LFF Expanded

Taking place as part of the London Film Festival (LFF), LFF Expanded is a fully immersive exhibition programme that invites audiences to explore and experience powerful new ways of telling stories on screen, created by some of the world’s leading mixed-reality artists, filmmakers and games designers.

The majority of exhibits are hosted at the historic Bargehouse at Oxo Tower Wharf with experiences ranging from interactive digital games to epic audio-visual installations.

*Note that most LFF Expanded events are free, while some require prior booking.

IMMERSIVE INSTALLATIONS 

LAST MINUTE
12–27 Oct at Bargehouse (Ticketed)

French artists Claire Bardainne and Adrien Mondot have created a space bathed in images and sound, capturing a singular moment at the threshold between death and life. Embark on a collective immersive journey through a hypnotising universe of music, light and interactive projections. Experience lasts 30 minutes.

IMPULSE: PLAYING WITH REALITY
12–27 Oct at Bargehouse (Ticketed)

This brilliantly inventive take on living with ADHD captures the visual cacophony of our thoughts and what it means to be neurodivergent. Narrated by Tilda Swinton and informed by 100+ hours of interviews, this work combines Mixed Reality and captivating gameplay, following four outsiders whose rollercoaster of emotions leads them to a life on the edge. As the characters explore their thought patterns, you can uncover your own to reach a state of empathy and understanding. Experience lasts 40 minutes.

ARCADE 
12–27 Oct | BFI Southbank, Theatre Avenue entrance (Ticketed)

Can a gaming avatar be conscious of its own actions? Find out in DARKFIELD’s latest adventure – a fully interactive choose-your-own-path experience with immersive sound. Enter DARKFIELD'S shipping container and become immersed in ARCADE's world. Choose a side in a war-torn world, seek peace or even join a cult. Through spatial sound and sensory effects, you and your fellow audience members set out on a quest through an alternate reality, in which you begin to question your perception of free will and consciousness.

SUPERRADIANCE. EMBODYING EARTH
11–27 Oct | BFI IMAX Foyer (Free)

Exploring the interplay of AI and dance, this riveting virtual simulation merges ethereal dancers with transhuman species, bringing them to life in an immersive ritual space. Presented as a multiscreen video and sound installation, it fuses artificial intelligence with dance and neuroscience, to create an otherworldly experience that extends the viewer’s bodily perception.

PLAYING WITH REALITY

Complementing the presentation of Impulse: Playing With Reality (see above), this programme offers new perspectives on neurodivergence through a selection of free XR experiences and installations hosted at Oxo Tower Wharf.

EMPEROR 
12–27 Oct at Bargehouse (Free)

An interactive narrative delving into the world of a father suffering from Aphasia, and his daughter who is grappling with his lost ability to find words. A surreal journey through aphasia, exploring themes of loss, age and enduring emotional bonds, all presented in black and white, and a traditional animation style.

MAMMARY MOUNTAIN 
12–27 Oct at Bargehouse (Free) 

An intimate VR experience that tells the stories of patients’ healthcare struggles, with a focus on breast cancer treatment. Audiences are led through a visual and sonic world that interweaves excerpts from survivors’ stories, aiming to invoke a more nuanced and holistic understanding of this sensitive topic.

SOUL PAINT
12–27 Oct at Bargehouse (Free)

Explore and express your emotions and bodily sensations through body mapping, 3D drawing and movement. Using cutting-edge interactive technology, this experience, narrated by Rosario Dawson, pushes boundaries and fosters new forms of embodied insight and the diversities of human experience.

STIM CINEMA
12 – 27 Oct at Bargehouse (Free)

Offering new representations of living with autism, this project, co-created by The Neurocultures Collective and artist-filmmaker Steven Eastwood, invites viewers to experience the joy in stemming (a repetitive movement or noise that people do to help manage emotions and cope with overwhelming situations) and shared neurodiversity.

GAMES LOUNGE

The Games Lounge is free and takes place at Bargehouse/OXO Tower. It showcases five creative projects that exist at the intersection of gaming culture and interactive arts, playfully exploring alternative storytelling methods and diverse approaches to audience interaction and game design.

Projects showcased at the Games Lounge include:

A HIGHLAND SONG A single-player adventure through the Scottish Highlands that weaves together history mythology, family mysteries, interactive maps and an exhilarating musical score.

CLOSER THE DISTANCE  A moving slice-of-life sim about family and friendship in the face of tragedy. You play as Angela, a young girl from Yesterby who, after a fatal car accident, watches over her loved ones as they grieve. With her ethereal abilities, Angela’s choices will shape the fate of Yesterby.

DOME KING CABBAGE A mind-expanding visual novel that combines extraordinary stop-motion animation with witty and inventive gameplay in the latest project from the renowned game developer Joe Buchholz, aka Cobbysoft Co.

PAPER TRAIL Set in a foldable paper world, this top-down puzzle-adventure about leaving home invites you to uncover hidden routes and secret pathways.

PLAYING KAFKA Explore one of the most famous novels of all time, Franz Kafka’s The Trial, as a gaming experience that places you at the heart of its story. Based on Kafka’s life and work, and developed with Kafka experts, this is an inventive game packed with twists and turns.