Institute for Creative Technologies

The Institute for Creative Technologies at Norwich University of the Arts is a leading national and international platform for advanced creative technical practice in the arts and a next generation laboratory for applied technology research.

The Institute was founded in recognition of the explosion in advanced digital practices in the arts, producing ground-breaking bodies of knowledge in both the arts and sciences, which are shaping cultures globally. The Institute explores how technologies developed by creative practitioners can be applied to solve complex real-world problems.  

The Institute provides artists, scientists, designers, performers, engineers, historians, theoreticians, and wider industry collaborators an environment for advanced exploration, technical expertise and community. It also provides access to this important driver of regional economic opportunity and takes a pivotal role in the national debate on the importance of creative education, Createch, and the benefits of promoting creativity throughout society.  

As a Research Institute we work across the four core themes of: 

• Emergent and inclusive technical cultures 
• Nature connection through mobile technologies and immersive visualisation
• Embodiment, mental health, and self-identity in a digital world
• Creative AI, machine intelligence, and human expression 

Producing new knowledge across these interconnected themes enables us to support practice-based technology innovation informed by both human experience and global challenges. 

The Institute is home to the UKRI funded (CResCa world-class lab) facility, the Interactive Visualisation and Simulation Lab (IVSL) based at our Havers Road building. This lab currently supports funded work exploring climate futures, virtual heritage, spatial computing, applied games, leading-edge approaches to virtual production and practice-based technology innovation for cultural organisations  

The Institute builds on NorwichUni’s close Art/Tech/Media relationships and explores how creative technologies connect us to Norwich’s heritage as England’s second city in Medieval times and its unique connection to the natural environment as the only city entirely within a UK National Park.  

Local and International partnerships include:  

BFI, ukie, Collusion, Cambridge Junction, Raspberry Pi, Dance East, Norwich Theatre, and October (Films/Media), The Broads Authority, Tyndal Centre, Sainsbury Centre, Norfolk Museums, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, N&N Festival, Film and Video Umbrella, NYU, UEA, ARU, UCL, UWE, University of Cambridge, University of Greenwich, Guildhall School of Music and Drama. 

Current Initiatives include: 

• Living in Changing Landscapes: Applying place-based approaches to transform our understanding of climatic, environmental, health, economic, social, and cultural factors affecting coastal communities and seas through immersive experiences created for our World Class Visualisation and Simulation Lab. 
• Ginn-Jinnaye: Exploring perception, and presentation of women’s bodies in Islamic culture; sites of murder and atrocities; Palmyra’s role as meeting place of East and West, and roots of the concept of “genius loci”. 
• ART//TECH//PLAY: Accelerating and expanding the supply chain for Art/Tech works by connecting individuals and organisations in the cultural and creative sectors; unlocking access to resources; and identifying methods to better support touring and dissemination of unconventional outputs.