Immersive experience sector a ‘house of cards’ industry

More than half of creatives who put on live or location-based immersive experiences are having to self-fund performances, according to a new report.

Published by the Immersive Experience Network (IEN), the report found live immersive experience (LIE) creative practice is overly dependent on individuals and lacking in development opportunities and access to funding, and says the over-reliance has created a “precarious foundation” for the practice.

The survey found 55% of the work in the sector is being at least partially funded by a creative’s own personal investment. In comparison, 35% of new pieces of work are being funded by the success of previous shows and experiences.

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Research lead, University of Birmingham Lecturer and IEN Co-founder Dr Joanna Bucknall, said the live immersive experience space is “currently a house of cards in the arts industry”, adding the sector is also over reliant on individuals in the industry for job opportunities and talent recruitment.

“We also discovered that there is a tendency for those working in the immersive experience space to do multiple jobs. As within the arts, freelancers are depended on heavily to do just about everything, often all at the same time,” Bucknall said.

“For those operating in the live immersive experience space, these findings may not be all that surprising, but what it does, is lay bare the lack of resilience in the sector.”

When respondents were asked to identify which forms of LIE they work within, the most common answers were immersive theatre, experiential art and themed attractions. More than three quarters (77%) said their practice spans across several forms.

The research also found an over reliance on personal connections for access into the LIE sector. In addition, 39% said they still rely heavily on word of mouth to attract audiences, which the report says “upholds the perception that LIE is elusive as a sphere or cultural practice”.

“It evidences the DIY, reliance upon knowing certain folk or having connections to access the work as audiences,” the report adds.

Focus groups derived after the survey found the over reliance on individual creatives and their networks is exacerbating other issues in the sector, such as the imbalance of opportunities within and outside of London and the challenges in acquiring and maintaining a venue for immersive productions.

Urgent action

The report’s concludes that “urgent action” is required to generate more robust and sustainable access to investment.

“The reliance upon personal investment and wealth is a precarious foundation to build a sector upon but also a very concrete barrier to entering the sector for new and emerging creatives,” it adds.

Focus groups suggested developing ways for collaborators to connect and investigating appropriate qualifications and accreditations into relevant skills to help support the LIE sector. The report adds that existing cultural bodies, organisations and institutions should work to build safe and best practice.

Co-authors of the report, Bucknall and IEN’s Nicole Jacobus, say that for the LIE sector to flourish in the UK, action is needed to get more people working in the space, alongside skills development, talent recruitment and financial investment.

“If we are to capitalise on all the brilliant opportunities and talent that this area of performance can provide, then strategic action needs to be taken, and quickly,” Bucknall added.