With the role
of technology growing exponentially across various sectors, immersive realities
are offering a whole new world of opportunities to creative
professionals.
In collaboration with Robert Gordon University, Highlands and
Islands Enterprise’s creative support organisation, XpoNorth Digital, will host
a webinar designed to give small business owners an insight into how immersive
technologies can be used in fashion and textiles. The session will kick off a
series of workshops pioneered by XpoNorth Digital and aimed at helping small
business tap into the potentially transformational impact of academic research
and collaboration.
Taking place on March 29, the
session will introduce participants to the opportunities and challenges
presented by augmented and virtual realities. Using the example of Harris Tweed
Hebrides, the workshop will explore how innovative virtual platforms can help a
business’s image to evolve and explore new areas of commercial
opportunity.
RGU’s Academic Strategic lead, Dr Karen Cross, will be sharing
her expertise alongside the university’s design researcher, Josie Steed, and Dr
Yang Jiang, from RGU’s Head of Computing. The trio form part of a
multi-disciplinary team working on the AHRC-funded Augmented Realities project,
which examines the value that immersive realities can bring to traditional
textile and fashion products.
The webinar will also be attended by
representatives of Interface, an organisation which connects academics with
businesses interested in incorporating learnings from academic research into
their own practices.
The session will also provide a glimpse into the future of
augmented reality, with an introduction to future projects being piloted with
small businesses and heritage organisations, as well as a look at how immersive
technologies can help to forge international connections for businesses.
Iain Hamilton, Head of Creative Industries at Highlands and Islands
Enterprise said: “We are delighted to have RGU opening the
first workshop of this new series of content, designed to introduce businesses
to different areas of academic research. There is so much research available
within Scottish universities which could save businesses significant amounts of
time and money as they look at how to develop their products and
services. We’re also really pleased to have Interface join the session to
offer our business networks practical advice on how to access existing research
or partner with academic collaborators to undertake new pieces of bespoke
research.”
Karen
Cross, Senior Lecturer at RGU’s School of Creative and Cultural Business, said:
“We are really excited to share some of the
collaborative research and development work that we've been doing with our
amazing Scottish fashion and textile SME partners. Our research is
interdisciplinary, spanning sustainability and the ever-evolving digital
economy, exploring the potential of immersive technologies to engage with new
audiences, locally and internationally.”
The workshop,
which is free to attend, will take place virtually between 1.30 – 2.30pm and
those interested in participating can sign up at the following link: https://xponorth.co.uk/events/marshalling-resources-augmented-fashion-with-robert-gordon-university.