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Immersive experience at UoG will celebrate life and work of composer Gustav Holst

Please note, the following event has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances:

University of Gloucestershire is proud to bring a 360-degree immersive experience to Gloucestershire in partnership with the Holst Birthplace Trust and the PlayLa.bz research institute to celebrate the 150th birthday of composer Gustav Holst.

The University, Holst Birthplace Trust, who manage the Holst Victorian House in Cheltenham, and PlayLa.bZ have joined forces to bring together academics, students, musicians, innovators, designers and createch artists to produce an original multi-sensory storytelling experience within a five-metre high planetarium dome.

Holst Spaceship Earth – among a range of activities in the town this year to celebrate the 150th birthday of Gustav Holst – will take place at the University’s Park Campus in Cheltenham on Friday, 18 October and Saturday, 19 October. The latter coincides with an open day for prospective students.

Holst Spaceship Earth will feature incredible multi-dimensional projections, Virtual Reality experiences, soundscapes, student-created content and an exclusive premiere of ‘The Transit Of Venus’. This includes new music by immersive ecology designer Mileece, ‘Cosmic Drone Sitar’ by local classical Indian musician Dinesh Patel of the Cheltenham Improvisers Orchestra, and a Gravity Synth audio visual experience by full dome pioneer Leon Trimble.

As part of Spaceship Earth, the co-founder of PlayLa.bZ, James Edward Marks, has delivered createch workshops to students from the University’s School of Creative Arts to enable them to engage with a range of technologies and produce audiovisual content for the project.

A painting of composer, Gustav Holst.

Supported by Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants, Holst Spaceship Earth is a contemporary reimagining of peace, wellbeing, equality, nature. It includes concepts around climate awareness as well as inclusive community ideas, all through the legacy and enlightening artistic vision of Gustav Holst.

Born in Cheltenham in 1874 and best known for his orchestral suite The Planets, Gustav Holst (pictured left) is regarded as one of the most iconic, influential and innovative composers of the 20th century.

Among the students who have worked on the Holst Spaceship Earth project are Manu Agarwal (MSc Sound and Music Production) and Ben Springall (BA (Hons) Sound and Music Production).

Ben Springall said: “Over the duration of the summer between the end of my undergraduate course and beginning of my postgraduate course, both in Sound and Music Production,

“I have been working with creatives on the Holst Spaceship Earth project in the role of Lead Audio Recording. As such, I was tasked with the incredible job of recording Holst’s personal piano located at the Holst Victorian House – it has been a real privilege.

“The project has been an amazing experience and will aid my pursuit of becoming a classical and folk music recording engineer, a discipline I feel very passionate about and excited to begin within my current freelance practice.”

Manu Agarwal said: “The multi-dimensional Holst Spaceship Earth project has provided me with fabulous opportunities to gain more experience around immersive audio and video, including the recording of 360 videos of Holst Victorian House, composing spatial music inspired from ‘The Planets’, and layering the music with VR videos.

“The modules taught at the University have provided me with the knowledge and skills to bring my work – titled ‘Manu’s Planetology: A Gustav Holst Spatial Odyssey’ – to life. My involvement has enable me to meet other creators and supported my future career prospects. It has been a great pleasure and motivation to be part of such an esteemed project.”

Putting learning into practice in innovative ways

James Edward Marks, PlayLa.bZ co-founder, said: “Teaming up with University of Gloucestershire’s School of Creative Arts’ switched-on young minds and academic team has been an inspiring experience.

“We worked full tilt throughout the summer break, tinkering with cutting-edge createch and DIY experimental experience design, engaging within the local community’s arts and culture scene, and putting learning into practice in fun and innovative ways.”

Laura Kinnear, curator at the Holst Victorian House, said: “It’s been wonderful working with the University on the Holst 150 project. The students have brought such a different dynamic to Holst’s music and legacy, producing innovative and exciting ideas to challenge our perception of this famous composer.

“We can’t wait to share these creative responses with the community at the dome, enabling them to think about Holst in a new way and appreciate the incredible skills and talents of the young people involved.”

Dr Matthew Lovett, Associate Head of the University’s School of Creative Arts, said: “We’re extremely proud of our collaboration with the Holst Birthplace Trust and PlayLa.bZ to bring the Holst Spaceship Earth project to life.

“It’s an immensely powerful project that has provided our students with incredible opportunities to engage with a range range of technologies, design and produce content for the project, and make important connections with industry professionals for the benefit of their future careers.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors to our Park Campus for Holst Spaceship Earth on 18 and 19 October, including prospective students combining their visit with our open day on 19 October to find out much more about what the University has to offer.”

Please note, this event has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

Main image: Beth Hands, a BA (Hons) Animation student, attending a workshop delivered by James Edward Marks