Open Urbania

AMPLIFY is a European project bringing together a consortium of artists, technologists, and researchers from eight countries with the shared goal of supporting the digital transition of the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs).
The project is grounded in three core ideas. First, music is understood as a universal and transversal non-verbal language, capable of connecting people and enriching multiple CCI sectors. Second, “phygital” experiences—blending physical and digital dimensions—offer new opportunities to expand and enhance cultural production and audience engagement. Third, meaningful social impact emerges from co-creation processes that actively involve not only professionals, but also communities and non-professionals.
To translate these principles into practice, AMPLIFY will develop, test, and pilot two innovative suites of digital technologies powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Extended Reality (XR).
• AMPLIFY PORTABLE will be a cost-effective and user-friendly tool designed to enable people in different locations to play, learn, and perform together, with a particular focus on community-level engagement.
• AMPLIFY IMMERSIVE will allow cultural producers to deliver immersive live performance experiences to distributed and remote audiences, expanding access beyond the physical boundaries of performance spaces.
Both tools will be open-source and, although primarily focused on music, will be transferable across the broader spectrum of CCI sectors.
The technologies will be developed and validated through four small-scale pilot projects in diverse cultural contexts:
1. Renewing Tradition (UK) – remote learning and performance within Gaelic folk culture;
2. Music with Babies (PT) – digitally enabled music co-creation with families;
3. Stage Diving (IT) – augmented reality concerts connecting artists and audiences;
4. Revealing Opera (ES) – immersive co-creation experiences in opera involving local communities.
From the outset, AMPLIFY will engage with multiple CCI sectors to explore their needs, expectations, and concerns regarding digital transformation, generating added value as early as possible.
At its core, AMPLIFY adopts a human-centric approach in which technology serves creators and audiences rather than driving change for its own sake. The project aims to deliver innovative tools, new ways of working, enhanced audience experiences, and sustainable economic models aligned with the values and practices of the creative sector, ultimately contributing to broader societal benefit.