City as Lab was delighted to host Blast Theory, the internationally renowned artists’ group, for a one-day practical workshop in February 2025, examining issues of performance and presence in mixed-reality city games. How can these games impact how we are present in public space? And how does performance play a role in these games?

Taking Can You See Me Now? as its starting point, participants played a custom version of one of Blast Theory’s early interactive games, integrating a new PARM (Projection Augmented Relief Model) of Castle Meadow Campus into the game.

Exploring new ‘playable’ uses of City as Lab’s 3D physical PARM tool, the workshop prompted a creative exploration of spectatorship, performance and play in public space.