PROGRAMME 2025
BELFAST XR FESTIVAL
BELFAST XR FESTIVAL
THE ART OF NOISE
“Join us for a day of captivating panels celebrating the power of music and sound!"
OH YEAH MUSIC CENTRE, 15-21 GORDON ST, BELFAST BT1 2LG
THURSDAY 13TH MARCH
9:30am - 4:00pm
NETWORKING BREAKFAST
9:30 - 9:55
WELCOME
9:55 - 10:00
Deepa Mann-Kler, Director, Belfast XR Festival
IN PURSUIT OF REPETITIVE BEATS
10:00 - 11:00
PANEL
PANEL
"Step into the making of In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats and hear about the
Belfast rave scene – an unmissable journey through music, culture and
history!"
Chair:
Jo Wright | Music Consultant and Artist Manager, Citizen Music Ireland
Panelists:
Darren Emerson | Creator - In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats, East City Films
Timmy Stewart | DJ/Producer/Promoter
THE FUTURE OF IMMERSIVE CONTENT PRODUCTION: HOW TO CONNECT THE TECH, THE STORY AND THE AUDIENCE
11:00 - 12:00
PANEL
PANEL
“As immersive technology continues to evolve, the lines between storytelling, technology, and audience engagement are becoming increasingly blurred. This panel discussion explores the future of immersive content production, examining how innovations in XR, audio, and interactivity are shaping new creative possibilities. Hear from a diverse range of content producers harnessing immersive technology and music, who have quite different outputs and backgrounds, but they all have to connect with an ever-changing technology landscape and audience.”
Chair:
Nigel McAlpine | Immersive Technology Development Lead, Digital Catapult
Panelists:
Rory Friars | Composer, Producer, Immersive Artist
Linda Curtin | XR Maker and Researcher
Dr James Stafford | Business Development Lead, INCISIV
Victoria Eyton | Senior Creative Producer & Creative Director, Darkfield
NETWORKING LUNCH
12:00 - 13:00
Sponsored by Innovate UK Immersive Tech Network
Competition Announcement
Asha Easton | Knowledge Transfer Manager, Immersive Technologies and Experiences, Innovate UK
Live Music
An acoustic set from
‘The Thing Is’ | Eva Rowan, Edward Gilmore, Bella Bryson, Mark Beattie
MACHINES DO NOT DISCRIMINATE: UTILISING TECHNOLOGY AS AN ADVANTAGE FOR DIVERSE CONTENT CREATORS
13:15 - 14:15
FIRESIDE CHAT
FIRESIDE CHAT
“Join a thought provoking conversation that includes how Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the entertainment industry has been strengthened by access to emerging technologies, allowing content creators of various backgrounds and means to uplift their voices. Rosa Costanza is an Emmy nominated Producer and award winning Screenwriter and Director who stands on a nearly two decades long career as an Audio/ Video engineer, one of the first 20 women ever to be a member of IATSE Local 695 in Hollywood (2007-2018). This dialogue will touch on how Rosa uses her technical background to strengthen producing and directing, featuring a Case Study of her current transmedia project, XING 360, a Game prototype supported by Northern Ireland Screen’s Interactive Fund that accompanies her film titled XING.”
Fireside Chat
Lucy Baxter | XR Filmmaker and Film Practice Lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast
Rosa Costanza | Writer, Director, Executive Producer, XING 360 Ltd
MASTERING IMMERSIVE SOUND: ELEVATING VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES
14:15 - 15:30
PANEL
PANEL
Chair:
Jo Wright | Music Consultant and Artist Manager, Citizen Music Ireland
Panelists:
Dr Jia-Rey Chang | Lecturer Digital Artist/Designer, MediaLab, Queen’s University Belfast
Katie Richardson | Composer, Sound Designer
Luke McNeice | Head of Engineering and Site Lead, Hamilton Robson
Dr Úna Monaghan | Harper, Composer, Researcher, Sound Artist, Queen’s University Belfast