Arts-Focused Freelance
Creative Technologist
Ben Neal
A creative tech collaborator who turns artistic ideas into interactive software, immersive experiences, responsive environments, and cutting edge media.
Spanning XR, games, web, mobile, sound, video, physical computing and bespoke software - from early prototyping to exhibition ready work.
It usually starts with a question...
and then...
Bring artworks to life
with unique software & prototypes
Keeping your ideas central, let's explore what's possible, and find out what works.
Research and develop, play and test, and build towards public sharing.
You might have...
- an idea
- a narrative
- a performance
- an unformed thought
- an artwork
- a research question
- images // sounds
- an object
You could make...
- Interactive software and games.
- Apps for the web and mobile.
- Physical computing - with sensors, buttons and lights.
- XR projects - for VR headsets and AR tablets.
- Motion tracking, pose detection, facial recognition.
Selected work
Working with scientists and researchers from the University of Nottingham and Manchester, I created this promotional VR game in which you travel through the lungs and learn about respiratory medicine while treating a patient. During the game, players hold virtual devices to their mouths and physically blow into them - to propel medicinal aerosols to clear blocked airways and relax the muscle walls. Motion capture animation and voice acting were both recorded along with sound effects.
I remade Can You See Me Now? - a pioneering Mixed Reality artwork and game of chase. Online players are tracked and chased by real people who run around a city using a mobile app. Online players can see the position of the real players as their avatars move (tracked via GPS). Runners live stream audio commentary as they play, while online players can message each other to strategise their escape. It was created with Blast Theory and co-programmer John Sear in Unity for iOS and Android phones - complete with avatars, geolocated buildings, GPS tracking, and a multiplayer system with voice and text chat. Admin can manage sessions, players, and live stream the game.
Android and iOS Download Played at the Blast Theory Kickstarter event, and the ACCA, Brighton.
Created with
Artists, organisations, universities and festivals across arts and culture.
Creative together
- “one of the most gifted polymath creatives I've had the pleasure of working with...
if you get the opportunity to work with him, take it.”
- Ceri Hand, Artist Mentor - “Ben combines creativity and technical proficiency... to get the best out of any idea.”
- Baff Akoto, Artist - “Extremely professional to work with, he made the complexities of technology clearly understandable.”
- Chris Poolman, Artist
- “I'm consistently amazed by Ben's breadth of knowledge and knack for finding creative solutions.”
- Edie Jo Murray, Artist - “His combination of artistic and technical skills are unique.”
- John Sear, Real-World Game Designer (Museum Games) - “A fantastic collaborator. I recommend him highly.”
- Kerryn Wise, Digital Dance Artist
- “no matter how far it pushes the imagination - Ben can make it happen”
- Harmeet Chagger-Khan, Arts Producer - “responsive and generous with his skills and ideas. He's always keen to innovate and push the limits”
- Sarah Martindale (University of Nottingham) - “always at the cutting edge of technology, education and arts practice”
- Andrew Pearsall (Birmingham City University)
Consultancy, Talks, Workshops & Mentoring
Ben often shares his practice through talks, presentations, workshops, consultancy and mentoring.
Studio Practice
Ben co-runs Displace Studio with digital dance artist Kerryn Wise. Their best known work is a VR experience called Facades, which has toured internationally.
He's currently Associate Artist at the Virtual and Immersive Production Studio at the University of Nottingham.
GET IN TOUCH
If you have a project idea, and want to see what it could become, send a quick message.
If you are in the early stages of writing a funding bid - let's chat.
A few lines is enough - just say what you're working on.