A leading programmer of digital and immersive culture, Ulrich Schrauth, joined the BFI London Film Festival in 2020 to oversee a new immersive strand of virtual and extended realty works. Now in its fifth year, LFF Expanded continues its journey into the heart of digital creation, incorporating video games into the programme for the very first time, while exploring today’s VR and immersive cinema landscape. A look with programmer Ulrich Schrauth.
Cover: SUPERRADIANCE. EMBODYING EARTH by Memo Akten and Katie Peyton Hofstadter
LFF Expanded, 2024 edition
Can you tell us a bit more about LFF Expanded and this year’s programme?
Ulrich Schrauth – We’re really excited to present a multitude of projects from all over the world that not only feel important artistically, but also that are designed to engage audiences of all backgrounds. The number of projects presented at LFF Expanded has always been a bit smaller compared to other major international events, but with LFF Expanded, it’s all about artistic quality and audience experience.
The BFI London Film Festival is first and foremost a festival for the general public, even if we have a strong industry presence there too, and our priority is to produce an event for as diverse an audience as possible without denying the artistic integrity of the works. This year, our focus is on installations in very different formats (12 projects ranging from immersive, through to VR, AI, immersive audio and video games), sometimes collective, sometimes interactive, but always very accessible. Many of this year’s works are free of charge. We want visitors to have the best possible experience when coming to the festival, and have the chance to see the works that not only interest them, but also provide a new perspective on immersive storytelling.
- BFI Southbank: ARCADE by Darkfield
- The Undercroft at Southbank Centre: IMPULSE: PLAYING WITH REALITY by Anagram (read our preview)
- The Undercroft at Southbank Centre: MAMMARY MOUNTAIN, EMPEROR (read our interview), SOUL PAINT
- Outernet: THE GREAT ENDEAVOUR by Liam Young, Presented in partnership with Outernet London – the largest digital exhibition space in Europe, with floor to ceiling, 360-degree screens across its four-storey building
- BFI IMAX: SUPERRADIANCE. EMBODYING EARTH by Memo Akten and Katie Peyton Hofstadter, and the Games Lounge (A HIGHLAND SONG, PLAYING KAFKA, PAPER TRAIL, DOME KING CABBAGE, CLOSER THE DISTANCE)
In our curation, we always try to give focus to current themes and topics, and this year we decided to give space to important discussions on mental and physical health, platforming selected projects like IMPULSE, which explores what it means to live with ADHD. Physical and mental wellbeing is a very prominent topic in XR today (especially since the pandemic), where technology is developing new stories and ultimately very strong narratives around how we engage with health, both physically and neurologically.
What are key considerations when programming LFF Expanded?
The notion of collective experience becomes fundamental when programming this type of work. Immersive art has inherited a strong social culture, with cinema and theatre being essentially social experiences. Coming together to discover new cultural projects, in very physical places, is a real social – even political – gesture! And this guides our preparation too. Also we try to make the projects as accessible as possible and provide space for reflection. For IMPULSE, for example, we will have an offboarding zone for the audience, so that they can take the time to exchange ideas and share their experiences. You have to take the time to decompress and reflect on what you’re seeing.
Can you tell us a bit more about gaming at LFF Expanded?
Bringing video games to LFF Expanded is a continuation of my work as a curator, in which I have always looked to introduce elements outside of traditional film festival programming. VR is just one immersive format among many, while video games are a particularly active industry, with a real independent scene. At the intersection of video games and immersive environments, there are some fascinating discussions to be had. And presenting five high-quality games at a film festival is really exciting.
Our long-term strategy with the BFI, around the festival and beyond, is to attract new audiences through innovative programming. We hope that the diversity of the works presented this year can help create curiosity and open up the festival to audiences of all ages, backgrounds and interests, while providing a platform for world-leading artists who are harnessing the power of these new strands of technology.
How well is the UK digital and XR ecosystem doing?
The creativity around immersive art in the UK is exciting, whether via established companies or new entrants, and this offers a very stimulating creative landscape – and one with recognised artistic quality. We’re also seeing the opening of new immersive venues like Undershed in Bristol, which strengthens the UK’s digital ecosystem.
On the other hand, the economic fabric is increasingly difficult, both in our country and around the world. The question of financing is becoming complex, with opportunities shrinking.
There is also a question of venues – it’s increasingly difficult to find spaces to show some of these types of works. We’ve had our own struggles at LFF Expanded this year trying to find a replacement venue, after our initial space, The Bargehouse, had to close for repairs. We’ve been fortunate in securing a great new space – The Undercroft at the Southbank Centre – but we know these types of spaces are few and far between!
Going forward, we really need to think about the distribution network and cinemas likely to host the works that festivals put forward, to give the visibility with the general public that they deserve.
Imogen Heap, the audience and AI
Imogen Heap will be giving a talk at LFF – can you share some more details on this?
Imogen Heap is an artist we’ve been working with for some time, and who has always had in mind reinventing the idea of the musical concert, of performance with the audience. Now she’s delving into the subject of artificial intelligence and what new possibilities there are for artists in this field. It’s a fascinating subject, which Imogen is tackling from several angles, and which she’ll talk about in her LFF Expanded event, Creating With The Audience. If we’re lucky, she may even be able to offer us a sneak peek of her new single which is set to be published later this month…
What does AI mean today, for curation and artists (and more)?
On the subject of artificial intelligence, it’s important to approach it with caution. On the one hand, as a programmer, seeing so many artistic works use it as a creative tool, or to change the visitor’s experience, is fascinating. Using algorithms and generative machine learning to generate new images is an impressive step. On the other hand, we need to keep an eye on how we use these new technologies as individuals, and their effect on our daily lives. There are obvious risks, which show the need to legislate on the subject, to regulate and frame the use of artificial intelligence. This is essential if we are to move forward, and ask ourselves the right questions about these new use cases.
“Innovation in XR must come from content, not technology” – Ulrich Schrauth (LFF Expanded 2023)
“With BFI, we are really branching out into more immersive art forms” – Ulrich Schrauth (LFF Expanded 2022)
“I strongly believe VR is here to bring people together, to challenge their perceptions of the world” – Ulrich Schrauth (LFF Expanded 2021)
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