For artists working with creative technologies, the production pipeline — from early R&D through to public presentation and distribution — is fragmented and precarious. Collusion wanted to understand more about this landscape and what we could do to help artists. So we commissioned Independent Producer Roz Coleman (Punchdrunk, CIRCA Contemporary Circus) to undertake a research assignment exploring how artists and makers working with digital and immersive technologies are moving their work from R&D towards audiences, commissioners and real-world opportunities.
The result is a wonderfully eloquent thought piece, The Ecosystem: Finding balance in the digital arts superorganism, which proposes “a shift in lens – from pipeline to lifecycle – using the metaphor of a healthy living ecosystem”. Coleman describes the ecosystem as “a network of artists, producers, venues, funders, research institutions, platforms and intermediaries whose interactions determine whether work only launches – or continues to live”.
The report identifies the critical “R&D cliff”, where support drops off post premiere, leading to weak circulation, maintenance and afterlife, resulting in knowledge being hidden rather than shared across the sector. Developed at a point of growing interest in immersive and digital practice, and continued pressure on resources, Coleman proposes the adoption of “a regenerative model in which work circulates, learning is retained and experience feeds forward into new beginnings”.
The report draws on findings from interviews, survey responses and live discussions with artists, producers and organisations, including contributions shared at Collusion’s ART // TECH // PLAY LIVE Producers’ event on 05 Feb 2026.
Over the coming weeks, Collusion will be digesting the report and considering how best to adapt our work and support the sector. We are keen to hear from other ‘intermediary’ organisations, who are up for collaborating to support the vital nutrient exchange and regeneration to achieve a thriving ecosystem. Please contact us.