld’s CR&D call in collaboration with Digital Catapult, led by Innovate UK.
With the funding, Celestial Labs can create amazing new drone light shows that react in real-time to artists and express their music and dance through an enthralling mix of colour and movement.
Starting in January 2023, this project addresses a global need to create new and more engaging formats of drone show experiences. Analysing music and movement will enable Celestial to create artistic drone formations with increased sophistication allowing audiences to receive a more intense feeling of immersion. In addition, the link between seeing a show and seeing a performer manipulate the show will heighten the viewer’s senses, increasing the ‘magic’ of the performance.
Celestial will work with Paul Jebanasam and Emeritus Professor Joseph Hyde for this project at Bath Spa University. Hyde and Jebanasam lead the Sonic Art and Visual Music research group at the University, which is world-leading in researching audiovisual practice.
This is reflected through historical and theoretical writing, the hosting of world-leading events (in particular, the Seeing Sound visual music symposium, which has run at the University since 2009), and their work, which includes cutting-edge arts/science collaborations, immersive installations and performances at high-profile international music festivals.
This experience will be invaluable in helping Celestial develop the performative aspect of their shows in this project. Bath Spa will also host two events to share their findings and invite input from the broader research community they have developed over the last decade.
MyWorld offers a unique mix of cutting-edge resources, money, and facilities to encourage and support the development of new concepts, items, and procedures.
MyWorld is the flagship for the UK’s creative industry and is a part of a UK-wide investigation into devolved research and development funding. It is funded by UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Strength in Places Fund.
MyWorld aims to stimulate the region’s creative economy by fostering inbound investment, generating new jobs, and promoting inclusive and sustainable company growth. In addition, the initiative encourages the exploration and creation of novel goods, methods, and services that strengthen regional capacities in audience research, network distribution, and creative digital production.
Celestial is incredibly grateful to MyWorld, Digital Catapult, Innovate UK, and Bath Spa University for helping Celestial Labs take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.