Welcoming our first international artists to the VIP studio for an intensive week of creative innovation followed by post-production resulting in a ground-breaking demo of digital circus performance.

Image copyright: Mikki Kunttu

FINELINE is an incredible live show by Finnish contemporary circus performers Lumo Company. It combines amazing tight-wire and aerial work with a fabulous original score performed by the musician live on stage, with a spine-tingling finale. The show toured venues in Europe during 2023 thanks to a grant from the Nordic Culture Fund. Alongside the live dates, the project explored ways to extend the reach of the show using digital technologies like online streaming and NFTs. This included a three-day R&D residency at the Virtual & Immersive Production Studio (based at University of Nottingham) to capture parts of the show for presentation in Virtual Reality. This visit formed part of Sarah Martindale’s Nottingham Research Fellowship, as explained in this video documenting the residency.

The Lumo team of two circus performers, the musician, sound designer and producer arrived in Nottingham with their specialist tight-wire rig. Once installed in the VIP studio it took up most of the space. The plan was to experiment with the various immersive production technologies available. The first priority was to try out volumetric video capture. By positioning 10 specialist depth cameras around the equipment it was possible to capture the performance from multiple angles. The footage was then combined using Depthkit software to create a three-dimensional recording that could be positioned and manipulated in virtual space. Using the studio’s state-of-the-art Varjo augmented reality headset we were able to play with turning the performers into giants filling the space and miniaturise them to fit in the palm of your hand.

Other forms of performance capture were also utilised during the residency. 360 degree camera footage puts the viewer in the centre of the action, with a completely different perspective on the incredible skills displayed. Motion capture of live acrobatics allows performers to be overlaid with computer generated avatars. Spatialised audio means different sounds can be triggered by movement, for example hearing an internal monologue when you’re close to a performer. All these techniques have subsequently been combined to produce a VR demo, thanks to a prototyping grant from the XR Network+. This experience showcases the range of immersive formats in which circus performance can be presented. Users can navigate between excerpts from the show, each staged in its own generative AI environment. Our collaboration continues as we work towards producing a digital version of FINELINE that could tour to arts venues and festivals.