Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) MA Animation Production alumna Ananta Sharma has been selected as one of BEYOND Studio’s Emerging Innovators for 2026.
Ananta is part of the first group of six innovators announced for this year’s cohort, which will feature 23 emerging talents in total.
Now in its second year, BEYOND’s Emerging Innovators programme celebrates standout early-career talent across the UK’s creative research community. BEYOND is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading gatherings for thinkers, makers, researchers and investors working at the intersection of creativity, research and innovation.
As a creative technologist focusing on "neuroaesthetics and neurocognitive immersivity", Ananta strives to create immersive technology installations that stimulate human senses, using neuroscience as a foundation to understand cognitive decision-making and build participative, simulated environments.
Nominated by Pod Bluman, she joins fellow cohort members Evangeline Henderson, Luke Thomas, Anna Billany, Gaigai Xie and Serena Marija.
In the short time since graduating, Ananta has worked on some of the year’s most ambitious live and immersive projects as part of the Bluman Associates team. Her first project there was Arc, a collaboration with Nike staged at The Treadmill Factory.
In July, she worked on Baraka Obscura at the V&A, a projection-based, polysensory installation led by artist Yasmeen Ayyashi that uses the Nigella Sativa seed to explore Arab cultural heritage through embodied sensory exchange.
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This summer, Ananta also created real-time live visuals across two main stages at Boomtown 2026, before moving onto Cadogan Hall in September for the UK premiere of Chopin Residue, a multidisciplinary performance reimagining Chopin’s music through mechanical deconstruction.
Looking ahead, she's also part of the Bluman Associates and UNIT9 team creating a projection-based immersive installation for De Beers at Frieze Masters.
Alongside her project work, Ananta has continued to extend her technical practice into laser design through workshop sessions with Seb Lee-Delisle (BAFTA-winning artist, programmer, and creator of the Liberation laser software) and Abby Shum (TPi Awards 2026 Laser Operator of the Year).
Ananta’s innovative approach to technology and storytelling was shaped during her time on AUB's MA Animation Production course, where she developed foundational projects including Dashavatar: Reincarnation through Evolution (a 360° AR experience blending Hindu mythology with Darwinian evolution), Reflections (a live AI motion capture installation for the 7 Seas Cultural Festival 2024), and AR Tales: Walk into the Canvas (a phygital series combining traditional art with augmented reality).
“I’m incredibly grateful to be named one of BEYOND Studio’s six Emerging Innovators for 2026,” Ananta says. “BEYOND is one of the UK’s leading gatherings for thinkers, makers, researchers and investors working at the intersection of creativity and innovation. Being recognised as part of this year’s cohort, alongside such a brilliant group of peers, means so much!”
An online showcase featuring the work of the 2026 Emerging Innovators launches next month, ahead of the annual BEYOND Conference in Salford this November.
You can see Ananta’s Emerging Innovator BEYOND profile on their website.
