Making Sense of Multisensory - findings from the CoSTAR Multisensory Tour Across Four UK Regions
This report presents findings from the CoSTAR Multisensory Tour, a series of workshops delivered across Wakefield, Edinburgh, Belfast, London and online during June 2026. Bringing together 124 creative practitioners from across the UK's creative and cultural sectors, the programme explored the opportunities, challenges and future potential of multisensory experiences that engage audiences beyond vision and sound.
Posted: 28 September 2026
Authors: Prof. Polly Dalton, Dr. Hazel Dixon, Dr. Rosella Galindo Esparza, Dr. Maruša Levstek and Dr. Andy Woods. All authors contributed equally and are listed alphabetically by surname.
Full summary
Drawing on workshop activities and post-workshop survey responses, the report captures the perspectives of practitioners already exploring multisensory approaches across fields including immersive technologies, virtual production, museums and heritage, public art and live performance. The findings reveal a growing and increasingly mature multisensory community. However, significant barriers remain. Cost, access to equipment and suitable venues, technical expertise, and the challenge of demonstrating value to funders and stakeholders continue to limit wider adoption.
Alongside these challenges, participants identified clear opportunities for advancing multisensory practice. These include stronger professional networks, greater access to knowledge and training, opportunities for experimentation and collaboration, practical resources, case studies, and improved evidence for demonstrating impact. Interest was particularly strong in embodied forms of creative practice, including movement, proprioception, touch and haptic experiences.
The report outlines how the CoSTAR National Lab Inclusive User Futures team is responding through knowledge exchange activities, the CoSTAR Multisensory mailing list, an open resource Multisensory Hub and the launch of an Inclusive Multisensory Experience R&D funding call. Together, these activities aim to strengthen capability, evidence and collaboration across the UK's emerging multisensory ecosystem.
List of Links
CoSTAR National Lab Inclusive User Futures