Some of Scotland’s leading arts and cultural institutions, technology companies, and creative pioneers are joining forces in a new project exploring the future of the performing arts through the lens of digital innovation and artificial intelligence.

Led by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) and supported by the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund, Split Screen will serve as a dynamic testbed for creative experimentation and entrepreneurship.

The initiative brings together a powerhouse collective of national partners – Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet, Citizens Theatre, Codebase, Techscaler, Creative Glasgow and Anam Creative.

Around 100 staff and freelancers will take part in a series of events, between November and March, designed to share skills, spark ideas and expand networks.

The aim of Split Screen is to bring this diverse group of organisations together with a single enquiry around digital innovation in the performing arts, exploring shared challenges and opportunities, said Deborah Keogh, Head of Engagement at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

“Split Screen will bring together some of Scotland’s most talented artists, creative organisations and digital experts to explore how technology can open up fresh ways of making and sharing performance.

“The events are a chance to test ideas, form new collaborations and support participants to develop work in ways that reflect how audiences and industries are changing. It puts artists at the centre of shaping what the future of performance could look like.”

With Codebase – a national ecosystem builder which runs the Scottish Government’s Techscaler programme – as delivery partners, the project will include three one-day sprints and a two-day hackathon, which will culminate in five micro commissions to support the next steps of new projects that emerge.

Split Screen aims to:

• Explore digital innovation possibilities in the performing arts through the participation of local, national and international experts.
• Enable cross collaboration between education institutions, technology companies, cultural organisations and grassroots artists networks to develop capacity to collaborate on new work as well as re-imagining and re-purposing existing work and content.
• Activate early-stage network building for an emerging creative and performance supercluster in Glasgow, building on the city’s rich cultural assets.
• Convene a new community of practice and access to new skills, industry pioneers, pathways and routes to development expertise in IP and AI.

The initiative builds on the recent appointment of Mark Logan OBE, Scotland’s former Chief Entrepreneur and Chief Operating Officer at Skyscanner, as Entrepreneur in Residence at RCS.

In his two-year RCS tenure, which began in May, Logan will play a key role in unlocking the economic potential of Glasgow’s creative and performing arts supercluster.

Deborah added: “Mark’s primary focus is to connect Glasgow’s creative economy assets – working closely with key stakeholders – into a visible and recognised supercluster of real scale and impact.

“This will be underpinned by a new economic success narrative that places individual artists, sole traders and microenterprises at the centre of a thriving ecosystem, alongside anchor education institutions, grassroots artist networks, national performing arts companies, cultural organisations and content creators.”

Split Screen has received the maximum award of £40,000 from the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund, which is being match-funded by RCS with additional in-kind from Techscaler.

Rosemary James-Beith, Membership and Programme Manager at Creative Glasgow, said: “Creative Glasgow is delighted to be contributing to Split Screen. At this critical juncture, when AI and technological developments are rapidly reshaping work within the creative and cultural sectors, we feel it is vital that Creative Glasgow connects its membership community, creative practitioners and organisations across Greater Glasgow, with new skills, expertise, knowledge in this area.

“Further, we see the creative and generative potential in Split Screen’s provision of opportunities to seriously explore emergent creative tools and services collaboratively with our members.

“While focused on the performing arts, this project will undoubtedly have far-reaching impacts across the creative and cultural sectors, and will be a force for generating shared understanding of both the challenges and the opportunities posed by this technology.

“We look forward to embarking on this work with the illustrious partnership it brings together.”