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Scientists & students use theatre to interrogate ethics of #VR & Quantum

Qupid and VR100 are the culmination of a six-week collaboration, part of Redland Green’s enrichment programme, designed to connect young people with researchers at the University of Bristol, and encourage them to think critically about the implications of these cutting-edge technologies.

Award-winning theatre company, Kilter, worked with the students and scientists to develop the concepts for the two productions. The first, Qupid, is a short, performed love story, followed by a conversation with artists and researchers about the future of quantum technology and the ethical implications for individuals, society and future generations.

The second, VR100, is a short, script-in-hand performance piece, set in the year 2079 at a 100th birthday party hosted by Bucketlist.vr. The production aims to test-drive ideas and provoke an ethics conversation about VR.

Dr Kirsten Cater, project lead from the University of Bristol’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, said VR and Quantum technology have been maturing over the past decade and are now on the cusp of mainstream adoption:

“While VR and Quantum technologies may support human beings to live and work faster, with greater efficiency, and to benefit from previously inaccessible opportunities, such progress may come at a price. In recent times other revolutionary technologies have come to fruition long before their ethical implications have become the subject of public discourse, and with troubling consequences.”

Project co-lead, Dr Edmund Harbord from the University’s Quantum Engineering Technologies Lab, added:

“As Virtual Reality and Quantum Technology enter the public zeitgeist we must learn from the past and educate developers and consumers alike to be aware of their power and why we must use them responsibly. Who better to help us shape the future than the technology developers and consumers of tomorrow!”

Visit the Kilter theatre website for more information or to book free tickets for Qupid on 5 July or VR100 on 11 July.


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