Between November 2019 and March 2020 three Digital Futures & Interactive Media students took part in a fantastic industry placement opportunity. Gaining 315 hours of work experience on a range of professional projects with Rural Media and the Invisible Arts Network.

Rural Media is an organisation based in Hereford that strengthens communities, supports new talent and influences social change through film, media and digital art. Rural Media also run the Invisible Arts Network (IAN) which is a collective of inspiring artists, arts organisations and technologists. Together they explore how they can make and see great Digital Art in and around Herefordshire and its borders.

The focus of the work experience for these students was to work with Emma Posey, Artist-in-Residence, Emerging Technology on the development of Actuality – Mixing Up Reality. A site-specific digital working, incorporating an Augmented Reality (AR) app and sculpture. With Augmented Reality (AR), participants use the camera on their mobile phones to engage with digital objects placed within a real environment.

The work experience also included the students to be team and project leaders to ‘stewards’ for Actuality’s launch week in the heart of Hereford city centre. This required them to manage small teams (made up of other Digital Futures & Interactive Media students) who helped the public engage in the AR experience.

The students also managed the teams on producing short video production edits for IAN member projects and events. This included the Gamification networking event which focused on exploring the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-gaming contexts such as galleries, performance, museums and public spaces, and PuploTry, an exciting performance project that explored the relationship between traditional puppetry and new emerging technologies.

Jon Turner Course leader of the Level 3 Digital Futures & Interactive Media Course stated “The students thoroughly enjoyed their industry placement as the experience gave them a fantastic insight to working in a professional creative media environment with real world application and deadlines”.

Actuality- HCA students work opportunity with Rural Media. 1