Gentle Gathering
Gentle Gathering is a new kind of cultural event that blends food, storytelling and technology to create meaningful conversations and explore how we can connect across differences.
We’re thrilled to announce that Gentle Gathering has received development funding from Media Cymru. This support marks the next step in our journey to explore how food, technology and storytelling can create meaningful connections in an increasingly divided world.
Gentle Gathering is our response to something many of us are feeling right now - a growing sense of isolation, polarisation and shrinking space for genuine conversation, especially across differences. We want to imagine a new way of coming together: one that blends the comfort of sharing a meal with the playfulness of creative technology.
Gentle Gathering is guided by a team - a Facilitator, an Artist, a Chef, and an AI Agent named Graham. Together, they shape an evening of food and dialogue, using real-time prompts to spark reflection, challenge assumptions and broaden perspectives. Our aim is to create spaces that feel intimate and transparent, where ideas are shared honestly, and where new forms of decision-making and collaboration can be explored.
What We’ll Be Developing
Through this development phase, we’ll be building on the work we began with our Media Cymru Seed Funding. We’ll refine both the technical elements and the experience itself - how it looks, how it feels and how it works for different groups and contexts. With the support of Julia Glenn, our AI engineer, and Jorge Lizalde, who will be leading on visuals and projection mapping, we’re excited to start prototyping new ideas and shaping a clear path forward.
Our Bigger Vision
Gentle Gathering is about more than conversation - it’s about what we’re calling collaborative activism. We want to hold space for diverse voices, spark action and imagine what a positive, purpose-filled future might look like when technology is used for good.
We know that working with emerging technologies means embracing both the possibilities and the imperfections. That’s why this R&D will also focus on the ethical and environmental questions around how we use AI and design cultural spaces for the future.
In a world where it’s easy to speak without truly listening, we believe there’s real value in reimagining how we gather. Gentle Gathering is our way of exploring that, and we’d love for you to join us at the table.
