York is one of only 12 UNESCO Creative Cities in the UK and we are unique in being the UK’s first and only UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts.
To us, media arts encompasses all contemporary creativity: it is the nexus of the creative economy, art and technology – and York is home to many vibrant, leading media arts organisations, events and initiatives.
York Mediale is an international media arts charity, which delivers an international media arts festival every two years; the Guild of Media Arts consists of around 200 creative practitioners across the sector, and represents York as the Focal Point for the UNESCO designation; the Aesthetica Short Film Festival is a leading annual international festival in York; and XR Stories provides research and development for the future of immersive and interactive storytelling.