Present Futures: Virtual and Augmented Reality in Art

A collaboration between the Royal College of Art and Acute Art in London, Present Futures: Virtual and Augmented Reality in Art offers an introduction to the fascinating world of new technologies and how virtual and augmented realities (VR/AR) are changing contemporary art and its institutions.

Led by John Slyce (Senior Tutor, RCA School of Humanities) and Daniel Birnbaum (Artistic Director, Acute Art), this course provides unparalleled access to globally recognised artists, designers, entrepreneurs and art world practitioners involved in the field of VR/AR.

With site visits across London to map the production and reception of 21st century VR/AR art, this is an not-to-be-missed opportunity for anyone who is interested in the intersection of VR/AR and contemporary art.

Confirmed guest contributors you will interact with in-person or online on the 2023 programme include: Olafur Eliasson, artist; KAWS, artist; Rodrigo Marques, CTO of Acute Art; Hans Ulrich Obrist, Curator and Director of the Serpentine Gallery; Gilbert & George, artists; Crypto Entrepreneur Vignesh Sundaresan (AKA MetaKovan); Simon Fox, CEO Frieze; Sophie McElligott, Head of Communications at Dazed Media.

Contributors will share how they are engaging with, exhibiting, collecting, negotiating and understanding the impact of these new technologies on the art world ecosystem.

This course will offer multiple perspectives on the following core questions: How will today’s visual media (AR, VR and mixed reality) expand the ways we make, present and experience art? How might the virtual turn change the nature of art itself; just as photographic techniques and mass distribution altered our understanding of what an artwork can be across the 19th and 20th centuries? What is the curatorial significance of these new visual technologies and implications for cultural institutions and their professional staff in commissioning, curation and conservation? How will these new artforms be shown, circulated and collected, and by who?

“Like no other course offered by an art school, this five-day collaboration between Acute Art and the RCA will offer tools to navigate the world of tomorrow.” Daniel Birnbaum, Artistic Director, Acute Art.

“The fit with the Royal College of Art and Acute Art is ideal–this is a place where experiments in art and technology happen. The RCA is about innovation while not leaving earlier media behind and I believe this exciting short course can be the beginning of many creative and lively learning experiences.” —John Slyce, writer and critic, senior tutor, the Royal College of Art.

About Acute Art
Acute Art collaborates with the world’s leading contemporary artists, providing access to cutting edge technologies that allow them to translate their creative vision into NFTs, and virtual and augmented realities.

Works produced include those by Marina Abramović, Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg, Olafur Eliasson, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Bjarne Melgaard, Jeff Koons, KAWS and more. The artworks are accessible through our creative collaborations with recent exhibitions taking place in Basel, London, New York and Venice.

About the Royal College of Art
The RCA was recently ranked number one university for art and design for the ninth consecutive academic year in the QS World University Rankings.

RCA short courses attract a global mix of critical thinkers, creative practitioners, curators, artists and writers from over 60 countries. We provide unparalleled access to teaching, researchers, leading professionals, resources and facilities, as well as opportunities to collaborate and connect with an international network of peers.

They reflect the college’s practice-based learning philosophy with small class sizes; practical group work; independent assignments; rich interaction between students, academics and professionals; enhanced peer-to-peer networking; and a certificate of achievement on completion.

Join the Royal College of Art and Acute Art this summer! Early bird discount until June 30, 2023.