Experience Bristol Beacon's transformation in an immersive, audio-visual journey

‘Intermission’ is a groundbreaking collaboration between creative multimedia studio, Limbic Cinema, Bristol based live electronic band Scalping, and renowned music venue Bristol Beacon. 

A playful, interactive online exploration, combining technologies used for architecture, gaming, and live performance, the project creatively showcases where Bristol Beacon’s once-in-a-generation transformation project is currently, with a look into what the future holds.

Due to fully reopen in 2023, ‘Intermission’ provides an exclusive opportunity for audiences to access the venue’s physical spaces remotely and through the lens of local music and visual culture.

Before the journey begins, viewers arrive on an interactive landing page which sets the scene for the virtual reality experience, and the narrative of transformation.

Limbic Cinema have created 3D models of the interior spaces using photogrammetry – this involves taking thousands of photographs and stitching them together, resulting in a textured 3D model of the currently publicly inaccessible spaces.

Scalping performs as we move around the digitally scanned and augmented spaces. The experience is like a music video that also gives audiences remote access to the transforming spaces of Bristol Beacon.

Audiences are invited to explore virtually, witnessing the transition and transformation of this historic space. Scalping’s signature sound reflects this process. Inspired by Bristol’s sound system culture their distinctive musical approach draws on the past, dismantling then creatively reassembling influences of the city’s music history.

The project plays on the boundaries between virtual and physical worlds, combining 3D scans with volumetric video footage of the band. Cinematic camera movements allow the audience to reconnect with the Beacon during its state of transformation.

We regularly work with Limbic Cinema and discussed doing a digital project whilst we were in lockdown that was more ambitious than just a livestream of a band. We understood that audiences in lockdown had access to multiple online cultural events but much of it was the same format. We wanted to create something that was more visceral and exciting.

As our venue is in the midst of transformation, we felt it’d be interesting to use it as the setting for a virtual gig and that audiences would be interested in seeing the space in its current state.

Todd Wills, Artistic Director of Bristol Beacon

Music for the project comes from Scalping’s EP ‘Flood’ (Houndstooth), remixed and manipulated to create a seamless version of the EP especially for the online experience, reflecting their non-stop approach to live performance.

Scalping said: “This project gave us an opportunity to revisit our recent EP ‘Flood’, originally recorded before the pandemic, and pull the songs apart to rework them into a seamless piece of music which reflects how we perform live. It was an incredibly cathartic process during a time when live performance was completely impossible.

It was a fascinating process working on Intermission with Limbic Cinema and Bristol Beacon, such an honour to be involved and we’re completely blown away by the results.”