Attending Shambala Festival 2025 was an absolute joy, and this year was extra special as we brought the Shadowplay research project to life in the Enchanted Woods. I joined Joe Lindley, Roger Whitham, and Loura Whitham to share our GenAI-powered interactive performance, and from the first night, it was clear we were in for something magical.
The Enchanted Woods itself felt completely transformed after dark. Alongside Shadowplay, other performers filled the venue with unique light and sound experiences, turning the forest into a glowing, immersive wonderland. Each corner offered a new surprise and the atmosphere was electric, a truly multisensory playground.
Shadowplay invites participants to perform in front of a white screen, capturing their shadows and feeding them into our bespoke system. From there, we can enter prompts and adjust aesthetic parameters, producing live videos that blend the participants’ movements with AI-generated imagery. Watching people engage with the system was an absolute delight. Many participants described the experience as their favourite art piece at the festival, and one even called it a "new art form that closes the gap between technology and art".
We were there every night until the early hours, playing, performing, experimenting, and laughing alongside an incredibly positive and engaged audience. Special thanks to Raymond, Nicky, Helen, and Francis, whose support helped make the event run smoothly and ensured that everyone could fully enjoy the experience.
Being part of Shadowplay at Shambala was a reminder of the power of participatory research and interactive art. It’s not just about presenting work, it’s about creating playful, memorable moments where technology and creativity meet, and the audience becomes part of the performance. The Enchanted Woods was the perfect setting, and seeing the festival-goers step into Shadowplay, explore, and co-create with us was unforgettable.
Photography credits Violet Owen and Raymond Butcher
