Two startups, with roots in Northern Ireland and the USA, are partnering to create an immersive online world that seeks to bring more art to today’s global audience in new and innovative ways.
Playhuman, founded by digital media specialist Matthew Scott (originally from Bangor) and Kinetek, founded by Hugh McGrory (originally from Derry, now based at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) are combining their technological and creative skills to develop an immersive art and entertainment network aimed at bringing contemporary art into the digital space for users to access and interact with – a process they call ‘democratising creativity’.
The digital world being created by Kinetek and Playhuman will go beyond traditional websites and social media, combining 2D and 3D elements to allow users to experience art and culture from anywhere and on any device, giving artists the opportunity to interact with audiences in new, immersive ways.
The two companies will be working in partnership with Studio Ulster, Belfast’s new global production centre of excellence to create original content for the platform, as well as featuring work from Kinetek’s roster of established artists from the worlds of culture, film and art.
One of Kinetek’s first original productions, Underscore, written and directed by Hugh McGrory, aims to begin production in Belfast, after a development phase supported by Northern Ireland Screen. Designed in the first instance to be an immersive art experience, it will also be available online for people to enjoy via VR headsets.
Playhuman is gearing up to launch its Virtual Streaming Network that combines 2D video formats and 3D virtual experiences and will enable media entertainment and digital creators to earn more, grow faster and create better audience experiences. The business has an ambitious growth strategy for 2025, including a plan to open studios in the US and to actively recruit at its headquarters in Belfast.
Kinetek’s Advisory Board includes representatives from the Guggenheim Museum and Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses and its curated roster of groundbreaking international artists includes Glenn Marshall, a pioneering generative animation artist from Belfast, winner of Cannes Short Film Festival in 2022 with an AI generated film and two awards at the prestigious Ars Electronica Festival.
Speaking about the partnership, Matthew Scott of Playhuman said: “Partnering with Kinetek is the next stage in the journey of Playhuman as we both seek to create a world that goes far beyond the current streaming network experience. This partnership combines the technical expertise of Playhuman and the creator ingenuity of Kinetek to bring all kinds of world class art into the digital universe for everyone to access and appreciate.
“Beyond this exciting project, we will be actively recruiting in the new year in Northern Ireland as we launch our Virtual Streaming Network. We will be bringing lots of creative and technical staff into our team and believe that Northern Ireland has the talent, ambition and resources we need to make the next phase of our business a reality.”
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Hugh McGrory, founder of Kinetek added: “Playhuman is the perfect partner for Kinetek. We aim to work together to build an ongoing slate of projects. Kinetek is developing experiences with a curated roster of international creators working at the cutting edge of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual production. This partnership allows us to make this work available to an online community at scale.”
Declan Keeney, CEO at Studio Ulster said: “We are thrilled to support the visionary partnership between Playhuman and Kinetek, which showcases Northern Ireland as a global leader in immersive creative technology. By combining our hybrid technology offering at Studio Ulster with cutting-edge digital innovation and world-class artistry, our companies are opening new possibilities for global audiences to engage with art and culture in dynamic digital spaces.”
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