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Training the Voices of the Future

About Vocalize

"A brilliant fusion of art and entertainment."

- Stephen Fry

An interactive installation with Sir Stephen Fry that confronts the future of AI, identity, and truth.

Vocalize is a provocative new interactive installation that invites you to confront one of the most urgent questions of our time: what happens when your voice is no longer your own?

Audience members step into a soundproof booth to enter the fictional world of Vocalize Talent Agency, where an interactive voiceover training session awaits. Led by an AI-powered vocal double of Sir Stephen Fry, they are guided to record their very own professional voice reel. But just as they are finding their voice, things take an unexpected turn.

Premiering at the Hay Festival from 22 May to 1 June 2025, Vocalize uses immersive storytelling to explore how artificial intelligence can manipulate identity and truth in a world where our voices, faces, and words exist online.

By placing audiences at the center of the conversation, the installation offers a powerful, hands-on encounter with synthetic media, urging everyone to consider how AI is rapidly reshaping our understanding of authenticity and consent.

The Experience

Vocalize will premiere at Hay Festival, 22nd May - 2nd June 2025

  • Tickets are free. Please reserve your spot using Ticket Tailor.
  • Suitable for audiences 18+
  • Duration: the core experience is 15 minutes; however, we recommend allowing a maximum of 30 minutes to complete the whole experience.
  • Walk-up spaces are also available throughout each day.
Hay Festival tent with patrons

The Team

Vocalize is produced by Indigo Storm, an immersive studio that harnesses technology and storytelling for social good.

Directors:

Halsey Burgund is a new media artist and Emmy-winning interactive director. Halsey was a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow, a Research Affiliate at the MIT Media Lab and is currently Creative Technologist in Residence at the MIT Open Documentary Lab.

Shehani Fernando is an award-winning immersive director and founder of Indigo Storm. She specializes in cutting-edge storytelling including VR and AR. Previously, she spent many years at The Guardian, where she led the Audio department and directed acclaimed VR experiences.

Francesca Panetta is Director of UAL's AKO Storytelling Institute and an Emmy award-winning artist. Working at the intersection of artistic practice and social change, the Institute aims to develop the discipline of storytelling-for-change. She led The Guardian's vanguard storytelling initiatives for over a decade including podcasting, immersive features and virtual reality.

Vocalize Team
  • DOP & Photographer: David Levene
  • Executive Producer for The Space: Harmeet Chagger-Khan
  • Visual Design: Ksenia Slavina, Halsey Burgund
  • Motion Graphics: Jazz Rumsey
  • Editing: Shehani Fernando, Prince Yiadom, Dan Susman
  • Concept Consultant: James Burke
  • Assistant Producer: Harry Løvstrøm

Our Supporters

Primary Supporter

Sage & Jester, an innovative arts production company. Sage & Jester take critical thinking and wrap it in stories, laughter and immersive experiences that combine curiosity, wisdom and wit. Their unique blend of art, technology and storytelling will move, inspire and provoke – inviting you to question the very notions of truth and trust. We're here to challenge your sense of reality just enough to make you say: "Wait, what?"" Then we'll help you see the world and yourself anew. Their mission: At Sage & Jester, we believe information is power. Understanding its flow is crucial to surviving – and thriving, especially as the silent tide of misinformation rises ever higher.

Sage & Jester Team

  • Creative Director: Matthew J. Bennett
  • Producer: Victoria Walker
  • Designer: Elizabeth Melinek
  • Production Manager: Jules Carey
  • Creative Coordinator: Linseigh Green
  • Marketing: Kimberley Taylor
Supporters:
Sage & Jester
The SpaceIndigo Storm
Wales Millennium CenterCopenhagen Documentary Film Festival
NumbersUAL AKO Storytelling Institute