“The immersive experiences that we attend, they need to resonate with our sense of meaning. I got into theatre, arts, culture, whatever you want to call it, because I wanted to make people feel something. I wanted to help enable the rare but, sometimes amazing, moments where you get the shivers down the spine, the hairs standing up on end.”
Sophie Larsmon, a creative producer and director of live immersive experiences, presents her work on how data and diagramming tools help create and structure immersive experiences.
Particularly looking at data scraping techniques, Sophie explains how her past shows, such as ‘Souvenir, utilized available audience data found online and used it in their show to create a bespoke, personal experience. Often these shows are about the destructive nature of tech in our lives, and this technique serves to make the show both more immersive and thought-provoking. Her diagramming tools serve as a visual and practical guide that an immersive theatre team can use to communicate their vision to each other, whilst flexibly changing their plans as needed.
Talking about her previous work, particularly her collaborations with immersive experience production company Any One Thing, Sophie shares some insights into how she looks to create meaning in her experiences, going beyond mere spectacle to leave audiences personally moved and changed.
This talk was recorded at the Immersive Experience Network’s Live Immersive Design Symposium in October 2023, and is supported by Arts Council England and our industry partners Illusion Design & Construct, Mance Communications, White Light, Unlocked Vision, Clockwork Dog, d&b audiotechnik, Scene2, Little Lion Entertainment, Entourage, and Vista Insurance.
