IRL: LAB

What could creative technology open up for the places and communities we work with?

IRL is a new programme from The Stove Network, funded by the Pathways Communities Fund. It brings people working in creative technology together with those working in community arts, heritage, regeneration and creative placemaking. We're interested in what these fields might learn from one another, and the ideas that could grow from working together.

IRL: Lab is the first chance to explore this in person. Join us in Dumfries on Saturday 21st November for a day of talks, hands-on workshops, playful experiments and time to connect. Bring an idea you'd like to develop, a challenge from your work or a question about your place. You're just as welcome to come with curiosity and see what sparks.

You'll hear from and meet practitioners working across fields such as interactive storytelling, games and immersive experience. Could they help bring heritage to life, make space for people's voices or offer new ways to take part in shaping a place? You don't need technical experience, or even to be sure that creative technology is relevant to your work.

The Lab also makes room for conversation. As technologies such as AI develop rapidly, we want people working with communities to help explore their possibilities, impacts and tensions within the places they know.

The Lab is the beginning. Afterwards, an IRL development cohort will have the opportunity to take ideas further through expert-led workshops, mentoring and practical experimentation.

View our lineup of practioners attending IRL:Lab below:

Jason Wagner is a digital creative, entrepreneur, and founder of Ping Creates - a multi-award winning creative agency that has worked with high-profile clients including Cartoon Network, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and the BBC. Through securing multiple rounds of funded support and reinvesting profits, Jason has grown Ping Creates into an independent development studio and publisher of mobile games.

Jason's expertise spans full-service marketing, world-class animation, digital product design, team building, and leadership. Within Ping Creates, he oversees creative direction, business development, and the strategic vision that drives the company's growth and innovation.

As a mentor, Jason draws on this diverse background to help companies become pitch-ready, identify growth opportunities, and achieve product–market fit. He is also a dedicated STEM ambassador, committed to inspiring the next generation of creatives and entrepreneurs.

Jocelyn Burnham (www.aiforculture.com) is an independent artificial intelligence specialist working with the creative and cultural sectors. She has been commissioned by organisations including Arts Council England, the London Symphony Orchestra, Tate, the Church of England, the Goethe-Institut, Historic Royal Palaces, Shakespeare's Globe, RADA, Kew, and Bloomberg Philanthropies to produce bespoke AI workshops, resources, and board advisory…