Live LAB
The Future of Live Performance Starts Here
CoSTAR Live Lab is where the UK’s most ambitious creators and technologists redefine what’s possible on stage, screen, and beyond. Based at Production Park, Europe's premier campus for live performance innovation, we provide the world-class R&D infrastructure to turn "impossible" ideas into immersive, multi-sensory realities.
Who we are
CoSTAR Live Lab is a pioneering research and development hub led by the University of York in a strategic partnership with Production Park. We are part of the £75.6m CoSTAR Network, dedicated to the future of live performance and immersive media. By uniting world-class academic research with the state-of-the-art production facilities at Production Park, we bridge the gap between creative theory and real-world execution.
What we do
We help accelerate the next generation of convergent technologies—including spatial audio, virtual production, and interactive design—that redefine how audiences and performers connect. Our mission is to ensure the UK’s creative industries remain at the cutting edge of global innovation by providing the infrastructure, expertise, and funding needed to transform "impossible" ideas into commercial realities.
What we offer
CoSTAR Live Lab at Production Park
The Lab's facilities feature dedicated spaces for advancing live performance systems and user experience across screen, stage, and the metaverse.
From XR Walking Tours to Unreal MetaHumans: Inside Xtra Reality’s CoSTAR Ideate Residency
Xtra Reality create memorable, story-led experiences that blend live performance with spatial technology. During their CoSTAR Ideate residency at CoSTAR Live Lab, Xtra Reality tested different approaches to producing mixed-reality content. In doing so, they established guidelines for when to use a volumetric capture or motion capture, exploring the creative and practical benefits this could unlock.
Live Music Meets Markerless Mocap: Inside Copper Candle’s Breakthrough Workflow
Copper Candle are breaking the boundaries of immersive live entertainment. Through the CoSTAR Pilots and Prototypes Programme, they set out to discover the best workflows for bringing musicians’ performances into digital environments, without heavy technical intervention.
Music Production Meets Mental Wellness at CoSTAR Live Lab
CoSTAR Live Lab recently served as the venue for a unique four-day Music and Mindset Retreat, which offered emerging artists a powerful combination of creative development and mental wellness support.
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How Motion Capture is Bringing 400-Year-Old Literature to Apple Vision Pro
CoSTAR Live Lab recently worked with Viridian FX to support their latest project: adapting Cervantes' Don Quixote as a mixed-reality experience for Apple Vision Pro.
CoSTAR Live Lab Welcomes Three Innovative R&D Projects
CoSTAR Live Lab has welcomed three new R&D projects as part of their Prototypes & Pilots Programme. The new cohort's projects span diverse areas including user experience research for immersive technologies, interactive artistic experiences, and live performances in virtual environments.
CoSTAR Live Lab launches with a celebration of live performance and a call to explore
State-of-the-art live performance facility CoSTAR Live Lab opens in West Yorkshire
Partners
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Meet the Team
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