Versa Studios brings mixed-reality Kagami event to MIF23

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Versa Studios, the high end drama, film and broadcast TV studio network that also plays host to live immersive, music and brand events, is teaming up with Factory International to bring the week-long Kagami to Manchester International Festival.

Kagami runs until Sunday 9th July at Versa Manchester Studios. The groundbreaking mixed reality concert event, taking place in Versa Manchester’s Studios 8 and 12, was created by legendary composer and musician the late Ryuichi Sakamoto in collaboration with Tin Drum.

Versa Studios’ team has worked as close production partners with Factory International and Tin Drum to ensure the smooth delivery of this thought provoking event over the last six months.

Edward Harvey, studio and strategy manager for Versa Studios said: “Working with our neighbour Factory International, in close collaboration with Tin Drum, on a Manchester International Festival event which combines leading edge technology with an inspiring musical performance has been a perfect project to welcome audiences back to our city centre studios.”

Kagami represents a new kind of concert, fusing dimensional moving photography with the real world to create “a never-before-experienced mixed reality presentation.”

Audiences are provided with a headset to view a cinematic, dimensional Sakamoto performing on piano alongside virtual art created to accompany each song. Presented in surround sound, the experience is both collective and individual, inviting observers to connect to the work – and each other – throughout.

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Kagami at Versa Manchester
Kagami at Versa Manchester


The late Sakamoto’s body of work spanned electronic to classical composition and performance, including original scores for Oscar-winning films such as The Last Emperor and The Revenant. Kagami brings Sakamoto into collaboration with Tin Drum – the world’s premier studio producing content for mixed reality devices.

Versa’s studios have previously welcomed live events such as Kendrick Lamar at OGS, Arctic Monkeys Music Video, the Exquisite Gucci campaign, the Lacoste campaign as well as recent TV projects including The John Bishop Show, Dragon’s Den, Morning Live, Justin’s House, Celebability and Bafta winning Friday Night Live amongst others.

Charlie Ingall Versa Studios founder said: “It’s fantastic to see such immersive experiences [as Kagami] housed with us as part of the hugely important Manchester International Festival. Our nimble, bespoke set up means we can partner and welcome the best projects and most famous brands in the world to our studios.”

With high-end studio facilities in Manchester, Leeds and London, Versa offers a regional city centre network to support client and production partners.

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